What do you stand for?

My family and I are in Durham, NC. My son Max (9 years old) is attending the Coach K Duke Basketball Camp. As a life-long fan of college basketball, this week has definitely been an amazing experience for me. I am sure Max is having a great time as well. No one epitomizes the game of basketball better than Coach Mike Kryzyzewski. Year after year, he puts out a team that is ranked in the top echelon of the NCAA. To my knowledge, there has never been any questions about NCAA violations or controversy. They have a consistently high graduation rate at one of the finest schools in the country. (There was a problem with the Lacrosse team a few years back, but that was determined to be unfounded.)

How does he (Coach K) do it?

The top rated high school basketball players can join the pro's after one year of college. And believe me, they are going pro!

If I was offered millions of dollars to become a dentist before I graduated, I would have done it in a heartbeat. I most likely would have finished my degree in the evenings, but I would have gone pro...no question.

With this in mind, it is harder to recruit the top players. It is harder to develop the talent. It is harder to have the players gel as a team in this era. But, every year, Coach K is in the running.

I have read several books written by the Coach. He is definitely a man that knows who he is and what he stands for. In fact, it is posted outside Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke's modest basketball arena)...I was so astounded, I had to photograph them. They not only know who they are and what they stand for, they publicize it!

My friend, and mentor Russ always reminds me, "If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything." He challenges me to live in integrity. My actions must match my intentions. And my intentions must be in line with my core values.

Bob Frazer, DDS reminds me that "An organization without a clear vision is at the mercy of every changing wind and knows not for what port it is making. Therefore is not likely to achieve greatness, perhaps not even survive long term. Or as proverbs says - "Where there is no vision the people perish."

The Duke Athletic Department stands for Sportsmanship, Loyalty, Diversity, Commitment, Excellence, and Respect. These are what I would refer to as their Core Values.

Core values are your moral compass. When you are actively living your core values, your life is harmonious. You are true to yourself. You are who you are, and that's who you are.

Though my own personal work, I discovered who I am and what I stand for. My core values are courage, family, integrity, humanity and humility.

Core values do not waiver. They will always be there. Even if it puts me at a competitive disadvantage. I am who I am and that's who I am.

Our business also has core values - They are the same as my personal core values. I cannot pretend to be someone else while at work.

On this Fourth of July, I think it would be appropriate to explore the core values of our esteemed country, as written in the Declaration of Independence -

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

This document still inspires millions of people around the world today!

When I was deciding about joining the Colorado Dental Association's (CDA) Executive Board, Bob Frazer, DDS, encouraged me to explore my core values and see if it is in line with the core values of the CDA. That made it an easy decision. I now encourage the board to explore our core values with every decision that we make. As I said, it is the moral compass. This is who we are, this is what we stand for.

Stephen Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" encourages his readers in habits 1 and 2 to - Be Proactive, and Begin with the end in mind. He is talking about finding out who you are and what you stand for. If you can figure that out, you are well on your way to living a successful and purposeful life.

Who are you and what do you stand for? As Russ says, "if you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything."

On a side note, I don't know if my son will ever be skilled enough to play basketball at Duke. I do want to impart on him the values that forge a successful life. Who better to learn from than Coach K!

And, just in case you are wondering, neither Gina or I went to Duke University...but we are absolutely awestruck by the campus.