Values vs.
Actions Audit

ASSESSMENT & DISCOVERY TOOLS

Compare what you say matters most with what
your actual behavior reflects.

The Gap Worth Examining

Most people can articulate their values without much difficulty. Fewer have examined whether their daily behavior reflects those values, and fewer still have looked at that gap without defensiveness. The values-actions gap is one of the most common sources of low-level dissatisfaction in professional life - a sense that something is slightly off but no clear diagnosis of what.

This audit works by asking you to name, for each domain, both what you say matters to you and what your calendar, energy, and decisions actually reflect. The distance between those two columns is the data. Where they are close, alignment is operating. Where they are far apart, there is usually a reason worth understanding - sometimes a values conflict, sometimes a constraint, sometimes a behavior that has simply drifted.

The alignment rating (1-5) is a shorthand for the gap - 5 means your actions and stated values are well-matched, 1 means they are significantly misaligned. The coaching conversation begins with the domains rated lowest.

How to Use This Audit

For each domain, write what you say matters - your stated value in that area. Be honest, not aspirational.
In the second column, write what your actual behavior reflects. Look at where your time, attention, and decisions go, not where you wish they went.
Rate the alignment from 1 (significant gap) to 5 (well-aligned). Use the gap between columns 1 and 2 to calibrate the rating.
After all 8 domains, identify the one or two where the gap is most consequential - not just the lowest score, but the lowest score in the domains that matter most to you.