Take-Home Test

Step 1. Consider this abbreviated list of values compiled by Potentia:

• Self-worth -- feeling good about yourself
• Independence -- feeling that you are free to make your own choices
• Order/meaning -- feeling that you give events shape and purpose
• Acceptance/inclusion -- feeling that you are liked and valued by others, especially people you hold in high regard
• Stimulation -- feeling excited and challenged by your work
• Safety -- feeling protected and free from anxiety
• Security/well-being -- feeling secure, relaxed, and on firm ground
• Power/authority -- feeling forceful and able to make things happen
• Personal growth -- feeling that you are developing as a unique individual
• Conquest -- feeling that you have mastered challenges that are important to you

Step 2. Ask a friend to pose each of the following contexts to you. Consider each context separately and write down the values that became most important during each situation. Rank the values in order of importance and include no more than six values for each context.

• A time in your distant past when you had to make a really tough, vital decision that you knew would have critical implications for you and those around you
• A time in your recent past when you had to make another really tough and critical decision
• Your present situation in your professional life
• Your present situation in your private life
• Your current work-life balance
• Your immediate future, as you see it
• Your long-term future, as you want it to be
• Your hopes and dreams, however unrealistic they may seem

Step 3. Now consider the values you assigned to those contexts. Which values appeared in nearly every scenario? They are your core values -- the major values that you assume all "right-minded people" value highly. Which values rarely or never showed up? They are your blind spots. If no strong patterns emerge, it only means that this abbreviated exercise did not touch upon the appropriate values for you. The full Potentia profiling system collects a great deal more information and analyzes that information to extract various patterns.

Step 4. Considering these core values, think about a time when you encountered a person with values that were distinctly different from yours. Have you ever been in a relationship with someone who seemed unable to hear, understand, or appreciate what you were saying? How did you interpret this? Did you get annoyed? Did you see the other person as dumb, bigoted, opinionated, or awkward? What if their core values were your blind spots? How might this throw more light on the situation?

"Values influence our thinking, but because they are buried so deeply in our minds -- and operate so nearly instantaneously -- we are rarely conscious of them," Savage says. "Our values tell us what is right, good, suitable, and appropriate. They are the foundation of ethics, morals, social customs, cultures, and just about every choice we make."

Step 5. Finally, think about a time when you have become very upset over something quite minor. Did you keep replaying the circumstances in your mind and finding more clever responses days after the incident? Think about a time when someone said or did something that caused you to fly off the handle. Did you feel justified in throwing out a cruel retort at the time? Did you feel guilty later on? Recall a situation when you grew stubborn or insistent over a fairly minor thing. Did you feel determined to win, regardless of the cost or trouble? Chances are that each of these situations was pushing your hot buttons -- values that are triggered by some external circumstance and suddenly go from being inconsequential to being the only thing that matters.

"Recognize your hot button for what it is," Savage advises. "Recognize the emotion that accompanies it. The only response that works is attention. Once you become aware of your hot buttons, you can recognize when they are being triggered and consciously decide how you want to respond."

Read the Main Story: Do You Realize Your Potential?