What is in it for me?
Why should I choose (productive) principles and live by them?
What is their value to me?
In a previous Leadership Weekly Note (#3723) I argue that we must HAVE productive principles, and LIVE and LEAD by them, which is being principled.
But, we should ask, what is in it for me (to have and lead) through principles?
Questioning is one of Influential Leadership’s 8Eight Behavioural Attributes.
Nothing is outside or beyond our questioning, particularly our own constructs, motivations, behaviours and the consequences we shape. And, how else do we grow our self-awareness if we do not turn ourselves inside out? After all, being self-aware is our first-amongst-equals Behavioural Attribute.
While the above questions are debated and answered in the Alpha Programme, you may not have arrived there yet, and for those who have, we all benefit from a refresher.
To respond to the core question above, let me create a context.
1. We all have principles. This does not imply that everyone has chosen a neat set of life and leadership principles that become embedded in their consciousness. Those who have not expressly thought about their fundamental truths of life and leadership, and then chosen the ones that they care to practice, default to their habituated practices.
The great divide is thus whether we have deliberately chosen our ‘portfolio’ of principles, or we just make them up as we go along.
2. Principles are productive or unproductive.
For example, an Influential Leadership principle is to lead in order to create benefits for oneself, with others. An alternative (unproductive) principle is to live and lead for ones own (zero-sum) benefit only. There is much of this about in legacy leadership practices. Look around…
3. To ensure we have a common appreciation for what ‘a principle’ is, we define it as follows:
A set of chosen fundamental truths that guide our behaviours towards productive outcomes.
4. Finally, let us be reminded that ‘being principled’ means we apply, we live out, we practice our principles. A list of productive principles is great, but it is meaningless if we do not practice them.
Here is a brief answer to our question.
Let us imagine a world—a life—where there are no principles other than expediency, self-interest, greed, and personal beggar-thy-neighbour practices. Not too different from what we see too often, but an extreme form thereof.
The infographic below juxtaposes these two worlds—a productive principles-based condition, or the human jungle.
Humans often refer to such a condition as living by the ‘laws of the jungle’. It is a poor metaphor as animals tend to be less anti-social than humans.
Choosing a set of productive fundamental truths and living by them creates a predictable, productive and fulfilling environment that benefits each and all of us.
(BTW. This is the basis of our Influential Leadership Philosophy!)
We know that in every properly functioning human condition and circumstance—be it business, economics, sport, teams, countries—there are rules, laws, principles, and so forth that enable them to exist and function (better than if there was chaos and anarchy).
In life and leadership, it is the same.
Where there are productive principles in place and practiced, there is civilisation, as opposed to a dystopian world of greed, dictatorship, tyranny and slavery.
Sure, there are people who practice tyranny over followers (slaves) for their narrow interests. We see this in homes, teams, schoolyards, businesses and governments all the time. We recognise these people as the anti-leaders and misleaders who reign over the indifferent for their own ends.
The purpose of Influential Leadership is the antithesis of dystopia; it is premised on our First Principle, which holds that where there is leadership, there is progress because people change things for their better (inclusively).
What principles do you live and lead by?
Create space in each day to think about and reaffirm your fundamental truths, then express them in your intentions, what you do, how you do it and what you achieve.
Regards,
Colin @ Karoo
Influential Leaders Shape Progress!
Leadership Weekly Note: 3823. 180923
e: colind@karoo.world
Follow The Karoo Influential Leadership on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KarooInfluentialLeadership
