I’d like suggest we all share a common set of values. For example, the Golden Rule has been traced back to ancient Egypt over four thousand years ago and some anthropological studies have found the Golden Rule exists in some form in virtually every written culture, past or present. C.S. Lewis argued there is a “Natural Law” that we all inherently know or at least was taught to us at a young age. These are the things that appear in the Ten Commandments and other historical texts. That is not what this article is about.
Values or Principles
While the terms are often used interchangeably, I’d like to illustrate how our Values are distinct from our Guiding Principles. It may seem counter-intuitive, but our principles change and are even fluid throughout the course of each day depending on what you are trying to accomplish. Unlike our values, our principles are contextual based on our environment. I know, this isn’t what you were taught. This distinction feels problematic and that is why it’s hard to pin down our Guiding Principles as they often feel in conflict. Stick with me.
Imagine you have a big home improvement project because you plan to sell your home in six months. Conversely, consider this is your forever home and you plan to retire soon. Are your Guiding Principles for each project the same? In one, you’d like to move quick, increase mass market appeal, and boost the sales price. In the other scenario, you likely focus on quality, longevity, and tailor decisions to personal taste. Your Guiding Principles for each project differ based on your desired outcome.
In my professional career as a consultant working in dozens of different companies across many different industries, I see this conflict every day. Everybody agrees safety is important. However, I’ve led projects in different companies within the same industry; One valued speed and innovation while the other valued thoroughness and collaborative solutions.
All of us, as individuals or as organizations, have Values and Guiding Principles. If you don’t have them expressly written down, you definitely are still operating on a set of implicit principles. More importantly, they impact how you operate and make decisions. I think a lot of us have been through a guided exercise at one point or another to write down our values. I know I have struggled with this exercise. The reason being is nobody clarified the difference between Values and Principles. Worse, nobody pointed out that the answer to our Guiding Principles is . . . it depends.
How’s That Working For You?
This article isn’t about documenting your values. We kinda know what they are. “Live long and prosper”, or something like that. However, consider what you are trying to get done today, this week, or this year. Then what are your Guiding Principles surrounding that particular change? You want a new career? You want to run a marathon? As a company, you want to introduce a new product? What Guiding Principles do you think will make you successful to achieve that change? Write them down and reflect on them daily. If later you find you are not making progress towards your goals, then ask yourself why. Maybe it’s because you need to reflect more about your Guiding Principles. Do this for each big change (or small) that you want to make in your life.
