In this article I will share my thoughts on the Value of Values cards, developed by Simon L. Dolan and Avishai Landau. Juan Carlos Alvarez, from BetterUp coaching, was kind enough to perform the value of values assessment with me. Because I think it is useful to apply and teach (the kids), I’ve purchased the box with cards.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Value of Values Card Deck Structure and Background
On the learning by values website from professor Dolan you can read the following historical background on the development and evolution of the value of values card deck:
The first card game was produced in Israel. We identified 60 cards/values plus the “Trust Card”. We labelled this game “The Value of Values”. Two important features were added: First, we identified a genius graphic artist called Eitan Daniel, who worked hard to interpret the 61 values and created an amazing set of images for the cards. They were colorful with pastel colors that generate emotions, using a unisex lion as the focal character.
Secondly, my son, Ran Landau, who understood the message delivered in the Triaxial Model, proposed to use the metaphor of the “Juggler” (after all, we wanted to help people juggle the challenges of life/work in an optimal manner). Eitan Daniel created the image of the Lion-Juggler, which appears on the front cover of all future productions of the card game.
The book “Coaching by Values” of course written by professor Dolan and his team, also has the Lion Juggler on the front cover. But based upon the scientific research of Simon L. Dolan the value of values card deck has evolved to what the current version:
Prof. Dolan’s research helped us, over the years, refine the Triaxial Model and the cards, as well as the methodologies connected to it, including the selection of the colors for the 3 axes – all was research based. Today, we have eliminated some values that were not shown in the research to have a universal meaning, and thus, we have reduced the number of values to 51 cards (17 cards per axis) + the Trust card. We also added 3 wild cards which help a coach apply/add any value that might be missing from the card game, but is important to a user (coaches, executive, family member, educator, etc.). We also added instructions on how to implement the wild cards.
On the learning by values website you can read more about the history and development of the Value of Values Card deck and the main people involved in each of the phases. Doing more efforts in trying to understand my own non-negotiable values, their prioritiy and how I can live more and more by these values I start to see the connection with different books (and research areas) of Simon L. Dolan.
Dolan 3E Triaxial Model of values
In a blogpost on Simon L. Dolan’s personal blog you can read that the 3E Triaxial Model of Values can be summarized as:
I’m delighted to share with you the Triaxial Model of Values, a framework that has guided thousands of professionals, organizations, and leaders around the world in aligning their decisions, culture, and personal growth with authentic values. […]
In the picture above you can see the model and the 3 different axis, all starting with a capital E, while the table below shows the connection to the different books: “Coaching by Values”, “Managing by Values” and “The Secret of Coaching and Leading by Values” each covering an axis of the Triaxial Model of Values.
| TRIAXIAL AXIS | CHARACTERIZED BY | HOW VALUES HELP | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECONOMIC (pragmatic) | Performance Results Efficiency Achievement | COACHING BY VALUES | Discover, re-align and live according to authentic values |
| ETHICAL (social) | Honesty Fairness Social Responsibility | MANAGING BY VALUES | Anchor decision-making and culture in shared values |
| EMOTIONAL (developmental) | Harmony Learning Creativity Self-actualization | LEADING BY VALUES | Grounding influence and direction in moral authority |
In the article “The Concept of Enduring Happiness as a Panacea to Work/Life Goals” you can read an interesting angle how core values (and the different axis of the 3E Triaxial Model) are related/connected to happiness !
My own experience with the Value of Values Card Deck
Juan Carlos Alvarez, from BetterUp coaching, was kind enough to perform the value of values assessment with me. The goal was to get to a set of non-negotiable core values, and getting practical insights how these non-negotiable core values would be reflected in everyday behavior.
For the value of values assessment Juan Carlos used a Spanish PowerPoint slide deck that contains 6 cards with values, per slide. I needed to choose 1 value from each slide. After the time-bound pressure cooker, I needed to delete 3 values from the list of 10. And after this first selected, I needed to delete 2 additional values from the list. The result is a list 5 non-negotiable core values.
Juan Carlos Alvarez did strategize and think through practical situations with me where core values became prominent in behavior and decisions in these situations. This is an important step for me personally to get more feeling about what a certain value means personally to me.
Value of Values Instructions
Step 02: Rank you 5 core value cards according to their level of personal importance (from 1 – 5, where 1 = most and 5 = least)
Step 03: Rank each value according to the level of satisfaction with how you are living/living up to this value in daily life (from 1-10 where 1 = low and 10 = high)
Step 04: Develop an action plan for improving the practice of living/living up to and practicing the core values on a day-to-day basis. This is called a values-in-action-plan.
In addition the steps above can be followed for improving alignment and daily recalibration to the non-negotiable core values. These have become part of an updated version of my personal development plan (with all assessment results).
Please note
Step 01 in the value of values instructions is a slightly different approach of getting to a set of 5 core values. The pressure cooker approach described above, worked well for me.
Concluding thoughts and wrap-up
The price point of the value of values card deck is € 84,90 which is not cheap. However you get the card deck in a high-quality metal box, a folder with instructions, a values-mat for step 01: the process of getting to 5 core values. In addition a (post)card is included with the Dolan 3E’s Triaxial Model of Values.
So you don’t just buy a card deck, you buy a toolset that you can use to coach other people in a fun way, providing them with a view of their core values. Alignment of system values and personal values means low stress and increased productivity. No alignment of core values with the system values will result in stress.
If I look back into 2025 this was a great building block with insights I’ve acquired in my self-awareness and self-knowledge journey. I will look out for some volunteers in my inner circle of close friends to try it in a “workshop” kind of approach.
If you don’t want to invest in the value of values card deck, than at least get yourself the book “Coaching by Values” and enjoy the Lion Juggler.
About Simon L. Dolan
Simon L. Dolan is the creator of the game, along with his brother Avishai Landau. He developed the concept, methodology and multiple tools of “coaching by values”.
Professor Dolan has taught at some of the leading business schools of the world: Minnesota, Boston and Colorado in the U.S., Montreal and McGill in Canada, ESSEC and HEC in France, and Pompeu Fabra and ESADE (in Spain). In addition he was a visiting professors at universities around the globe.
Professor Simon L. Dolan is widely recognized as the world’s foremost expert on values, value-based management, coaching, and leadership. His extensive career spans over five decades, during which he has authored or co-authored 88 books, many of which focus on the intersection of values, management, and personal development. His seminal works, such as Coaching by Values and Managing by Values, have become foundational texts in the field, offering practical methodologies and tools for aligning personal and organizational values to enhance well-being and productivity. His full curriculum can be found here.
About Avishai Landau
“Avishai Landau is a experienced manager who had been working for many years as senior executive for several reputable companies. For the past several years, he manages the Israeli Branch of Gestion M.D.S. (the Israel Values Center). He is a certified coach with many years of experience. He also co-wrote four books (in Hebrew) connected with values.”
Remo, I couldn´t explain better the concept of the Value of Values, a nice and fun tool to explore your own value system, noting that the core of the exercise is not the definiton of the values, but using this powerfull information in your daily calls, at the end, your values are your own personal ethics code, and living acordingly means living in peace.
Hi Juan Carlos,
A great many thanks for your comment.
Your guidance and help in gaining these important insights has been “game changing”. Not only for living in as much peace as possible, but also to recognize patterns in all the systems I play a role in (work, family, friends, sports and so on).
We will stay connected beyond the coaching journey, I’m 100% sure.
A humble thank you from the Netherlands.
// Remo