Before its demise, Business 2.0 asked 30 business leaders—with a collective net worth exceeding $70 billion at the time—what single philosophy was the key to their success in life, business, or both. Here’s a sampling:

“When People Screw Up, Give Them a Second Chance.”

— Richard Branson, founder and chairman, Virgin Group

“Check With the Wife”

— Po Bronson, author, The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest and What Should I Do With My Life?

“Treat your customers like they own you, because they do.”

— Mark Cuban, co-founder, HDNet; owner, Dallas Mavericks

“Learn to Give Back”

— Michael Graves, architect and designer

“Believe in Something Bigger than Yourself”

— Carlos M. Gutierrez, U.S. secretary of commerce; former chairman and CEO, Kellogg

“Don’t Trust, Just Verify”

— Steven D. Levitt, coauthor, Freakonomics

“Choose Your Mistakes Carefully”

— Craig Newmark, founder, Craigslist

“Whatever a Man Soweth, That Shall He Also Reap”

— Dick Parsons, former chairman and CEO, Time Warner

And here’s one that I chuckled over at first, until I got to thinking about who was saying it:

“Never write when you can talk. Never talk when you can nod. And never put anything in an e-mail.”

— Eliot Spitzer, former New York Governor and attorney general

Whether you agree with these philosophical nuggets or not, it’s clear that each person has developed a personal internal guidance system. When you look behind these statements perhaps you can see evidence of each person’s worldview. A worldview is comprised of the most fundamental beliefs a person has about the nature of the world, herself, life, truth, good, evil, purpose in life, and God.

1. Examine the statements in the list. What would you guess are the fundamental beliefs that shape each “golden rule”?
2. What is your “golden rule”?
3. How have your fundamental beliefs about life, God, yourself, the world, right and wrong led you to your golden rule for living?
4. What would a business life lived by the golden rule in Matthew 7:9-12 look like ?

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

— Have you seen such a life in business? Either way, what do you think that means?