We’ve always believed that forming a strategy is impossible until you’re clear on what your values and principles are. Without values and principles to guide you, making decisions can seem impossibly difficult. Given how important setting values and principles is to decision making we asked folks we admire to tell us about the values or principles that matter most to them.

Cee Bogarin | Mother & Entrepreneur

The value or principle that has always mattered most to me is “the Golden Rule” and treating others how you would like to be treated. I worked retail and customer service when I was much younger and i always said that I did not want to make a career out of it because it can be upsetting to encounter people who do not also follow “the Golden Rule”. Yet, here I am with my own business now, that is built on customer service. Funny enough, it has been very fulfilling because I feel that every day I am renewing people’s belief that good customer service still exists and that small businesses truly value their patrons. Read more>>

Chris Gutierrez | Artist & Creator

Well the idea of being honest sounds simple enough but it can be broken down and applied to different aspects of one’s self. And add in the fact that I’m a brutally honest type so that has helped create a checks and balances system for me lately my life. In the nature of personal growth and development I’ve found it key to be able to see myself from different unbiased views and that is where the brutality comes into play. I think a lot of people sugarcoat and superficially inflate their egos and these are the types whom I never truly connect with. Read more>>

Kodi Riddle | Real estate broker and team leader for The Riddle Group brokered by EXP Realty

My personal core values have evolved into the core values of our real estate team. I’m not sure that I could pick one over the others. I live by these core values which is why I use them to hire team members for our real estate team. I also use them to let people go from our real estate team. They mean everything, they are everything. Read more>>

Erin Jankus | Speech Language Pathologist

My values guide my practice as a speech language pathologist. To put it simply, respect is the foundation to everything we do. I whole-heartedly believe that everyone deserves to be treated with respect, regardless of their age, level of intelligence or socioeconomic status. Therapy Pro’s defining principles are based on my values not only as a therapist, but as a person and a mother. When I leave my children in the care of others, I always hope that they realize those people are my whole world, and I assume every other parent feels exactly like I do about their own children. I care deeply for my clients and their families, both past and present. Read more>>