I have always admired principle centered people. First off, there are not many of these types of people around. Even people who think they are principle centered, are not really. Being principled is not just a belief in something good, simple belief is not enough. Being principled is not something you can just appreciate from afar and then claim that you are. Being principle centered means something very specific.
We need look no further than Colin Powell, who just passed away. He was a principle centered man. He had a list of 13 principles that he lived by and taught on a regular basis. If you read his book, called “It worked for me,” or listened to any of his presentations on leadership he always taught on one or more of his principles upon which he built his life. He had them nailed down, concrete that he would always remind himself of, quiz himself on and judge every situation by. One would do well to follow his principles, rather than inventing their own.
You can read a quick summary of his principles, here.
You might remember the time that he had an opportunity to seek the Presidency of the United States. He might have even won, had he really tried. However, he would not run because doing so would invite him to go against one of his strongest principles, that of letting ego control your decision making process. There is a lot of gold to be found in his principles, I recommend reviewing them.
I have a few favorites of his, one of them is the concept that you should Be Careful What you Choose. You May Get it. This is important because when you choose a path, or choose a mission, there is a high degree of likelihood you will get what you choose to do. That will have consequences on your team and on yourself. Many times when we have an opportunity to decide what to do in the future, we do not think through the consequences. Before you start to choose grandiose ideas and plans, you might want to consider the consequences a little more carefully.
Guy Reams
