Core Values Really Matter
I am consistently inspired by the words of wisdom we received throughout the life of Maya Angelou, including how she said, “𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘀𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲”. Continuing to thrive and have our best productivity amidst life’s challenges can prove troublesome at times, which is why I stick closely to my core values.
As the world continues to feel so much weight, strife, pain and turmoil, it’s vital that each of us determine our core values, clarifying the vision and priorities from which we can decide what actually earns our most limited resources of time, energy and focus.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟳 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲 at home, in my work, throughout my community as well as in the self care of my mind, body and spirit:
Advocacy - Each of the 3 types of advocacy serves an important purpose… Self-advocacy is speaking up for one’s own rights and needs. Individual advocacy helps one person address an issue. Systems advocacy impacts policies and structures. Thus, I place an emphasis on each type of advocacy, although my systems advocacy work is often the most visible. In conversing with elected officials about the affects of their policies, I’ve learned that, if we don’t speak up, our representatives can’t know how their choices impact us. Only by sharing our experiences can we shine a light into their blind spots, helping educate on constituents’ needs. Such experiences led me to the National Association of Women Business Owners, where I’ve benefited from a community amplifying the voices of female entrepreneurs and owners of businesses of all sizes. NAWBO’s advocacy is intentionally bipartisan, fueling real conversations between elected officials and women business owners to drive policy that makes it easier to start, run and grow businesses. As Cindy Eckert of Sprout Pharmaceuticals and The Pink Ceiling has said, “The most powerful words in advocacy aren’t ‘fight’ or ‘resist’; oftentimes, they’re ‘what if’ and ‘why not’… What if female entrepreneurs could access capital at the same rate as their male counterparts? What if we could easily limit security risks and fraud related to AI? What if we lowered costs and relieved the electric grid burden with diversified energy sources? What if emerging entrepreneurs were encouraged by a microbusiness definition? What if caregivers had the support and resources to offer their best to those needing it? Further, it’s vital to remember that advocacy does not end with conversations between constituents and elected officials. Since advocacy is defined as “public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy”, it’s appropriate to include advocating for support of a nonprofit, advocating for equal consideration of more qualified candidates that have traditionally been overlooked due to gender, race and cognitive abilities or advocating for funding of new development projects. All are equally compelling implementations of needed advocacy efforts.
Community - No one is meant to do life alone, and the people with whom we surround ourselves matter. Research by social psychologist David McClelland suggests that one’s social circle can significantly impact success, including some studies which indicate how one’s social circle can determine as much as 95% of a human-being’s outcomes. Thus, the people with whom you surround yourself can influence your habits, beliefs and overall direction. I speak often about the importance of my squad, meaning the network around me and those friends who are like family. Lofty squad goals are imperative for thriving and flourishing. Thus, I encourage you to surround yourself with those who (1) deeply appreciate who you really are, (2) push you to level up when needed, (3) provide a supportive, truthful sounding board and (4) help you laugh until you cry. You are the CEO of your life, meaning you can hire, fire and promote those around you accordingly. In the Organize for Success team, we believe the African proverb that “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”, which includes clients, friends, vendors, colleagues and everyone in our community alike. Together, everyone achieves more, and it’s super helpful to ensure the various members of your squad (as well as your work team) bring differing skills, perspectives and productivity tools to the village. Those variations amidst your community complement one another, making the totality stronger and more rewarding to everyone.
Continued Learning - This core value stems from a desire for incremental improvements daily. A day in which nothing was learned might not be a wasted day, but it’s certainly a missed opportunity. For the Organize for Success team, continued learning is about asking the questions that pop into our brains, knowing that someone else could be wondering the same thing or the answer could uplift us all. It’s about exploring new perspectives to evolve, grow, embrace a deeper understanding, fuel more effective solutions and offer better experiences for those we serve as well as those with whom we interact. It involves pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones because, as Dr Maya Angelou taught us, “when you know better, you can do better.” It’s about wanting to be and do better, not simply about proving additional knowledge, and that starts with me as the leader. It could be something learned from a conversation with a friend, an article that I read online, a webinar presented by an expert, a class that I take in the community or something presented at an event I attended. Most importantly, though, everyone knows that I’ve never thought of a question that I didn’t ask! How will I ever learn the answer if I don’t ask the question?!? As Albert Einstein once shared, “Never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born”, and I really take this sentiment to heart, gathering new knowledge and information from every interaction throughout the day.
Courage - It is this core value that enables leaning into all of my other core values for achieving the greatest of benefits and successes. Courage is the ability to do something that frightens one as well as strength in the face of pain, grief and challenges. Life is so rarely easy; thus, it is with courage that we equip ourselves for life’s daily battles. With courage, we can overcome challenges, take risks and push ourselves beyond our comfort zones, empowering us to be better. Courage to try something new. Courage to speak up for others. Courage to take the path less traveled. Courage to listen to and trust your gut. Courage to ask the questions others won’t. Courage to act against injustice. Courage to bet on yourself… As President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Courage is not the absence of fear but, rather, the judgement that something is more important than fear.” When the choice that best meets your goals, supports those who matter to you and moves you toward your desired results fosters fear within, it is courage that enables continued movement in the correct direction for you. In the realm of productivity, courage makes it easier to efficiently and effectively accomplish what earns our time, energy and focus in these ways: (1) Courage encourages innovation, (2) courage reduces stress levels, (3) courage enables more sustainable decisions, (4) courage helps us overcome procrastination and (5) courage brings teams together to try new things. Above all, courage fuels productivity as the ignition for action, stopping inaction due to overwhelm, fear or not knowing how to start. It fuels fulfillment by moving us toward change and to get things done.
Diversity - This core value stems from a desire to be and give our best. It is by bringing together diverse perspectives, experiences, needs and beliefs that better decisions are made, empowering each of us to achieve our loftiest dreams, give what is needed of us and enhance customer service. Diversity is defined as “the practice of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, religions, sexual orientations, etc.” It is by surrounding ourselves with folks who are of such differing backgrounds or groups of identification that we can learn, grow and evolve. In the Organize for Success team, we are better together with folks who hold many different viewpoints as well as why can relay a variety of life experiences. It helps each of us grown, it leans into another of our core values with continued learning, it shines a light on our blind spots, and it empowers us with newfound perspectives. Yes, this includes different ages, genders, religions, races, sexual orientations, ethnicities and political ideologies, but it’s even more than that. It also includes perspectives, backgrounds and lived experiences, of which there are many in the world. The best decisions include input from very diverse groups, leading to the most positive results and greatest returns on investments. By creating a sense of belonging amidst those who are vastly different, we fuel the greatest successes and truly make the world better together.
Flexibility - In the Oxford languages’ dictionary, flexibility is defined as “the quality of bending easily without breaking”, “the ability to be easily modified” and “willingness to change or compromise”, all of which cannot be overvalued for its impact on productivity, joy and fulfillment. Life is full of twists and turns. You start the week with a plan, but things change, plans falter, and you have to adjust. It is imperative to roll with the ups and downs while staying focused on asking for or seeking out what you need. That is where the skill of flexibility becomes required. There is wisdom that “The river doesn’t argue with the rocks; it flows around them.” The river has a goal of reaching the ocean, and the hurdles of rocks along the way will not prevent the river’s success. Instead, the river shows flexibility as it maneuvers around each rock that gets in the way. Each facet of life is similar. Whether at home, at work, in the community or as we work toward self-care, there will be obstacles, and we each must build that muscle memory for flexibility and fluidity to make our way around the hurdles so we reach our desired destinations. Further, in the Organize for Success team, we believe what Alan Watts said that “You’re under no obligation to be the same person you were 5 minutes ago.” Growth and evolution are healthy. It’s never too later to make adjustments. As with any football, basketball, hockey or soccer team making adjustments at the end of each period or during timeouts, you can adjust as often as needed, growing as you learn and pivoting as things around you change. Then, as you ebb and flow, you can give yourself as much grace as you offer to anyone else around you.
Loyalty - When looking at loyalty as “a strong feeling of support or allegiance” and “faithfulness to commitments or obligations”, we are at our best when we are loyal to the people, places, partnerships, processes and priorities that earn our time, energy and focus. This core value stems from the benefits of leaning into commitment… When we are loyal to pairing our weekly strategy session with daily wrap-ups, we efficiently accomplish what matters most. When we are loyal to life-work integration, the various elements of life complement one another, not compete with each other, making the totality greater than any parts. When we are loyal to prioritizing our own needs, like movement, hydration, sleep, socializing and being in nature, others see how we ourselves are priorities. When we are loyal to what commitments we make to clients, friends, vendors, colleagues and our community, we fulfill promises made, foster greater relationships and bolster win-win outcomes. When we are loyal to regularly reflecting on how we are investing our limited resources, we get a better return on those investments. When we are loyal to taking care of ourselves, we have more to give others. Believing that “what you do once matters, but what you do repeatedly matters more”, I also truly use the power of routines, whether that is my morning routine, breaks throughout the day for movement, eating and hydration or regular touchpoints for accountability. Yet, it doesn’t stop with task management. Loyalty aids productivity by permeating so many aspects of the priorities I have for home, work, community and self-care.
I embrace these qualities in interactions with clients, with my squad, with members of my community and with how I handle myself.
What values fuel your decisions and how you interact with the world around you?
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