Principled-centered Leadership

Principled-centered Leadership

There seems to be an ongoing debate re who should come first - customer or employee. Yet, I can think of situations when it is family first.
If you were in a high-powered client or employee meeting and suddenly received notice that your spouse just had a heart attack, would you be thinking customer or employee first? Of course not! In fact, if you didn't immediately leave, your client or employees would be wondering why are you still hanging around and what sort of person are you exactly.
We leave because we put principles first. This is the essence behind Stephen covey's principled-centred leadership.
Think of yourself playing several roles in your life - supplier, boss, spouse, friend, etc. These roles evolve around principles or values that are at your core - honesty, integrity, love, respect, and so on.
For a given situation, one of your roles will be more important than the rest. If you follow your principles, your head and heart will know which role to play.