Method
The Clarity Method by Tim Brownson
The Clarity Method is a values coaching process by the life coach Tim Brownson. The client says what matters to them, ranks those values in pairs by gut feel and then looks at where values conflict. Several steps of the core values test are inspired by it.
Where the method comes from
Tim Brownson trained as a life coach in 2005 and has coached clients since 2006. Values were part of his training. He found the method he was taught good, but not quite good enough, so he developed his own version and added anti-values. He first wrote it down in 2012 as a self-help book for his clients, called Aligning with Your Core Values. In 2019 it came out as The Clarity Method: Tap Into What Motivates Your Clients, Your Colleagues, and You With Core Values.
In the podcast episode on this page, Tim says values work has given him more breakthroughs with clients than all his other training put together, including 40 days of NLP and hypnotherapy. Today he works with coaches as The Fully Booked Coach. He still does values in the second session with almost every client, after a first session to understand their situation.
Three stages
Tim describes the method as a process in three stages:
Find what matters
Think about what is important to you and what is non-negotiable, and write it down as value words. Before anything gets ranked, Tim asks the client what each word means to them.
Build a hierarchy
Rank the values by comparing them in pairs. Tim works with eight. With fewer than five, he says, you are rolling the dice: the values further down still matter and can clash with the ones above them.
Understand value conflicts
External conflicts are with other people, an employer or society. Internal ones happen when two of your own values pull in different directions, or when you hold a value and do not live it. Knowing about a conflict does not make it go away. It helps you see what is going on and decide.
What each value word means
Value words are short, and two people can mean very different things by the same one. For Tim, freedom means seeing clients when he wants and taking the dogs out when he wants. For someone else it can mean financial freedom, or freedom from other people. A coach who assumes their own meaning can be far off, so Tim keeps asking. When the client struggles to put a value in other words, he says, you have reached a core value.
Two examples from the episode. Tobi had picked friendship and described it as knowing he belongs, having someone to turn to and being there for others, family included. Tim suggested connection as the value behind it, since you can feel connected to people without being friends with them. Money, for Tim, is never a value: nobody would want a million they could not spend, invest or give away. So he asks what the money gives you, and the answer is the value, for example security or freedom.
Ranking in pairs
The ranking compares every value with every other value. On paper it works like this:
- Write your values down as a numbered list.
- Compare value 1 with value 2, then 1 with 3, and so on to the end of the list. Then compare 2 with 3, 2 with 4, and so on, until every pair has come up once.
- In each pair, circle the value that is more important to you.
- Count the circles. The value with the most circles goes to the top.
- If two values have the same count, the one that won their direct comparison goes first.
Eight values make 28 comparisons. When three or more values have the same count, Tim leaves them tied, because they can beat each other in a circle: A beats B, B beats C and C beats A.
Tim wants an immediate answer to every pair, without thinking it through. If clients order their values by reasoning, he says, they end up with the list they think they should have. In his experience people are often surprised afterwards by what came out at number one.
The order can change
Tim treats the hierarchy as a rough order. Values move with life: someone who never lists health may put it at the top after a serious diagnosis. In the episode Tobi describes how financial stability became more important to him after he became a father.
The last value on the list still matters. Tim compares it to the top four of the Premier League: the fourth team is still in the top four. He asks clients to put the list away and tell him when something comes to mind that belongs on it. When family is missing from a list, he asks about it, because people often leave out what they take for granted.
Anti-values
Anti-values are what you want to keep out of your life, for example arrogance, dishonesty or stress. Tim's view is that people are driven as much by what they want to avoid as by what they want, and that coaches look too much at the positive side. In his sales years, he says, not being near the bottom of the sales league motivated him more than being near the top.
Anti-values are ranked the same way, with a different question for each pair: which one is worse for you? An anti-value high on the list can explain why you dislike a person, or a company that fits your values on paper.
They can also point to a value you missed. Tobi put arrogance on his anti-values list, asked himself what the opposite would be, and added authenticity to his values.
The episode
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- The Clarity Method on AmazonTim Brownson's book from 2019, in English.
- Episode 41 of The Impactful CoachShow notes, the full transcript and links to Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
- Tim Brownson, The Fully Booked CoachTim's website.
How the core values test uses it
The free core values test on metaFox.online takes several steps from the book. You name your values in your own words, merging cards that mean the same. You rank them in pairs, answering one quick question each time: which is more important to you? You can add anti-values from 25 cards, which come from the sample list in the book. At the end you check whether the order feels right.
The test keeps three to nine values; Tim works with eight. The nine value families and the up to three possible value tensions in the report come from Shalom Schwartz's value model. Tim's third stage, the conflicts in your actual life, is left to you or to a conversation with your coach. metaFox is not affiliated with Tim Brownson or the book.
Questions about the Clarity Method
What is the Clarity Method?
A values coaching process by the life coach Tim Brownson, published as a book in 2019. It has three stages: find your values and say what each one means, rank them in pairs into a hierarchy, and look at internal and external value conflicts. It also works with anti-values, the things you want to avoid.
How many values does the Clarity Method work with?
Tim Brownson works with eight. He considers fewer than five too few, because values further down the list still matter and can clash with the ones above them.
How does the ranking in pairs work?
You compare every value with every other one and mark the more important value in each pair, answering from your gut. The value with the most wins goes to the top. Eight values make 28 comparisons.
What are anti-values?
Things you want to keep out of your life, such as arrogance, dishonesty or stress. In the Clarity Method you rank them the same way as values, asking which of two is worse for you.
Is the core values test the Clarity Method?
No. Several steps of the test are inspired by the book: your own words for each value, ranking in pairs by gut feel, anti-values and checking the final order. The value families come from Shalom Schwartz's model. metaFox is not affiliated with Tim Brownson.
Where can I get the book?
The Clarity Method by Tim Brownson is available on Amazon, in English.
