Tester Lester's Results

Where This Fits

Status is an OUTCOME value, reflecting a desire for respect, recognition, and a visible place within an organization. For those who value status, satisfaction at work is closely tied to receiving "earned respect" from colleagues, managers, and the organization as a whole. Unlike financial reward or authority, status centers on how others view your contributions, skills, and expertise. Feeling valued and respected for what you bring to the table can boost motivation, confidence, and a sense of achievement. Status also contributes to career growth, as respected team members are often trusted with greater responsibilities and advancement opportunities.

What You’re Seeking

If status is a top value for you, you’re looking for roles where contributions are recognized and individual expertise is valued. You may find fulfillment in environments that promote visibility for accomplishments, allow you to serve as an expert or advisor, and provide opportunities for advancement based on performance. Roles with clear criteria for recognition and promotion will align well with your values, helping you feel validated and appreciated for your work. Additionally, workplaces with a culture of acknowledgment—where contributions are highlighted and credit is given where it’s due—will be particularly satisfying.

Status pairs well with values like Specialization (becoming an expert in a specific area), Leadership (guiding others and being seen as an authority), and Purpose (receiving respect for contributing to a meaningful cause). Together, these values foster a work environment where recognition is earned, contributions are respected, and career growth feels attainable and rewarding.

Crafting Your Position

Cultivate earned respect by building credibility and making meaningful contributions.

1. Position Yourself as an Expert: Identify a skill or area of knowledge in your role that others rely on, and make it your specialty. By building expertise, you’ll earn trust and become a go-to person on your team, which naturally builds respect and status.
2. Communicate Your Achievements: Keep your manager updated on your progress and contributions. When you achieve something noteworthy, share it as part of a project update or in a way that connects your work to team or company goals.
3. Help Others and Offer Support: Proactively assist colleagues with your expertise when possible. By being seen as a reliable, helpful team member, you build goodwill and respect without needing to self-promote.
4. Seek High-Impact Assignments: Look for projects where your efforts will be highly visible or where your contributions can make a noticeable difference. High-stakes projects are often the ones that gain attention from leadership, offering you a platform to stand out.
5. Request Formal Feedback: Ask for regular performance feedback from your manager, emphasizing your interest in growth and improvement. Constructive feedback not only guides your development but also reinforces that you are a valued contributor.
6. Volunteer for Public Presentations or Reports: Whenever possible, take the lead in presenting results or sharing updates in team meetings or company-wide settings. Public visibility for your work helps you establish credibility and recognition across the organization.

Potential Pitfalls & Solutions

Balance your desire for recognition with collaboration and a focus on team goals.

1. Pitfall: Risk of Feeling Undervalued When Recognition Is Lacking
   Solution: If formal recognition is limited, create your own system to track and celebrate your progress. Document your achievements for performance reviews and find ways to feel personally satisfied with your contributions, regardless of external praise.
2. Pitfall: Potential for Over-Competitiveness
   Solution: While it’s natural to want to stand out, remember that respect is also earned by supporting your team’s success. Show that you value collaboration by recognizing others’ contributions, which can foster mutual respect and help build your status.
3. Pitfall: Difficulty Navigating a Workplace Culture That Devalues Individual Contributions
   Solution: Seek out allies and mentors who recognize the importance of individual contributions. Even if the organization doesn’t emphasize individual recognition, finding a few supportive colleagues can help validate your efforts.
4. Pitfall: Frustration with Unfair Credit-Sharing Practices
   Solution: If credit-sharing issues arise, maintain a record of your contributions to share during reviews or one-on-ones with your manager. Politely and professionally correct misattributions when necessary, reinforcing your commitment to transparency and fairness.

By building credibility, supporting others, and focusing on high-impact contributions, you can cultivate a respected position within your team and organization. These strategies will help you achieve the recognition and respect that align with your values, creating a fulfilling work experience based on earned respect.

Where This Fits

Specialization is an APPROACH value, which emphasizes deep expertise and mastery in a specific skill or field. People who prioritize specialization are often highly motivated by the opportunity to refine their abilities, become experts, and develop a unique niche within their profession. Focusing on specialization can be incredibly satisfying, as it often includes measurable growth, recognition of expertise, and unique contributions that make work feel both significant and personally rewarding. Whether in creative fields, technical roles, or analytical areas, specialization offers the chance to stand out as a go-to authority within an organization.

What You’re Seeking

If specialization is among your top values, you are looking for roles that enable you to deepen your expertise and demonstrate your skills in a clear, impactful way. You likely find fulfillment in mastering techniques or topics that not everyone around you is able to do, and you appreciate roles that allow for measurable, steady growth toward mastery. Developing a specialty often means focusing on skills that are quantifiable, allowing for concrete progress and enabling others to recognize your contributions.

Specialization pairs well with values like Autonomy (working independently to build expertise), Purpose (knowing your specialized skills are meaningful and valuable), and Training (opportunities to advance skills through formal or informal education). Together, these values contribute to creating a sense of satisfaction from mastering complex tasks and being trusted to handle important aspects of your work.

Crafting Your Position

Elevate your expertise by creating opportunities to develop and showcase specialized skills.

1. Identify Your Core Strengths: Take inventory of the skills you enjoy developing and could envision becoming an expert in. Focus on skills that are in demand in your field and that genuinely interest you.
2. Seek Out Skill-Intensive Tasks: Volunteer for projects that require deep technical knowledge, specific problem-solving abilities, or unique talents. By repeatedly working on these tasks, you will accelerate your path toward expertise.
3. Pursue Continuous Learning: Enroll in relevant courses or certifications, attend workshops, or engage in advanced training programs related to your specialty. Not only will this build your expertise, but it will also signal your commitment to your field.
4. Create Documentation and Resources: Develop resources like guides or process documentation for others based on your specialty. This practice not only reinforces your knowledge but also positions you as a resourceful expert in your area.
5. Request Skill-Focused Feedback: Ask your manager or peers to provide feedback on specific skills that are central to your specialization. This feedback will give you actionable insights into areas of improvement and reinforce your growth.
6. Showcase Your Skills in Team Meetings: Use team meetings to demonstrate how your specialized skills are benefiting the organization, whether through presentations, reports, or offering to mentor colleagues. This boosts visibility and reinforces your role as the team’s expert.

Potential Pitfalls & Solutions

Stay adaptable while maintaining focus on your specialization goals.

1. Pitfall: Risk of Skills Becoming Too Narrow
   Solution: While deep expertise is valuable, make sure to monitor trends in your industry to avoid becoming too specialized in a skill with diminishing relevance. Diversify slightly within your area to stay current and adaptable.
2. Pitfall: Difficulty Balancing Team Collaboration with Specialist Focus
   Solution: Communicate clearly with team members about your area of focus and how it benefits the team. Encourage teammates to approach you for expertise within your specialty, while still engaging in collaborative work to maintain a team connection.
3. Pitfall: Frustration with Generalized Tasks or Rotating Responsibilities
   Solution: Embrace general tasks as opportunities to apply your specialized knowledge in different contexts. Use each task to subtly reinforce your expertise by finding unique ways your specialty can enhance the outcomes.
4. Pitfall: Overemphasis on Self-Promotion
   Solution: While showcasing expertise is important, balance this by supporting others’ successes. Regularly recognize team achievements as well, showing that you’re committed to shared goals alongside your specialized contributions.

By cultivating a focused path toward expertise while remaining adaptable and collaborative, you’ll establish yourself as a trusted, highly capable professional. This approach will allow you to grow your skills continuously and maintain long-term relevance in your field.

Where This Fits

Remuneration is an OUTCOME value, focusing on compensation, rewards, and financial security. For those who value remuneration, fair and competitive pay is central to feeling respected and satisfied at work. A good compensation package provides not only financial security but also serves as recognition for one’s contributions, reinforcing a sense of value and accomplishment. Transparency and fairness in compensation are particularly important, as they ensure that your efforts are accurately reflected in your pay and provide a clear path for financial growth.

What You’re Seeking

If remuneration is among your top values, you’re looking for roles that provide competitive pay, clear compensation structures, and opportunities for performance-based increases, such as bonuses, raises, or commissions. You’ll thrive in environments where financial rewards align with the level of effort and impact you bring to the organization. A role with transparent compensation policies and clear pathways for earning growth is likely to provide you with greater motivation and job satisfaction.

Remuneration pairs well with values like Leadership (having a voice in compensation discussions or pay policies), Purpose (aligning compensation with meaningful work), and Predictability (clear structures for raises and bonuses). Together, these values help create a secure, equitable, and rewarding work environment where your contributions feel valued.

Crafting Your Position

Optimize your earning potential by clearly communicating your value and negotiating effectively.

1. Negotiate Based on Value, Not Just Tenure: Highlight the specific contributions and value you bring to the organization during salary reviews. Document your achievements and impact to build a strong case for performance-based raises or bonuses.
2. Seek Clear Compensation Pathways: During goal-setting sessions, discuss the company’s compensation review schedule and how performance is evaluated for raises or promotions. Knowing the timing and criteria gives you a roadmap for financial growth.
3. Consider Commission or Bonus Opportunities: If your role allows, explore commission structures, performance-based bonuses, or profit-sharing options. These additional earning opportunities can provide significant rewards for high performance.
4. Stay Informed on Industry Pay Standards: Research market rates for your position and experience level. Knowing what’s typical in your industry strengthens your case in salary discussions and ensures your pay aligns with industry standards.
5. Align with Transparent Organizations: Look for employers that are open about their pay structure, benefits, and growth opportunities. Transparent organizations are often more proactive in ensuring fair pay and minimizing pay-related frustrations.
6. Build Skills that Command Higher Pay: Identify in-demand skills in your industry and focus on continuous learning and development in those areas. Specialized skills can make you more competitive and increase your leverage in salary negotiations.

Potential Pitfalls & Solutions

Balance a focus on remuneration with realistic expectations and open communication.

1. Pitfall: Frustration Over Pay Inequities
   Solution: Approach pay discrepancies constructively by discussing your contributions and requesting clear guidelines on how to reach higher pay levels. Addressing compensation proactively rather than reactively can help mitigate frustration.
2. Pitfall: Risk of Prioritizing Pay Over Job Satisfaction
   Solution: While pay is important, ensure other factors such as work environment, growth opportunities, and job satisfaction are also considered in job choices. A high-paying role with poor job satisfaction can impact your overall well-being.
3. Pitfall: Lack of Pay Transparency
   Solution: Seek organizations with open pay policies and discuss compensation upfront during interviews. If transparency is limited, ask clarifying questions to understand the pay range, growth potential, and criteria for raises.
4. Pitfall: Difficulty Advocating for Pay in a Sensitive Manner
   Solution: Frame compensation discussions in terms of your value to the company rather than personal needs. Prepare specific examples of your impact and contributions, and emphasize how fair compensation aligns with continued high performance.

By focusing on roles that provide fair pay, clear compensation growth paths, and recognizing your contributions, you’ll find positions where your financial goals are supported. These approaches will help you create a rewarding, satisfying work experience that aligns with both your career and lifestyle goals.

Where This Fits

Leadership is an ENVIRONMENT value, focusing on the importance of strong, effective, and inspiring guidance within the workplace. For those who value leadership, work satisfaction is closely linked to belief in the company’s mission and respect for its leaders. A healthy leadership culture can provide you with motivation, a sense of direction, and trust that the organization’s goals align with your own. Whether you aspire to lead directly or simply value being part of a well-led team, leadership plays a critical role in how you experience and engage with your work.

What You’re Seeking

With leadership as a top value, you’re looking for a work environment with credible, transparent, and supportive leaders. You’ll thrive in a company with a clear mission, where leadership sets the tone for an inspiring culture. Opportunities to take on supervisory or project-based leadership roles are also important, as they allow you to develop your own style and put your leadership instincts to use. When strong leadership is present, you can feel more engaged and committed to your work, confident in the direction the company is moving.

Leadership pairs well with values like Purpose (aligning with a meaningful mission), Clarity (clear communication from leaders), and Autonomy (leading your own work and contributing meaningfully). Together, these values help create a motivating and stable work environment where you can develop both your skills and your leadership potential.

Crafting Your Position

Strengthen leadership qualities in your role by seeking visibility and opportunities to contribute strategically.

1. Engage Actively with Current Leaders: Seek regular feedback and insights from your direct manager or department head. By engaging with leadership, you’ll not only learn but also build rapport with key figures in your organization.
2. Volunteer for Team Leadership on Projects: If formal leadership roles aren’t immediately available, take the lead on smaller projects or volunteer to coordinate team tasks. These experiences allow you to develop and showcase your leadership skills in a practical context.
3. Develop a Personal Leadership Style: Reflect on leadership styles you admire and practice incorporating those elements into your interactions with others. Whether you lead directly or indirectly, consider ways to foster a positive and motivational influence on your colleagues.
4. Stay Informed About Company Strategy and Vision: Make an effort to understand the organization’s mission, goals, and strategies. When you have a clear sense of the company’s direction, it’s easier to align your work with larger objectives and to motivate those around you.
5. Take Initiative to Mentor or Support Peers: Offer mentorship to newer colleagues or peers who are working on unfamiliar tasks. Providing guidance, even informally, builds your leadership experience and shows that you’re committed to the team’s growth.
6. Share Ideas and Solutions Proactively: Voice suggestions on improvements or innovative ideas during meetings or one-on-ones. Leadership isn’t limited to formal titles; your proactive problem-solving and initiative can make a meaningful impact and help establish you as a trusted contributor.

Potential Pitfalls & Solutions

Balance your desire for strong leadership with adaptability to diverse styles.

1. Pitfall: Frustration with Ineffective Leadership
   Solution: Focus on the aspects of the company’s mission or work culture that resonate with you, even if specific leaders don’t fully meet your expectations. Seek informal mentorship from leaders who do inspire you, even if they’re not directly in your line of management.
2. Pitfall: Risk of Overstepping When Acting in a Leadership Capacity
   Solution: When stepping up, especially if it’s informal, clarify your role with your team or manager. Set respectful boundaries and communicate openly, ensuring that your support complements rather than conflicts with existing leadership.
3. Pitfall: Difficulty Navigating Hierarchical Bureaucracy
   Solution: Work within existing systems to make an impact, using clear communication and patience. Emphasize constructive feedback and solutions when advocating for improvements, and consider aligning with allies within leadership to champion your ideas.
4. Pitfall: Feeling Stifled in Roles Without Leadership Opportunities
   Solution: Look for ways to add leadership elements within your current role. This can include mentoring, managing small projects, or advocating for workplace improvements. If long-term leadership growth seems limited, consider building skills that position you for a future leadership role, either within or outside the organization.

By building strong relationships, seeking opportunities to lead projects, and aligning with inspiring leaders, you can integrate your leadership values into your role. This approach will allow you to create a positive, motivating environment for yourself and those around you.

Where This Fits
Excitement is an ENVIRONMENT value, relating to the level of stimulation a person seeks in their work setting. While some people thrive on high-energy, fast-paced roles, others find greater satisfaction in stable, consistent environments. With excitement as a lower priority, you have the flexibility to pursue roles that may not be high-adrenaline but still offer meaningful work. Recognizing this preference highlights your ability to excel without requiring a constant influx of high-intensity tasks.

Leveraging Lower Values
Embracing a steady work environment that aligns with personal balance
Having excitement as a low priority doesn’t mean you don’t value engagement—it simply means you don’t rely on your job to deliver constant stimulation. This can be a tremendous advantage, as it opens you up to a wider range of work environments, particularly those that are stable, structured, and supportive. You may find satisfaction in roles that focus on reliable outcomes and long-term projects without the need for frequent thrills or constant change. This preference can also support stronger work-life balance, allowing you to reserve your energy for other pursuits outside of work that bring excitement or adventure. By understanding this value, you can focus on roles that align with your strengths, where steady performance is valued over constant action, creating a work experience that’s sustainable and satisfying.

Strategic Advantages
Focusing on stability and balance to create fulfilling work routines

• Flexible Approaches: Opt for roles that emphasize consistency and reliable processes. Jobs that offer a clear, steady workload and well-defined tasks allow you to work at your best without needing an adrenaline boost.
• Using This Value as a Support for Higher Values: By not relying on work for excitement, you have more bandwidth to pursue what matters most to you, such as growth, creativity, or mastery in your role. You can focus on building expertise, developing projects, or supporting team goals with a clear mind and steady engagement.
• Opportunities for Quick Wins: Set up routines that allow you to feel productive and accomplished without needing frequent highs. For example, creating a weekly schedule with clear milestones or periodic check-ins can help maintain steady motivation, supporting your best work without requiring a highly stimulating environment.

Where This Fits
Location is an Environment value, reflecting how much a particular physical or geographic setting matters to your job satisfaction. With Location as a lower priority, you’re adaptable and can thrive in diverse settings, whether urban or rural, near family or far away. This adaptability is a key advantage, allowing you to focus on finding roles that align with your career priorities instead of limiting yourself by geography. Recognizing this also helps you maintain a broad range of opportunities while understanding that location needs may shift as personal circumstances change.

Leveraging Lower Values
Embrace geographic flexibility to expand your career options.
With Location low on your priority list, you’re open to pursuing roles based on factors other than geography, which allows for greater career exploration and potential advancement. This openness lets you focus on roles that fulfill higher priorities, such as Autonomy, Remuneration, or Variety, without needing a specific physical setting to feel satisfied. While this flexibility can be a strong asset, balancing it with occasional consideration of long-term location needs can help build both career and personal stability.

Strategic Advantages
Use geographic flexibility to seek roles that prioritize your most important career goals.

• Flexible Approaches: Consider a wide range of locations when exploring job opportunities. Your openness to location can make remote, travel-based, or international roles more accessible, broadening your career horizons and increasing the chances of finding a role that meets your core values.
• Using This Value as Support for Higher Values: If high values include Autonomy, Remuneration, or Variety, seek roles that emphasize these strengths rather than a specific setting. For example, a position that offers growth and learning in your field may be worth relocating for, even temporarily, if it aligns with your primary goals.
• Opportunities for Quick Wins: Keep an eye on how your location preferences evolve over time. Regularly assess if a particular geographic fit would enhance your career or personal life. This approach allows you to remain adaptable while being mindful of your potential needs for a stable base as your life and career progress.

Where This Fits
Training is an Outcome value, associated with formal development opportunities, mentorship, and structured learning in the workplace. If Training is a lower priority for you, it means you likely feel confident learning independently and adapting as needed, making you comfortable in roles with minimal guidance. This flexibility can open up opportunities that might lack structured development programs but still offer growth through hands-on experience. Recognizing this value helps you pursue roles where self-directed learning or “learning by doing” is possible, freeing you to focus on the aspects of work that matter most to you.

Leveraging Lower Values
Use self-directed learning to succeed in roles with less structure.
With Training lower on your list, you may be comfortable relying on your initiative to learn on the job, which can be a major advantage in fast-paced or evolving environments. You can pursue positions that prioritize adaptability and hands-on experience without needing formal development programs. Additionally, if values like Autonomy, Variety, or Remuneration are high, this preference can align well with roles where learning is gained through practical experience and exploration rather than structured mentorship.

Strategic Advantages
Embrace roles with minimal training requirements, leveraging flexibility to support your unique strengths.

• Flexible Approaches: Seek out roles where there is room to figure things out independently, particularly in organizations with a lean structure. Startups or evolving teams may benefit from your ability to adapt without formal training programs, allowing you to demonstrate initiative and resourcefulness.
• Using This Value as Support for Higher Values: If Autonomy or Remuneration ranks high, focus on roles where your independent learning style allows you to develop expertise while contributing directly to the organization’s goals. This independence lets you tailor your learning to match your top priorities and self-driven goals.
• Opportunities for Quick Wins: Set up informal ways to learn, such as connecting with colleagues for occasional guidance, tapping into online resources, or attending industry events. These quick, self-organized learning opportunities allow you to gather insights without formal training, helping you grow in ways that complement your independent style.

Where This Fits
Autonomy is an APPROACH value, reflecting how individuals prefer to do their work rather than the type of work itself. People can achieve great success in the same role while using different approaches based on what brings them satisfaction. Knowing that autonomy is a lower priority helps clarify areas where you may be more adaptable, allowing for increased collaboration and team integration without feeling the need for high levels of personal control.

Leveraging Lower Values
Using your preference for collaboration to excel and find meaning in teamwork
Having autonomy as a lower priority doesn't mean you’re not independent or driven; it simply highlights a comfort and preference for coordination with others. Rather than seeking full control, you likely thrive when you can contribute to a shared mission as part of a well-structured team. This insight helps you approach tasks in ways that complement a collective effort, which can improve both satisfaction and productivity. Recognizing this can also allow you to focus on roles or tasks where collaboration is high, creating room for interactions that enhance connection with your work and your colleagues. If working with others aligns with higher values, low autonomy can actually help you focus on what brings you fulfillment while relying on others for the support and input that energizes you.

Strategic Advantages
Applying flexibility to autonomy for a teamwork-oriented, fulfilling approach

• Flexible Approaches: Embrace roles or projects where the responsibilities are well-defined, and where individual initiative is balanced with clear collaboration. This lets you engage effectively with team members without the pressure of needing full control over decisions, which can allow for a natural alignment with your approach preferences.
• Using This Value as a Support for Higher Values: Leverage your preference for lower autonomy to deepen relationships with your team. The ability to work well in a coordinated environment can help you direct more energy into fostering connections or focusing on outcomes that you value most.
• Opportunities for Quick Wins: Take the initiative to discuss workflow and communication preferences with your team, especially around project timelines or task clarity. A quick conversation can go a long way toward ensuring mutual support, minimizing micromanagement concerns, and creating a team structure that feels both engaging and supportive.

Where This Fits
Collaboration is an APPROACH value, indicating how individuals prefer to interact and work with others. While some people thrive in highly interactive roles, others find satisfaction in a more independent approach. Recognizing that collaboration is a lower priority can highlight your comfort with solitary tasks and self-directed projects, giving you flexibility to pursue roles where autonomy is key without feeling pressure to engage extensively in group work.

Leveraging Lower Values
Maximizing independence while ensuring meaningful connections
If collaboration is a lower priority, it doesn’t mean you can’t work with others; rather, it reflects your comfort with autonomy and a preference for focusing on tasks without constant input or oversight from a team. This independence can be a significant strength, especially in positions that require self-direction and deep focus, as you’re less likely to feel isolated when working on projects solo. It can also enhance productivity, as you can dedicate yourself to individual tasks without the interruptions or dependencies of regular group collaboration. Recognizing this lower priority allows you to seek roles that align with your strengths and preferences, while ensuring you stay connected with colleagues or mentors for balance.

Strategic Advantages
Balancing independence with selective collaboration for productivity and connection

• Flexible Approaches: Opt for projects where you have ownership over your work and can set your own pace. Choosing roles or tasks that require individual effort will help you thrive while avoiding the need for frequent team-based activities.
• Using This Value as a Support for Higher Values: Lean into your independence to allow time and energy for higher-priority values, such as creativity or flexibility. By minimizing the need for frequent group input, you can focus on what fulfills you most and supports your career growth.
• Opportunities for Quick Wins: Build in small, intentional ways to stay connected with others to prevent isolation. Regularly schedule casual lunches, join a professional interest group, or engage in light-hearted chats with colleagues. These small actions allow for social balance without requiring extensive collaboration.