Profilingvalues in Coaching: How Values Assessments Create Clarity and Why They Perfectly Complement CliftonStrengths®

Every person makes hundreds of decisions daily – but very few of them are truly conscious. What drives us is often not facts or logic, but our values. They are the invisible compass that determines what we consider right, important, and worth pursuing.

This is exactly where Profilingvalues comes in: a scientifically grounded values assessment that makes visible what otherwise operates in the background.

What Is Profilingvalues?

Profilingvalues is a values-based diagnostic tool built on the formal axiology of Robert S. Hartman. Unlike traditional personality tests, it doesn't measure behavior or preferences, but rather a person's evaluative competence – the ability to assess situations, people, and oneself in a differentiated way.

The assessment consists of 36 short evaluation tasks completed online in about 20 minutes. The results reveal:

• Thinking and evaluation patterns: How differentiated is someone's perception of the world?

• Self-image vs. world-image: How does the person evaluate themselves relative to others?

• Attention focus: Where does perception concentrate – on systems, people, or inner processes?

• Development potential: Where are blind spots and untapped resources?

Why Values Are So Critical in Coaching

Many coaching processes begin with goals: What do you want to achieve? But the deeper question is: Why do you want to achieve it? And this question inevitably leads to values.

Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology, emphasizes: Sustainable well-being doesn't come from goal achievement alone, but from living in alignment with one's own values – the so-called Meaning in the PERMA model.

Viktor Frankl, the founder of Logotherapy, put it this way: *'He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.'* Values provide that why.

In coaching contexts, it consistently shows:

• Coachees who can clearly name their values make faster and more aligned decisions

• Values clarity reduces inner conflicts and decision-making stress

• Teams with shared values show higher engagement and less friction

How a Profilingvalues Coaching Works

Phase 1: Complete the Assessment

The coachee completes the online assessment in a quiet environment (about 20 minutes). There are no right or wrong answers – it's about personal evaluation.

Phase 2: Profile Analysis

The certified coach analyzes the result profile and prepares the evaluation. The profile details individual evaluative competence on three levels:

• Systemic: How does the person evaluate structures, rules, and processes?

• Extrinsic: How do they evaluate practical results, performance, and efficiency?

• Intrinsic: How do they evaluate people, relationships, and themselves?

Phase 3: Debrief Conversation

In the coaching conversation, results are discussed together. Typical insights include:

• *'I now understand why certain situations stress me so much.'*

• *'Now I see why I often clash in teams – my focus is different from my colleagues.'*

• *'I've realized that I evaluate myself much more critically than others.'*

Phase 4: Development Actions

Based on the profile, concrete development steps are defined – such as targeted reflection exercises, adjusted communication strategies, or recommendations for role changes.

Profilingvalues vs. CliftonStrengths®: What Measures What?

Why the Combination Is So Powerful

The real power unfolds when you combine Profilingvalues and CliftonStrengths®. Because:

• CliftonStrengths® shows *what* someone naturally does well (talents)

• Profilingvalues shows *why* someone acts the way they do (values)

An example: A leader has the CliftonStrengths® talent 'Strategic' in their Top 5. Profilingvalues simultaneously shows a strong intrinsic focus – they highly value people and relationships. This means: This person develops strategies not for efficiency's sake, but to empower people. This changes how they deploy their strength – and how a coach should work with them.

Donald O. Clifton said: *'When we build on our strengths, our weaknesses become irrelevant.'* Profilingvalues adds the crucial question: What values drive the deployment of these strengths?

Who Is Profilingvalues For?

• Leaders who want to understand their decision-making patterns

• Teams looking to reduce friction from different value systems

• Entrepreneurs who want to align their business decisions with their personal values

• Coaches who want to enable deep self-awareness for their clients

• People in transitions seeking clarity about their next steps

The Science Behind Profilingvalues

The assessment is based on the formal axiology of Robert S. Hartman, a German-American philosopher and mathematician. Hartman developed a mathematical model to make human evaluations measurable.

His core thesis: Evaluation is a measurable cognitive competence. Every person evaluates situations on three levels – systemic, extrinsic, and intrinsic – and the relationship between these evaluations shapes thinking, feeling, and action.

Research shows:

• Hartman (1967): The Structure of Value – foundational work on formal axiology

• Byrum (2007): Validation studies show high reliability and practical relevance of the assessment

• Gallup (2023): Employees who can live their values at work are 3.5x more engaged

Conclusion: Making Values Visible Changes Everything

Those who don't know their values navigate blindly. Profilingvalues makes the invisible compass visible – and creates the foundation for decisions that don't just feel right, but truly are.

Combined with CliftonStrengths®, a comprehensive picture emerges: What am I naturally good at – and why do I do what I do? This dual clarity is the key to authentic leadership, fulfilling work, and sustainable success.

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