This episode puts value-focused decision making into action and shows you how to apply this powerful tool immediately to your own life.

I reflect on my own experience in my 20s to show how taking a value-focused approach helped me eliminate a potential job option.

You’ll also follow Jim, a 20-something college senior navigating a job search before deciding whether to pursue an MBA, as he applies the same framework. Most people get stuck and fall back into an alternative-focused approach to decision making, choosing from a default list of options on the menu of life.

After this episode you will:

Now It’s Your Turn

Think about a decision you are facing right now. It can be small, like what movie to see or which salad dressing to choose, or big, like what job to pursue or whether to make a move to a new city.

Before you decide, take 5–10 minutes and write down what truly matters to you in this situation.

Identify your values and group them into categories (just like Jim) so you can take a value-focused approach, starting with what matters, not just the options in front of you.

And if this process leads you to create your own alternative, one that wasn’t even on the original menu, share your story in the comments so others can learn from your experience!

Resources

This episode is inspired by Value-Focused Thinking: A Path to Creative Decision Making by Ralph Keeney, which shows how clarifying fundamental values can reveal new decision opportunities.

*Link to Keeney’s book

https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674931985

*Link to Frontline episode detailing the outcome of Providian, the company Ben eliminated from his menu of job options based on his ethical values https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-the-card-game/