The Principles of Greatness
Certain types of ‘greatness’ (normally financial and how to achieve them), have been widely written about in recent times with many a self-help book showing the enlightened reader the path to achieving greatness and success in life.
​
The 10 Principles of Greatness are a simple way of being, that’s it… just a way to go about your everyday life with these 10 principles in mind and greatness will follow you.
Socrates the great philosopher concerned himself mostly with the meaning of virtue and the impact of this upon a man’s life. Many of Socrates’ teachings are valid in today’s modern life, and I would urge anyone interested in becoming a great leader to study Socrates and Plato, the great philosophers.
​
Life is not just about where you get to, but how you got there. Our guidance focuses on first being a good human being, of living and working as a good human being. We believe in striving every day to educate myself further. We look to philosophy, psychology and science as key components in understanding the people and world around us and then to understanding how we can exist amongst it all.
​
The 10 simple words below are words that we strive to personify. One day they may open up the door to business and financial success, but also in anything you may wish to achieve in life: baking a cake, walking down the road, painting a masterpiece, writing a book, achieving a promotion, for example.
​
We truly believe that principles such as these can guide us through all aspects of our lives, not just work.
Why the 10 Principles of Greatness in the workplace?
​
For the purposes of the workplace, we suggest the following 10 Principles of Greatness are foundations, they on their own do not make a business successful; but a strong business is built on great foundations.
​
Step 1: Is to enlighten your workforce to these principles as the first foundation.
​
Step 2: Is to ensure that they are striving to live and work with these principles in mind.
​
Step 3: Is to ensure that you fill the workplace with like-minded people in order to create work environment that is receptive to creativity, autonomy and where people can experience relatedness.
​
Step 4: Watch your workforce become relaxed, feeling valued and ready to give you their dedication, their creativity.
​
Step 5: Go on together to build a great business
​
By following these 10 foundations you will build a strong, ethical and successful business. Following these principles will help your business go from strength to strength.
You must put worth and value on yourself, your employees, your friends and family. Enlighten them to the Principles of Greatness and help them live, breathe and work to those principles every day.
What are the 10 Principles of Greatness in the workplace?
​
1: Values
What are values and why are they important? We can think of values as choices regarding an appropriate course of action. Values reflect a person's way of behaving and attitude towards being. Some values are inherently intrinsic, yet others are shaped by experience and can be swayed by evidence or argument.
​
At the core of all of us should be our values; think that’s cliché? Well maybe, but if you don't have values then how will anyone around you?
​
So, what are the core values for each of us? We believe we can simplify this to just 5. If these 5 are the life and breathe of the way you go about your daily business, then you will begin to see the difference around you:
​
Trust... empower everyone, trust them to make the right decisions, don't dictate to them
​
Honesty... be honest with each other, without fear of retribution
​
Kindness... recognise and celebrate differences, support each other, make acts of kindness everyday occurrences
​
Fairness... be fair and consistent in your approach
​
Respect... show respect to everyone, make sure you earn your respect through your actions, don't just expect respect from others
​
These values are your ethics, your conscience of how you conduct yourself and your business. Your values determine how you go about day to day, how you demonstrate your standards.
​
When each and every one of us can learn to be kind to each other, to respect each other's opinions, to learn from one another, to trust people around us and be empowered to make our own decisions, then we will grow and thrive.
​
In the workplace, when managers can be honest with employees (and vice versa) and demonstrate fairness with their actions, when every employee no matter what level within the business feels they are valued as much as any other employee, then harmony will exist.
​
2: Desire
Having the desire to do something, to achieve something is half the battle. If you have desire, you have will, you have intent, you have a longing for that object or that something to happen.
​
All humans have basic desires for physiological fulfilment: you need to feel warmth, you need to feel full after a meal, you need to feel emotional connections with other human beings, to be socially accepted and, many more.
​
However, desire is far more than that. Without desire and the need to feel satisfied in some way we are not human, there is pleasure in achieving or obtaining whatever it is we desire.
​
3: Passion
Passion can be described as a compelling emotion or enthusiasm for something or someone. It is an intense emotion.
​
People experience passions for pleasure, learning, discovery, other times it can be for your work. Someone who feels passionately about their work will work harder whilst striving to feel satisfaction from their work.
​
Passion is a motivator. Higher levels of psychological wellbeing can be experienced by those who are passionate about the activity or work that they are doing.
​
Passion and Desire are deeply connected, practically inseparable according to Plato and Aristotle. Passion can be both positive and negative.
4: Vision
Having vision is having the capacity or foresight to envisage the possibilities in your future and plan accordingly to achieve this future. To have a vision is to have a goal, to be focused on a desired outcome.
​
It doesn’t matter how small or big your vision is, but if you don’t have a vision then what is it you are working towards in your personal life, your professional life, your leisure activities?
​
Creating your vision helps you plan towards attaining your future. It helps you map out what you need to do to get there. Vision creates meaning in your life and a life without meaning is a life destined towards failure.
5: Courage
Having courage is having the ability to do something that frightens you, or at least makes you feel very uncomfortable. It is the ability to do something that no one else thinks you can do.
​
Courage is the strength in your character that says you will overcome that fear. It is having the ability to act on your beliefs, to follow your vision (no matter how crazy others tell you that you might be).
​
The word encourage is the act of others to persuade someone to do something, it can be a way of talking or behaving that gives someone the confidence to do something that they fear or feel apprehensive about.
​
6: Belief
To have belief is to have trust and confidence in something or someone. Belief doesn’t mean having proof that something exists, it’s having the faith that it exists without the empirical proof.
​
Having belief in someone occurs when that person has earned your respect, your trust and they have demonstrated their integrity to you.
​
To have belief in yourself is to have confidence that you will succeed. To gain others’ belief you must build trust and confidence.
​
7: Fortitude
When someone is described as having fortitude it means they have the emotional resilience or strength of mind to deal with a difficult situation.
​
By being able to withstand adversity and come out stronger without the damaging of one’s spirit then it can be said that one has fortitude.
​
Fortitude is essential for survival in today’s modern world.
​
8: Compassion
To demonstrate compassion is to show concern for the misfortune of others, to have empathy and to care about what happens. When one shows compassion, one is showing their humanity and kindness.
​
When one puts compassion for others before their own needs then one becomes selfless.
​
9: Integrity
Acting with integrity every day demonstrates your trustworthiness. Doing the right thing, being honest, having ethics and principles shows that you have integrity. Always delivering on your promises and being sincere with others shows your integrity.
10: Wisdom
To have wisdom, one must first have knowledge and experience of their subject, one must then use this knowledge and experience to act with sound judgement.
​
“In short, wisdom is a disposition to find the truth coupled with an optimum judgement as to what actions should be taken.” [i]
What principles of greatness are you walking in?
​
Having established the foundations for our success we need to live by them every day. So how do we do that? Well, from the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep, we live, breathe and share. There is no greater strength than the strength of people together.
​
Working hard, learning, respecting others, listening, never giving up and continually striving to do better will make you succeed. Take the time to study and embed these initial 10 Principles of Greatness in your life as your starting foundation for success.
​​
[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wisdom&oldid=700251815