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LEADERSHIPPRINCIPLESAuthentic LeadersThey are centered on principles.by Stephen R. CoveyAUTHENTIC LEADERShumbly recognizethat while they may bein charge, principles ultimately govern.I don’t talk much about ethics andvalues because to me those wordsimply situational behaviors, subjectivebeliefs, social mores, cultural norms,or relative truths. I prefer to talk aboutuniversal principles and natural laws.You may think that it’s just a matterof semantics—that when most peopletalk about values they really meanthese universal principles. But I see aclear difference: All people and organizationsare driven by what theyvalue, but they aren’t necessarily ethicalor principle-centered.The Humility of PrinciplesAs a leader, you may control youractions, but not the consequences ofyour actions. Those are controlled byprinciples, by natural laws.Building character and culture is afunction of aligning your beliefs andbehaviors with principles that are external,objective, and self-evident. Theyoperate regardless of your awarenessof them, or obedience to them.If your style is not in alignment withthese principles, I suggest that youtrade a value-based map for a principle-centeredcompass and willinglysubordinate your values to true-northprinciples and align your roles andgoals, plans, and activities with them.But doing so often takes a crisis: adownsizing, firing, failed relationship,lost account, financial problem, orhealth concern. In the absence of sucha catalytic crisis, you tend to live innumbed complacency—so busy doinggood, easy, or routine things that youdon’t stop to ask yourself if you aredoing what really matters. The good,then, becomes the enemy of the best.Humility is the mother of all virtues:the humble in spirit progress and areblessed because they willingly submitto higher powers and try to live inharmony with natural laws and universalprinciples. Courage is the fatherof all virtues: we need great courage tolead our lives by correct principles andto have integrity in moments of choice.When you set up your self-generatedor socially-validated value systemsand then develop your mission andgoals based on what you value, youtend to become a law unto yourself,proud and independent. Pride hopesto impress; humility seeks to bless.Nothing sinks leaders faster thanarrogance. Arrogance shouts “I knowbest.” In the uniform of arrogance, youfumble and falter—pride comes andgoes before the fall. Dressed in humility,you make progress. As the characterIndiana Jones learned in The LastCrusade, “The penitent man will pass.”In pride, you often sow one thingand expect to reap another. Your paradigms—andthe processes and habitsthat grow out of them—never producethe results you expect because they arebased on illusions, advertising slogans,program-of-the-month training, andpersonality-based success strategies.How do you align your leadership withtrue-north, governing principles?Four Human EndowmentsFour unique endowments help youto transform your mechanical, efficiencyclock into a moral, effective compass.• Self-awareness enables you toexamine your paradigms, to look atyour glasses as well as through them, tothink about your thoughts, to becomeaware of the social and psychic programsthat are in you, and to exercisechoice between stimulus and response.Self-aware, you can take responsibilityfor reprogramming or rescripting yourselfout of the reactive mode. You cannurture self-awareness by keeping ajournal. Keeping a journal—a daily indepthanalysis and evaluation of yourexperiences—is a high-leverage activitythat increases self-awareness andenhances all the endowments.• Conscience puts you in touch withsomething within you deeper than yourthoughts and something outside youmore reliable than your values. It connectsyou with the wisdom of the agesand the wisdom of the heart. It’s aninternal guidance system that enablesyou to sense when you act in a waythat’s contrary to your deepest valuesand true-north principles. Conscience isuniversal. What is most personal ismost general. No matter what your religion,culture, or background, your missionstatement deals with the sameneeds—to live (physical and financial),to love (social), to learn (educational),and to leave a legacy (spiritual).You can educate your conscience bylearning, listening, and responding. Tohear the conscience clearly oftenrequires you to be reflective or meditativeto sharpen your sensitivity to thatquiet inner voice that teaches you oftrue-north principles and your owndegree of congruency with them.• Independent will is your capacityto act, the power to transcend your paradigms,to swim upstream, to re-writeyour scripts, to act based on principlesrather than reacting based on emotions,moods, or circumstances. While environmentalor genetic influences may bepowerful, they do not control you. Youare not a victim. You are not the productof your past. You are the product ofyour choices. You are response-able,able to choose your response.You can nurture independent willby making and keeping promises. Bydoing so, you make a deposit in yourpersonal integrity account—theamount of trust you have in yourself,in your ability to walk your talk.• Creative imagination empowersyou to create beyond your present reality.It enables you to write a missionstatement, set goals, plan for the future,or visualize yourself living your mission,even in challenging circumstances.Memory is limited and finite; it dealswith the past. Imagination is infinite; itdeals with the present and future, withpotentiality, vision, mission and goals.When your willpower is matched withimagination, you are more effective.Those who accept the risks of leadershipmust have changeless principleswithin them. This provides bedrocksecurity from which they can dealeffectively with changing conditions. LEStephen R. Covey is vice chairman of FranklinCovey Companyand author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People andPrinciple-Centered Leadership. 801-817-1776 or 800-827-1770.ACTION: Practice principle-centered leadership.20 May 2008 Leadership Excellence