No Compromise on Core Values

I received a call one evening a few years back from a friend named Rick, just a day or so after he watched me turn red-faced but choose to walk away rather than throwing someone out of a second story window. Early in that conversation, Rick said “I’ll bet you’re the kind of guy who would sacrifice $5,000 over $50 of principle.” I assured him that not only did that shoe fit, I had worn it time and time again in the decade leading up to our conversation. We hadn’t known one another long then but that phone call was genuinely foundational to the friendship he and I have today. As one of my former bosses said, “You’ll build a thousand bridges before you’re ever known as a bridge builder, but (expletive) just one donkey and you’ll forever be known as a donkey (expletive)-er!” Money can be made in so many ways but dropping our standard on the principles - or core values - we live by comes with a cost we may never recover from.

Cindy and I have been in lock-step on our core values since the beginning of our relationship - nearly three decades ago. That said, we neglected nailing down the specific words or behavioral definitions until I was in the process of writing The Values Advantage; we knew what drove us but we weren’t setting the example we needed to for everyone we served. Now, we even have a cool graphic on the Core Values page of our website showing how each builds on the other, and how we live those values daily as we serve our family, friends, and business associates.

Today, we explain our “People” value by sharing that we put people first in every decision we make. We work to model “Community” by building strong relationships within and between the organizations we serve. And “Together” has become a critical part of our lives because no one makes a lasting IMPACT alone. While those core values weren’t listed on our newly launched website back in 2017 when little ole Wes & Cindy (the David in that situation) chose to stand against an entire institution (the Goliath, at least in their own minds), the principles backing them were absolutely part of who we were.

Years ago, I heard someone say something along the lines of, “How someone does one thing is usually how they do everything.” (I believe it may have been Mark Cole, CEO of Maxwell Leadership.) I’ve found that to be incredibly accurate. If that Goliath was willing to attempt to pull a fast one on me and Cindy, I have no doubt that they would do similar things to anyone else - and I know now that they have. By that time, we had stood on our principles for nearly twenty years - and through some excruciating situations. Although we didn’t have them listed as such at the time, we saw no room whatsoever for compromising on our core values. Making the decision to stand firm was difficult, in the moment and through the months that followed, but we’ve never regretted it for a second. Definiteness of decision in battles requires burning ships on compromise; these moments forge unshakable values alignment - every single time.

As with every adversity we faced leading up to that and since, this one held seeds to far greater benefits. I’ll share about the cooperation that came from other partners in this process and the courage we gained through that next. Before I do that, I want you to pinpoint one area where you may need to take a principled stand. What’s the first step you need to take within the next week?