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28 Sep

Real Leadership Requires Principles Not Labels

wdmoran Leadership 3 0

Several months ago, one of my executive leadership coaching clients started our session by venting his frustration about the state of politics in America. It is easy to share his frustration. As a resident of one of the “battleground” states in the upcoming election, I am overwhelmed by the volume of commercials and deeply disturbed by their universal lack of civility. Although I shared his feelings in general, I found myself surprised by the overarching conclusion he had drawn about the problem’s root cause. He stated emphatically, “The problem is principles!” When I asked him to elaborate, he said that he felt that in the name of principled leadership, politicians have become rigid and inflexible. “They are unwilling to cooperate, collaborate, or compromise.”

My client had hit a nerve, because I fundamentally believe that true leadership depends on living and leading from a base of strong principles. I knew that this topic mattered to him, and it was important to his personal leadership journey. I also knew that I was too invested in the topic to serve him at that moment, so I proposed coming back to this topic at a future meeting. I knew I needed to give this some additional thought and consideration before we could discuss it in a constructive manner.

I spent the next several weeks contemplating and researching the topic of principles and their role in leadership. I concluded that my initial reaction was correct, albeit incomplete. Principles aren’t the problem; labels are. More precisely, the problem is that we have confused true principles with the labels we use to describe them.

A principle is defined as “A fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning. A rule or belief governing one’s personal behavior.” This definition reveals an important fact about principles. They are highly complex. They don’t work well as sound bites. Labels on the other hand are simple, and they fit perfectly into sound bites. It isn’t just the big labels like Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative, religious affiliation . . . All the names we use to describe ourselves to others can create confusion and ultimately problems.

Labels are useful. They are our shortcut to make connections. They give us a way to quickly find commonalities with others.

Unfortunately, they are never exact fits. That is because many labels attempt to describe something that should be both deeply personal and highly complex. True principles don’t lend themselves to nice neat packages. The other challenge that labels create is that they are open to interpretation or confusion. One of my favorite examples of this is the principle of limited government. Politicians across the political spectrum try to lay claim to this principle, but they differ vastly on what it means.

Like everyone, I use labels all the time, but I have never agreed 100% with any political figure or party. I have never accepted all aspects of my church’s teachings at face value. I use the labels as a descriptor, but I try not to confuse them with the principles that drove me to adopt them to begin with. Over the years, I have come to embrace the differences I have with politicians I support, my political party, my church, and the causes I affiliate with, because those differences are important. They reflect the values and beliefs that define me and my principles. These differences have typically been subtle, and I have accepted them because I agree with the vast majority of the rest. In cases where the differences were material, I have worked to change them or gone against them.

That’s how principles work. They give us the rules and beliefs that help us govern our lives. When our rules are violated, we have to decide how to respond. If the violated rule or belief is unimportant, then we can accept it and move on. If the belief or rule governs something that has great value to us, we have to be willing to act. Labels don’t work that way, and they become problematic when they drive us to assess the rightness or wrongness of a decision not in terms of our beliefs and values. Often labels cause us to make decisions using others’ definitions based on their values and beliefs. We regularly see politicians making decisions in the name of principles when in reality they are trying to prove that they are staying true to someone else’s label.

Unfortunately, this behavior has implications that go far beyond gridlock and dysfunctional government. It can lead to tragedy. The rise of some of history’s worst despots were enabled by principled people who were corrupted by labels. Hitler’s pro-business and Stalin’s pro-worker credentials made them tolerable to people who should have opposed them, but the labels got in the way. They allowed otherwise good people to remain silent.

Words still matter. They mattered several weeks ago when I wrote a blog post about words that we weaken through overuse. “Principle” is a word that we weaken by misuse. Great leaders are principled leaders. They know what matters. They understand that values and beliefs define principles, and recognize that principles are complex and even messy. They recognize that making principled decisions is sometimes about choosing between right and wrong, but they also understand that the greatest challenges are not that simple. The greatest acts of principled leadership are often those where we are forced to choose between right and right or wrong and wrong. When we must violate one value to protect another, that is integrity, and that is the essence of principled leadership.

When my coaching client and I met several weeks later, we reopened the topic of principled leadership. Together we explored the nature of principles and how our labels corrupt them. He used the political examples as a lens through which to examine his leadership decisions. Like most of us, his greatest challenges didn’t come from those times when he led with principles. The biggest challenges came from the times when he confused principles with a label defined by someone else. We all have people in our lives who can create labels and definitions, but real leadership means using them to help us define our principles for ourselves.

How have principles enabled you to lead more powerfully? Tell us what you think.


beliefs character Leadership politics principled leadership principles values
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Ph.D., Director, Gilliam Center for Free Enterprise and Ethical Leadership and Professor, Management Department, College of Business, James Madison University
If You Will Lead - Enduring Wisdom for Those Who Choose to Lead
I've invited Doug to speak several times at our university and will continued to enjoy doing so. Both students and faculty members love Doug's humility, his comfortable and highly interactive manner, and willingness to share both painful and successful experiences. He comes across as wise yet without a trace of arrogance. I think students almost instantly view him as the type of person they'd like to have as a mentor. I’m confident that those who apply the wisdom he shares will be introduced to new and practical ways of improving their leadership.
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Doug Moran’s opening keynote address to our annual conference set the tone for the entire event. It was my hope that we would have a speaker who would inspire and encourage our attendees to think and act more boldly about the topic of sustainable mobility, and Doug delivered exactly what we needed. Most importantly, he provided us with concrete leadership advice that we can use to drive positive change. His provocative and challenging words were repeated by many of our other presenters who integrated his leadership messages into their speeches and discussions.
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Although the problems we confront have changed, the fundamentals of leadership remain the same. Recognizing this enduring truth, Doug Moran has created a book that draws leadership lessons from some of history’s greatest figures. If You Will Lead surely will help readers become better leaders.
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Former Governor and Senator, Commonwealth of Virginia
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Few people are born leaders. The rest of us need a guide to help us gain both the courage and competency to lead well. Doug Moran’s book provides a perfect blend of a thoughtful leadership framework and anecdotes from some of history’s greatest leaders to help make his points come to life. If You Will Lead is a great companion for any aspiring executive.
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Doug Moran’s humane and insightful study reminds us of some of the timeless qualities great leaders need. And even if leaders sometimes have to “govern in prose”, drawing inspiration from poetry is a fine idea.
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formerly management columnist at the FT, now Visiting Professor at the Cass Business School, London, and director of strategy at Edelman in the UK
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Doug Moran did a great job of tying essential leadership attributes to great, recognizable leaders. The attributes chosen are essential traits of good leadership and very well organized.
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former Commanding Officer, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, CVN-69, and recipient of the John Paul Jones 'Inspirational Leadership Award' from the Navy League of the US.
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This is an engaging primer for anyone committed to becoming a leader at work or in life. Using compelling examples, Doug Moran has provided a valuable series of leadership lessons that are relevant and useful to all of us. This book will make a difference to you and to all who look to you for leadership.
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Professor Emeritus, Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia
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Doug Moran’s book will motivate leaders at all level to strengthen key leadership traits of character, authenticity, integrity and self-efficacy. You will learn tangible leadership techniques and walk along side some of history’s best known figures from Lincoln to Mandela, making this a truly inspirational book.
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Co-author Anytime Coaching: Unleashing Employee Performance Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins Carey Graduate School of Business
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I highly add my name of recommendation to the book by Doug Moran entitled If You Will Lead. "One of the great needs in our country and in our world is the need for capable and inspiring leadership. There is, in my judgment, an absence of good leadership as we hear each day of the incessant wrangling among elected officials. We certainly need some new leaders to come forward. This book gives the reader a sense of the qualities of leadership which are so needed today. Leadership is an innate quality. It certainly can be acquired, as long as we have examples which this book gives to emulate." "In my judgment this book is most worthwhile and sorely needed in our world today.
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Bishop Emeritus of Richmond
If You Will Lead - Enduring Wisdom for Those Who Choose to Lead
This is an engaging primer for anyone committed to becoming a leader at work or in life. Using compelling examples, Doug Moran has provided a valuable series of leadership lessons that are relevant and useful to all of us. This book will make a difference to you and to all who look to you for leadership.
- R. Jack Weber

Professor Emeritus, Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia.
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I was introduced to “IF” at a young age by my mom, and it is a poem that I keep in my mind at all times as I try to do my job to the very best of my ability here at Butler. Many of the positive lessons in the poem have been very applicable for me. It’s a terrific poem to study for those that aspire to be in a position of leadership.
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“If You will Lead” brings real insight into the qualities needed for successful leadership. This book is exceptionally well written and provides a true guideline into all aspects that challenge true leadership. Inspiring balanced and well thought out it is a major contribution for those who would lead in our fast changing society.
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At a time when leadership in the world is at such a low ebb – “If You Will Lead” will make a tremendous contribution to the upcoming generation!
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If You Will Lead - Enduring Wisdom for Those Who Choose to Lead
After 26 years on Wall Street, the last 20 of them leading people, I am more aware than ever of the need to level-set your actions and philosophies and always be adjusting to the fast-paced world we live in where change is the only constant. Doug Moran has proven himself to be a forward-thinking leader and insightful assessor of practical practices in an increasingly complex and competitive business environment, having demonstrated a track record of creative and strategic thinking along with successful tactical execution in both the public and private sectors across multiple leadership roles. As one fights off the temptation to become jaded and dismissive of those offering the latest recipe for leadership success, Doug has proven to be one of the few people whose opinions I seek out proactively, knowing that I can count on candid feedback, spirited debate and a collaborative partner when dealing with issues important to me both personally and professionally. If You Will Lead is an important addition to any leader’s short list of practical business reading and will make an immediate positive impact on how one ties effective leadership principles to the future success of their organization.
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Managing Director, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
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Doug's book on leadership is a standout. Based on Kipling's poem, "If," the book is thoughtful and comprehensive, pragmatic and inspiring, and grounded in self awareness, which is the fundamental requirement for leadership excellence. This book, with its well-drawn examples of leadership attributes, is in itself a courageous act of leadership. Serious leaders interested in transformation for themselves or their organizations ought to savor it, journal with it, and refer to it often as a way to calibrate, contribute, and create results that matter.
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