Values Cards

What it is

69 cards, three piles, top five. Your mentee sorts value cards by how important each is, then ranks their top five.

When to send it

Send it early, or before a choice. It helps while you get to know each other, or when a decision is near.

• Getting to know each otherthe platform suggests it for a start
• A decision aheada job, a move, a project
• Pulled two wayswhen work and wants do not match

Filling it in

Fifteen minutes, in three parts. Sort the cards, rank your top five, then answer three questions.

1. Sort each cardVery important, important or not important; undo any time.
2. Put your top five in orderPick them from the very important pile, first to fifth.
3. Answer three short questionsWhy your first value leads, where values clash, one small act.

Reading the answers

Read the order, then the piles. The top five matter most, but the very important pile shows what else counts.

• Top fivein the order they chose
• Very important cardshow many, and which missed the top five
• Their own wordswhy the first value leads, where values clash

Questions to ask

Ask about their week, not the list. People who ask follow-up questions are liked more (Huang and others, 2017).

• Which of your top five shows most in your week now?then: and which shows least?
• Where do two of your values pull against each other?then: when did you last feel it?
• What is one decision this list could help you with?then: what would your first value choose?

Why it works

Naming what matters makes hard choices clearer. The card format is quick, and the result is easy to talk about.

Sources

• Miller, C’de Baca, Matthews & Wilbourne (2001). Personal Values Card Sort. University of New Mexico. Public domain.

How a tool works on Mentornity

1. 1The mentor picks a tool from the library and sends it with a short message.
2. 2The mentee fills it in step by step; the answers are saved as they go.
3. 3Both see the answers, comment on any part and agree the next steps.
4. 4Only the two of them see the answers, not the program admins.

Guides for both sides

• Values Cards for MentorsFor mentors and coaches: when to send Values Cards, how to read the top five, which questions to ask and how to turn it into one step.
• Values Cards for MenteesFor mentees and coachees: what Values Cards is, how to sort the cards, where to find it and what your mentor does with it.

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