Who could forget the iconic image of young John F. Kennedy, Jr, on his 3rd birthday, saluting his father’s casket as it was carried from St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C. in November of 1963? John F. Kennedy, Sr., President of the United States, had been cut down by an assassin in the prime of his life.
Or, who could forget how John, Jr. would die, along with his new bride, both so young and beautiful, in a plane crash in the prime of their lives? John, Jr. was the pilot. Expert investigators concluded that he lost his bearings and succumbed to vertigo when his plane crashed near Martha’s Vineyard. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that Kennedy lost control of his aircraft when descending over featureless water with no visible horizon on a hazy night. As a small aircraft pilot, Kennedy was not certified with an instrument rating, meaning he was not trained to fly his aircraft under such conditions.
He should have relied on his instruments to guide his aircraft on that fateful day. Instead, he relied solely on his senses, also known as Visual Flight Rules (VFR), to fly his plane. When he lost his sense of direction and balance, the only thing that could save him was experience and proficiency in flying by his instruments. Had he been trained to use them and rely upon them, he and his wife would have survived. But, because he relied on his natural senses alone, and tried to do what “felt right” in the moment, he crashed. His lack of preparedness resulted in a senseless and preventable national tragedy.
Your principles are your instruments. Identify them, become proficient in them, and use them constantly. And, when the haze, darkness, and confusion of ethical temptations, business misfortune, or personal difficulties cloud your path, you won’t lose your equilibrium and crash like John F. Kennedy, Jr. Instead, you’ll fly straight and true and reach your destination. When you are confused or in the dark, what “feels right” will often be the wrong thing to do. Intuition and experience should never trump your principles. What “feels right” must be checked against your instruments, your principles. If the principles win, your clients win. And, when they win, you win.
As a Scheduling and Events Coordinator I have constant contact with both clients and advisors. I use my “Instruments,” my principles, to guide the decisions I make on a daily basis, keeping the balance between client needs and what the advisor requires. I am empowered to make decisions. I know the decisions I make will be supported because I have followed the principles.
It is tempting to take the easy path when difficulties arrive. Unfortunately, that is generally the wrong path and the coward’s path. There is no good substitute for confronting the issue immediately, honestly and wisely.
Principles are principal. An advisor must develop his principles in any given discipline before a decision can be made. Principles drive decisions. First, figure out who you are and what you value. Then, base your principles on your values. If your are successful in this area, then you should no longer encounter what unprincipled people like to call a “tough decision”. This is the embryo of efficiency.
I think the best way to “Walk in Your Priorities” is to memorize Scriptures.
Doing what is right for the client is sometimes not the most profitable thing to do. But, in our business, doing what is right for the client is one reason why Noel has so many referrals.
A principled person is a person of respect. Respectful people draw others into their light.
Sound advice. Sadly, the majority of the world insists on doing what “feels right”. And then they wonder how and why they are in the situations that they find themselves in. I heard a doctor say once that if something tasted good, spit it out! It most likely is not good for you. What feels right is most often NOT right when put in comparison with biblical and moral principles.
There is a security in allowing sound principles to guide your decisions. Those principles that are based on godly values will never falter or change.
Forgiving ourselves when we fail our own principles is so very important. It is so true that it is best for us to make decisions based on principle & not “feelings”. In business & in our personal daily living we must remember that there is however, No condemnation for us as Christ People.
So dig back in to your guiding principles when you veer off course & end up wallowing in feeling based choices & know that God is in control of all things & will always be there to get us back on course.
Doing the right thing for our clients might not always be what we feel is the best. Let our principles, God based, guide each decision.
Leading by emotion can lead many places (and, most aren’t good). Instruments are definite and clear to read. Perception or interpretation do not change the standard of the instrument. If we all look at our instruments often, we can measure our fluid emotions and ideas against the unwavering standard of our instruments, but first we must look at our instruments.
Visual and measureable data is true and indisputable knowledge. It is what it is. This stands as a foundation or principle for basing our individual decisions. Our own individual thoughts and beliefs often cloud reality with inaccurate interpretation. This faulty translation can lead to errors and cause harm to others or ourselves. Two people can view the same data, interpret it differently, and come to totally different conclusions. These separate conclusions, however, do not change the truth. It is what it is without question. Rely on what IS true rather than what YOU THINK is true.