A few days ago I went shopping for some shoes. Now that is a challenging enough task in itself, because over the years I have found that I am particularly difficult to please and, having wide size 11 feet, it is hard to find styles that actually fit me. Unfortunately I did not succeed on this occasion although I did find a beautiful red suede pair from a company whose pattern I know fits me – unfortunately it was not available in my size. So, what has all this got to do with personal development, leadership etc?

Well, the intriguing bit was when I was discussing it with my wife (and coach) and I offered the opinion that whilst I was prepared to pay the reduced price at which the shoes were being offered I would not be prepared to pay the full price of £100 a pair. She laughed out loud! And, strangely enough, so did I as the words came out of my mouth. So why laugh? Well we were sat having a single meal that would in the end cost as much as the full price of that pair of shoes that may last me several years!

This got us wondering what our shopping habits might tell us about our own value systems.  I cook a lot and claim to do so passably well, I am an adventurous eater and if someone rang me now to say there was a table available at The Fat Duck in Bray (for the uninformed, arguably the best restaurant in the UK and in the top 5 of the world) it would be a matter of seconds before I decided to accept and drive the four hours to get there. I read cookery books, I get presents to do with cooking and this Christmas my stepdaughter even bought me a chopping board inscribed “Geoff’s kitchen”. In short, food matters to me. Indeed, it seems that it matters to me rather more than shoes do – why else would I balk at paying £100 for a pair of shoes yet not think twice about driving for four hours and paying £200 for a single meal?

Sometimes I just want food and yes I have been known to eat in McDonald’s but most of the time my tastebuds are titillated by novel types of food, innovative ways of preparing and presenting it and eating experiences that incorporate the food into a wider milieu. I value the food and the eating, yet I know that the underlying value is that of innovation and that for me, the value of innovation is most beautifully expressed by great ingredients, great preparation and a great eating environment.

So, my challenge to you is to think about the spending decisions you make and how those decisions can inform you about your own value system. When you are making choices, those choices are influenced by your values.