Living Your Values

Connecting Personal, Family, and Organizational Values to Build Purpose and Clarity

Cynthia D. Scott PhD M PH & Dennis T. Jaffe PhD

How can individuals, families, and organizations find values-based purpose?

Our values make life meaningful. Shared values make it possible for us to work together. But enacting our values is not easy. We all have multiple values that often conflict, or seem impossible to uphold in the face of obstacles.

Living Your Values is a practical guide for individuals, families, teams, and organizations who want to act with greater alignment, purpose, and integrity. Written by Cynthia Scott and Dennis Jaffe—seasoned consultants in personal and organizational development—the book provides an accessible framework for identifying, clarifying, and activating core values in all areas.

Values are the foundation of identity, decision-making, and well-being. In times of disruption and change, living in alignment with your values brings resilience, clarity, and direction. This book helps individuals define their unique personal values and use them to create a values-based purpose, or "personal brand" that grounds their choices and behaviors. For families, teams, and organizations, Living Your Values offers a roadmap to distill shared values and generate guiding principles that foster collaboration, trust, and cultural coherence.

The book is divided into two parts:

• Part I helps individuals explore their core values and craft a meaningful, values-driven life, with a coherent and integrated sense of purpose and personal identity.

• Part II guides families, businesses and other organizations in activating shared values to co-create a strong, aligned culture. This approach is especially valuable for families navigating transitions, teams seeking cohesion, or organizations aiming to build purpose-driven cultures.

Through reflection, dialogue, and action-oriented “learning journeys,” you are supported in applying what you learn; naming your values is only the first step—true transformation happens when values are lived consistently and visibly. Living Your Values empowers individuals and groups to face challenges, make aligned decisions, and strengthen relationships by turning values into lived action.

Cynthia D. Scott, PhD, MPH, is an executive coach and advisor to leaders about transformational culture change, global leadership development, and behavioral resilience. She is a founder of Changeworks Global and executive for Saatchi & Saatchi S, Lee Hecht Harrison, Towers Perrin, and Presidio Graduate School. She is author of the books Leadership for Sustainability and Change, Take This Work and Love It, Getting Your Organization to Change, Rekindling Commitment, Managing Organizational Change, and Organizational Mission, Vision and Values. Dr. Scott has an MPH in health planning from University of Michigan and a PhD in clinical psychology from the Fielding Graduate University. She is a professor emeritus of leadership at Presidio Graduate School.

Dennis T. Jaffe, PhD, a San Francisco-based advisor to family enterprises, is senior research fellow at Banyan Global Family Business Advisors. He is author of the books Wealth 3.0, Borrowed from Your Grandchildren, Finding Her Voice and Leaving a Legacy, Cross Cultures, Stewardship in Your Family Enterprise, and Working with the Ones You Love. The Family Firm Institute awarded Dr. Jaffe the 2017 International Award. In 2020 he was awarded a special commendation as an individual thought-leader in the field of wealth management by the Family Wealth Report. He has an MA in management and a PhD in sociology, both from Yale University. Dr. Jaffe is professor emeritus of organizational systems and psychology at Saybrook University.