Values & Strengths Discovery

Purpose

Build a solid foundation for career decisions by understanding who you are, not just what you do. This discovery process clarifies your core values and natural strengths—the essential information you need before exploring specific career paths.

Many career changers skip this step and end up trading one unfulfilling job for another. This process prevents that cycle.

When to Use

Use this Skill when you need to:

• Understand what you really want from your career
• Reconnect with your values after feeling lost
• Identify your natural strengths and talents
• Create a foundation before exploring career options
• Answer "What do I want?" with clarity
• Build self-awareness that guides all career decisions

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Peak Experience Mining

Identify moments of highest engagement and fulfillment to reveal underlying values.

Ask guiding questions:

• "Tell me about a time at work when you felt completely alive and engaged."
• "What was happening? What were you doing?"
• "What made that experience so fulfilling?"
• "Describe another peak moment—different context, same feeling."
• "What do these experiences have in common?"

Mine for:

• Activities that created flow states
• Types of impact that felt meaningful
• Work environments that energized
• Relationships and collaboration patterns

Output Variable: peak_experiences

Step 2: Values Extraction

Identify core values from peak experiences and life patterns.

From the peak experiences, ask:

• "What was being honored in those moments?"
• "What values were present that aren't present now?"
• "When have you felt angry at work? What value was being violated?"
• "What would you not compromise on, even for more money?"

Present values categories and have user identify resonance:

• Achievement values: Excellence, mastery, recognition, accomplishment
• Relationship values: Connection, collaboration, belonging, service
• Growth values: Learning, creativity, challenge, autonomy
• Impact values: Purpose, contribution, legacy, meaning
• Lifestyle values: Balance, flexibility, security, adventure

Narrow to top 5 core values with definitions in user's own words.

Output Variable: core_values Context Used: peak_experiences

Step 3: Strengths Identification

Discover natural talents and developed strengths.

Ask:

• "What do people consistently come to you for help with?"
• "What tasks feel easy to you that others find difficult?"
• "What skills have you developed that you're genuinely proud of?"
• "When do you lose track of time because the work flows?"
• "What would colleagues say is your superpower?"

Identify:

• Natural talents: Things that come easily, you may undervalue
• Developed strengths: Skills you've built through practice
• Energizing activities: Things that fill you up, not drain you
• Unique combinations: How your specific mix of strengths is rare

Output Variable: strengths_inventory Context Used: peak_experiences

Step 4: Energy Audit

Understand what energizes vs. drains you to guide career fit.

Create an energy map:

• "List 5 activities that energize you at work"
• "List 5 activities that drain you at work"
• "What type of work environment makes you thrive?"
• "What work pace suits you—sprint and recover or steady marathon?"
• "Do you energize from people or solitude? Structure or flexibility?"

Identify:

• Energy givers vs. energy drainers
• Optimal work environment characteristics
• Collaboration and autonomy preferences
• Work rhythm preferences

Output Variable: energy_audit Context Used: peak_experiences, strengths_inventory

Step 5: Pattern Synthesis

Connect the dots between values, strengths, and energy.

Analyze patterns:

• "What themes appear across your values, strengths, and energy patterns?"
• "What type of work would honor your values AND use your strengths AND energize you?"
• "What have you been ignoring or suppressing that keeps showing up?"
• "What does your ideal work environment look like based on all this?"

Create synthesis statements:

• "I thrive when I'm [doing what] because it honors [value] and uses [strength]"
• "I struggle when [situation] because it violates [value] and drains [energy]"

Output Variable: pattern_synthesis Context Used: All previous steps

Step 6: Generate Final Discovery

Create a comprehensive Values & Strengths document.

Create a document titled "Values & Strengths Discovery" with:

Section 1: Your Core Values Top 5 values with personal definitions and evidence.

Section 2: Your Natural Strengths Talents, developed skills, and unique combinations.

Section 3: Your Energy Map What energizes vs. drains you.

Section 4: Your Ideal Work Environment Based on all discoveries.

Section 5: Pattern Synthesis Key insights and themes.

Section 6: Career Direction Clues What this suggests about ideal career paths.

Context Used: All previous steps

Output Format

Values & Strengths Discovery

# Values & Strengths Discovery for [Name]
Created: [Date]

## Your Core Values

### 1. [Value Name]
**Definition:** [In your own words, what this means to you]
**Evidence:** [Peak experience or life pattern that shows this]
**When Honored:** [How you feel when this value is present]
**When Violated:** [How you feel when this value is missing]

### 2. [Value Name]
[Same format]

### 3-5. [Remaining Values]
[Same format]

## Your Natural Strengths

### Natural Talents (Things that come easily)
- **[Talent]**: [Description and evidence]
- **[Talent]**: [Description and evidence]
- **[Talent]**: [Description and evidence]

### Developed Strengths (Skills you've built)
- **[Strength]**: [How you developed it, proficiency level]
- **[Strength]**: [Same format]

### Your Unique Combination
[Description of how your specific mix of strengths is rare and valuable]

## Your Energy Map

### Energy Givers
| Activity | Why It Energizes |
|----------|------------------|
| [activity] | [reason] |

### Energy Drainers
| Activity | Why It Drains |
|----------|---------------|
| [activity] | [reason] |

### Optimal Work Environment
- **Setting:** [Description]
- **Pace:** [Sprint/Steady/Mixed]
- **Collaboration:** [Solo/Team/Mixed preference]
- **Structure:** [High/Low/Mixed preference]

## Pattern Synthesis

### Key Themes
1. [Theme that appears across values, strengths, energy]
2. [Theme]
3. [Theme]

### "I Thrive When" Statement
"I thrive when I'm [doing what] with [whom] in [environment] because it honors my values of [values] and uses my strengths of [strengths]."

### "I Struggle When" Statement
"I struggle when [situation] because it violates [values] and drains my energy by [mechanism]."

## Career Direction Clues

Based on your values, strengths, and energy patterns, look for careers that:
- **Offer:** [Based on values]
- **Require:** [Based on strengths]
- **Provide:** [Based on energy needs]

### Initial Directions to Explore
1. [Direction with rationale]
2. [Direction with rationale]
3. [Direction with rationale]

Tools

• basile_create_document - Creates the Discovery document in user's space

Example

Input: "I've been in sales for 10 years and I'm burned out. I have no idea what I want anymore."

Output: A Values & Strengths Discovery revealing:

• Core values: Growth, Connection, Autonomy, Impact, Excellence
• Key strengths: Relationship building, Storytelling, Reading people, Problem-solving
• Energy pattern: Energized by helping, drained by cold calling and quotas
• Synthesis: "I thrive when building relationships to solve problems, not hitting targets"
• Career clues: Customer Success, Partnership Development, Consulting, Teaching—all leverage sales skills without the draining quota pressure