What are your core values?

In The Me-Suite, we always start with, “What are your personal core values, and how do those drive the decisions you make?” Our core values are the non-negotiables we expect from ourselves and others.

My core values are curiosity, freedom, and respect. Following the pandemic experience, I added gratitude and vitality to my list as I learned more about myself.

This week, I was fortunate to attend a small gathering with the giant, Coach Bob McKillop. Davidson College’s Coach McKillop is likely best known for helping shape the arc of Stephen Curry’s career and character. And he’s so much more to so many.

“He gave me all the confidence in the world, in terms of what I could be…He told me when I was a freshman that I had license to shoot any shot I wanted, but I'd have to work for it. I'd have to put in the time and actually commit to learning on the job. Even when I failed, he stayed in my ear because he saw my potential before I did." –Stephen Curry

My chill-bump moment with Coach McKillop came when he talked about his core values, his non-negotiables for what he expects from himself and the team. These values are known as TCC: Trust, Commitment, and Care. TCC is the tattoo on Curry’s left wrist, by the way.

Coach McKillop reminds us that knowing our core values doesn’t make us perfect. They serve as the foundation that is both driving us and bringing us back to center when our priorities or behaviors are getting out of balance. This is exceptionally important in the decisions we’re making about the role work plays in our lives.

Know your core values, and reassess where you are against them quarterly. Options Are Power dedicates an entire chapter to this topic if you’d like to learn more on how to get started.

Thank you, Coach McKillop, for the impact you’re having on our future leaders.