Be Guided by Your Principles to Live Your Values
“Think only those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the light of day. The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny– it is the light that guides your way.”
– Heraclitus
At Eudaimonia Rising, we believe that every individual, team, and organization has the capacity to flourish, fulfilling their highest purpose in alignment with their values. The convergence of purpose and values is important. Purpose defines who we want to be and the gifts we want to offer to the world. Values describe the qualities and beliefs that we are committed to upholding as we offer our gifts to the world.
But a purpose statement and values are not sufficient to unfurl our brilliance. We also need to know what kinds of behaviors– defined through guiding principles– demonstrate our values as we go about fulfilling our purpose. As Heraclitus reminds us, our thoughts and behaviors shape who we become. And our thoughts and behaviors should be shaped by our principles. It matters how we go about fulfilling our purpose.
For individuals, values and guiding principles are fully within our control. We choose how we define these things as well as how we will live by them. We own them. And if we stray, we alone are responsible for returning to our path. Here too our guiding principles offer the means by which we can respond to these moments. Because they are derived from our deepest inner knowing and beliefs about the world, we can access that same knowing to get back on track. It is fully within our capacity.
This gets trickier for teams and organizations, consisting of individuals who bring unique and equally rich perspectives, experiences, and beliefs to the workplace. Those differences will almost certainly reveal themselves in how individuals define and prioritize values. For example, a team of five integrous leaders will likely define the qualities of integrity differently. This is where guiding principles are helpful as they allow teams to understand and reconcile these differences through agreements about behaviors and expectations.
A reflection on differences in perspective, experience, and beliefs:
Such differences are perfectly natural. And we should celebrate them as they widen the aperture of possibility in organizational life. Regarding values and guiding principles, we should not assume that one person’s definition of integrity (or other value) is better or worse than another’s. But we should understand the similarities and differences and then work together to determine what is best for our teams and organizations. Inviting more voices to influence these important ideas at the outset builds a stronger foundation for flourishing. This feels true for each of us, our teams, organizations, communities, and society as a whole.
Considerations for Working With Guiding Principles
Most organizations have taken appropriate steps to establish their purpose and values through visioning and mission-building sessions. And I imagine that most of them also have guiding principles. Now, take a moment and ask yourself if yours are visible in the processes and practices that shape organizational life. How have they helped you achieve your most ambitious goals? If you are unsure, I invite you to reflect back on your guiding principles with a few considerations for working with them.
Share their creation and ownership:
How guiding principles come into being matters. Leaders should provide opportunities for those impacted by the guiding principles to influence their creation. This does not absolve leaders of their responsibility to make these system-wide decisions, but provides them with greater understanding of the meaning and impact of those decisions. It also fosters shared ownership for how these principles live in the team or organization. And from a place of shared ownership, everyone bears responsibility for the accountability to action.
Align and embed them in processes and practices:
Guiding principles reflect an organization’s values. While values describe what is important to us, guiding principles are an articulation of the fundamental truths we hold about the world around us. They describe how we will live in accordance with our values. The connection between them should be clear and transparent. But we all know that posting values and guiding principles on walls and websites won’t give them life. What gives them life is embedding them into the processes and practices that govern organizational life. How do your guiding principles shape decision-making? How do they inform your communication practices? Don’t shortcut this important step.
It is equally important to explore any dissonance that occurs between your guiding principles, processes, and practices. Where you find dissonance, diligently focus your change efforts to bring your processes and practices into alignment with your guiding principles. We live in times of continuous change so be prepared to continually revisit how your guiding principles foster an environment that allows you to achieve your purpose. Remember why they mattered in the first place. Do they still shape who you are becoming?
Apply them to everyone, all of the time:
If a guiding principle does not apply to everyone, understand the rationale behind that decision. Exceptions should bring a team back to the drawing board. Shared ownership and accountability extends to how– and with whom– the guiding principles were created as well as to how they are applied in daily life.
Organizations are living, dynamic systems. Environments and circumstances change. That is inevitable. But the uncertainty that comes with change can be navigated with a strong purpose and meaningful values and guiding principles. If you want to explore these ideas further with your team or organization, let’s connect. Whether you are starting from scratch or revisiting your foundational statements, Eudaimonia Rising will help you design a meaningful process to flourish.
In Eudaimonia - Lisa