In recent weeks, many things have happened in my private life that have led to a profound reflection on the importance of principles and the place integrity has in our society. At work and in life, integrity is synonymous with consistency and trust. Just as important as empathy, integrity is one of the pillars of leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Principles\nand values \u200b\u200bare often confused, but while the boundaries between values \u200b\u200bmay often\nvary depending of the context, boundaries governing principles are immutable.\nOtherwise, those are no principles at all. This is a lesson that I learned\nearly in my life, but was reminded a few years ago, at an event I attended and\nwhere Robert Dutton, one of the very few men of principles in the public sphere,\nwas a speaker. Ever noticed that, even though corporate values \u200b\u200bare often\ncommunicated to employees, the principles for which the companies stand for\nvery rarely are?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe it’s laziness? After all, the commitment required of leaders to enforce these principles within their teams would cost too much effort? If that’s the case, it says a lot about our society and the kind of leaders it comes up with…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Principles\nmay be austere and unconventional nowadays, because of too little recognition\nor encouragement, but I know from experience how principles can be a source of\ninspiration for those who experience them first-hand. And it\u2019s simple to\nexplain. Principles expose another important quality: the fundamental notion of\nRESPONSIBILITY and that, even stronger, of COHERENCE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To act\naccording to our principles, when everything is fine, is not difficult. The\nprinciples are tested and reinforced when hardships hit. It is during tough\ntimes that people can see what they are made of … and when they can also observe\nwhat their LEADERS are made of. There are many cases in history showing that\nwhen a storm breaks out, a consistant leader will be able to demand the\nimpossible from his people who will push through, not out of interest, but out\nof conviction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conversely,\na leader who always changes his mind according to which way the wind blows and begins\nto take ethical shortcuts to survive the storm will invariably lose the trust\nof its employees. Similarly, a company with good values, but with\n“elastic” principles, cannot keep its most honest employees mobilized\nin the long run, thus creating a corporate culture that promotes politics and values\npersonal interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you, what\nare your principles?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"