Coming Soon:
The Values Map
"One question keeps coming up more than any other.
— David Allison
People want to know about their own values.
This book is my answer to that question."
There's an invisible force
steering your life.
Your values.
Not the inspirational-poster-on-the-wall kind. The specific, measurable combination of things that actually determine every decision you make, a split second before you realize you're making it.
The Values Map hands you a working map of those values, then shows you what to do with it.
There's a lot of noise out there about who you should be.
This book is about who you already are.
Holding up a mirror. For one person at a time.
David's first two books were written for leaders and organizations trying to understand groups of people. They did their job. The marketing textbooks were rewritten because of The Death of Demographics, and the biggest organizations on the planet changed how they look at people.
But every keynote, every Q&A, every hallway conversation kept coming back to the same question: how do I figure out my own values? This book shows you the way. It's written for individual readers, for one person at a time, and holds up a mirror with a million conversations' worth of data behind it.
That said, leaders will want to buy this book in bulk for their entire team, and you will want one for everyone you know. People will be talking about it ten pages in.
Surveys
Countries
Languages
Core Human Values Measured
A million conversations. One profound discovery.
What makes us who we are? Not the labels the world puts on us — labels like age, income, or where we grew up. Those things tell us almost nothing useful about who we are. To truly know yourself, you must understand your values — What Matters Most to you, deep inside, at the level where decisions get made.
The research behind this book, all one million surveys across 180 countries and 152 languages, proves that when you understand your values, you understand why you are who you are. You understand why you make the choices you make, what you need to feel seen, and how to live a life that aligns with What Matters Most to you.
That's true whether you're trying to be a better parent, a better partner, a better friend, or a better leader at work. This book puts that knowledge in your hands.
Three parts. One working map.
Building Your Values Map
Sixteen short chapters of tools for figuring out what you actually value. Some are quick rules of thumb — about how your calendar doesn't lie, why you chose the road less traveled, and what it means when time stands still. Others are heavier lifts grounded in the research. Part 1 closes with a working map: a clear picture of the values that drive who you are today and determine who you will become.
The Values Travelogue
Twenty stories. From Buddhist monks walking across the country for peace, to a piano player in Vermont who befriended a Klansman and helped him walk away. From veterans missing war for reasons nobody talks about, to Japanese bodybuilders brushing senior citizens' teeth. Each story illustrates values in action and teaches you how to put your values to work.
The Values Field Guide
The toolkit. With worksheets, exercises, conversation starters, calendars, and rituals to make your values-driven life a reality right away. You'll learn about the Sort/Select/Share System, the Don't Do List, the Week of Three Good Things, and the Peacekeeping Maneuver. This section is designed to be dog-eared and referenced repeatedly.
The Values Map is navigating its way to bookstores. Arriving soon.
Includes your one-of-a-kind Values Profile. More details to follow.
Learn More About David