Coaching practices for Espoused vs Enacted Values

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Espoused vs Enacted Values, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

  • I say I value certain things, but when I look honestly at how I actually spent my week, my real priorities were something else entirely
  • I know what matters to me in the abstract, but it stays a nice idea
  • I say I value family, or health, or creativity
  • I stand up and tell my team what we value, but I’ve started to wonder whether my own choices actually match the words
  • I’ve done all the clarifying and ranking and I have this lovely list of values

Practices that may help

  1. Values-Based Action (ACT), Made Practical
    Values-based action in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) means choosing behaviors that are consistent with what matters most to you — your values — rather than behaviors driven by avoidance of pain or approval-seeking. ACT distinguishes values (directions, ongoing) from goals (destinations, finishable); the emphasis is on the quality of action in the present rather than outcome attainment. ACT has robust meta-analytic support; values-based action is identified as a core mechanism.
  2. Check action against stated values — the alignment review
    Once a week, compare your stated values to your actual choices and name the gap honestly.
    The Pythagorean Evening Review
  3. Committed action: making specific, values-linked behavioral commitments
    Translate a value into a specific, observable action you commit to this week.
    Values-Based Action (ACT), Made Practical
  4. Values clarification through lived evidence
    Infer your actual values from your past behaviour, not from what you wish you valued.
    Svadhyaya: Self-Study as a Daily Practice
  5. Model the values you expect (idealized influence)
    Become a living example of the values you want your team to hold.
    Transformational Leadership, Made Practical
  6. Take value-consistent committed action
    Translate each value into one concrete behavior you can do this week.
    Values Clarification, Made Practical
  7. The values–behavior gap check
    Audit the last week: which of your top values did your actual decisions honor?
    Values Card Sort
  8. Make core values operational, not decorative
    Use core values in hiring, recognition, and decision-making — not just on the website.
    The Rockefeller Habits: Scaling Up with Rhythm and Focus
  9. Excavate your actual values from your history
    Use past choices and sacrifices — not aspirations — to find what you actually value.
    Life Review and Reminiscence Therapy
  10. Values clarification: what matters most to you?
    Identify 3–5 core values — not what you should value, but what actually matters when life is stripped back.
    Values-Based Action (ACT), Made Practical

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