The Values Card Sort: A Simple Exercise That Changes Everything
You Already Know Your Values. Sort Of.
If I asked you right now what you value most, you'd probably rattle off a decent list. Family. Integrity. Making a difference. But when I push a little harder, things get interesting. What happens when two of those values compete? When family time and professional excellence are pulling in opposite directions at 6 PM on a Tuesday?
That's where most academic physicians get stuck. Not because they lack values, but because they've never been forced to rank them.
What the Exercise Looks Like
A values card sort is about as low-tech as it gets. You start with a set of cards, each printed with a single value. Things like autonomy, financial security, creativity, service, recognition, learning, balance. Usually 30 to 40 cards.
Your job is simple. Sort them into three piles: very important, somewhat important, and not important. Then take your "very important" pile and narrow it down to your top five. That's where it gets hard. And that's where it gets useful.
The whole thing takes about 15 minutes. I've watched it reshape how physicians think about their careers in that short window.
Why It Works So Well for Physicians
Academic medicine trains you to value everything. Teaching, research, clinical care, service, mentorship. You're expected to care deeply about all of it, all the time. The card sort forces you to stop pretending that's possible.
When you're holding "prestige" in one hand and "work-life balance" in the other and you can only keep one, you learn something real about yourself. No amount of journaling or reflection produces that kind of clarity as fast.
What I See When Physicians Do This
Two things happen almost every time.
Surprise. People discover that what they thought mattered most isn't actually at the top. A physician who's been chasing a promotion realizes autonomy matters more to them than advancement. Someone else finds that financial security ranks higher than they'd ever admitted out loud. There's no judgment in it. Just honesty.
Permission. Once your top values are sitting in front of you on a table, it gets a lot easier to say no to things that don't align. Not easy. Easier. You stop feeling guilty about turning down the committee role that conflicts with what you actually care about.
How to Try It
You can find free printable card sort decks online, or you can write values on index cards yourself. There are also digital versions if you prefer a screen. The format doesn't matter much. What matters is doing it honestly and sitting with the results.
I use this exercise early in my coaching engagements because it gives us a shared foundation. Every conversation after that can point back to your top five. Should you take this role? Let's check it against your values. Is this conflict worth fighting? Depends on what's really at stake for you.
If you'd like to do a values card sort with someone who can help you make sense of what comes up, I'd be glad to walk you through it. Let's connect.
