Many years ago, when a client expressed his displeasure at how an issue was being resolved, our support team experienced a raft of emotions. Anxiety about the amount of time it was taking to fix the problem was accompanied by a fear of losing the client soon after. There was frustration too that the software we were dealing with had come to us with poor documentation and inadequate ‘knowledge transfer.’ My leader pulled us all into a huddle and said, “As you all work hard to resolve the issue, remember: Now is not the time to point fingers. That can come later. Reacting to the client’s emotions does not help either. Make sure you understand the problem deeply first before you suggest any solutions. And when you do have a solution, test it out first before you take it to the client”.
What my leader did that day was provide us with a set of operating principles that became a compass in our hands as we looked for solutions. When we hear the phrase ‘principled leadership,’ the speaker is mostly talking about actions that are guided by ethics, honesty and fairness. In our work as leaders, we can perhaps widen the definition somewhat and borrow from Stephen Covey. In his 1999 book, ‘Principle Centered Leadership’, he said that principles are fundamental truths that are:
- Universal – they will work anywhere
- Empowering – they give us latitude and leverage in finding our own answers
- Self-validating – while it may not be self-evident to a beginner, they demonstrate their value in practice
When leaders guide their teams with principles rather than prescriptions, they provide direction and freedom to think creatively. It is no secret that our team members can sometimes provide the best solutions to thorny problems. This approach can be applied to negotiations, performance management, stakeholder engagement, collaboration, ESG and many other areas.
The danger that we may not think of all the principles that apply to a given scenario or that we mistake a pet notion for a fundamental truth always exists. See this article for examples of when leaders have ignored principles when letting people go.
As leaders, have you too used principles in guiding your team? Can you share an example? I would like to hear from you.
Leaders can use different principles to guide their team depending on specific scenarios or contents. The knowledge in my experience, which has common principles, includes Honesty, accountability, Transparency, Flexibility, and Respect.
E.g., As a leader in global project delivery, I use the principle of transparency to guide the team in consistently providing accurate and honest (to some extent ) information to the clients during negotiations ( for new sales, account mining, enhancements, etc.). This will help build trust with the clients and ensure that the team operates with integrity.