Why Philosophy

MattersMurray Johannsen

Principles• A principle is a law or rule that

has to be, or usually is to be followed, or can be desirably followed, or is an inevitable consequence of something,

such as the laws of nature or the way that a device is

constructed.• Examples of principles:

• a descriptive comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine,

or assumption• a normative rule or code of

conduct,• a law or fact of nature

underlying the working of an artificial device.

Politics!• In business, politics is the art of

getting things done and reaping the benefits; it provides the

power to get things done against opposition, avoiding negative

implications and often producing positive effects in the career for

the doer.• The informal, unwritten procedures for making things happen or not happen in an

organization. • The unwritten and hardly ever

spoken-out-loud norms of conducting oneself in order to

successfully achieve one's goals and be rewarded for the

achievement.

Quote!

• “Policies are many,

Principles are few, Policies will change,

Principles never do.”

• John Maxwell

Philosophy & Principles

• Leaders need a philosophy—a set of principles by used to

guide their own actions and the actions

of others.

• All leaders need a guide to action, a guide

for behavior, a set of principle to live by if

they are to evolve and become wise.

Why Philosophy Matters

• WE assume leaders have a higher

responsibility, a higher calling than to

simply follow authority —they must come up with a set of principles that they

can live by and share with followers.

Definition of Philosophy

Definition of Philosophy

Definition of Philosophy

• The word comes from Ancient Greek. It consists of two elements: [sophosmeaning love] & [philos

meaning wisdom]

• A philosophy involves principles, values and

traits— that continue and continue and continue

through-out life.

• So it is more about the path, not the destination.

Definition of Philosophy

• The key is live by, since a philosophy should serve as a guide to life and

business.

• One sees this kind of leadership philosophy fully developed in the

teachings and life example of great

religious figures such as Jesus Christ.

Why Developa Success Philosophy?

• To Prepare Yourself

• Life posses many problems, many crisis—we are all

tested.

• Defining a philosophy includes looking at

personal development areas that help one

prepare for the challenges of life.

To Counter The Corrupting Effects of Money and Power• Leaders without a

philosophy are like the leaf not tied to the branch — you

get blown anywhere the winds take you — Murray

Johannsen.• There is a fundamental truth

to Lord Action’s famous saying, the first half of

which goes, “Power corrupts.”

• If he where alive today, Lord Acton would no doubt

agree that in the modern world, money corrupts just

as much as power.

To Counter The Corrupting Effects of Money and Power• And so we sometimes see

in the powerful, the second half of his saying, “. . . and absolute power

corrupts absolutely.” • We see too many individuals using their

influence to benefit themselves or their in-

group at the expense of everyone else.

• Without a set of uplifting principles and a bedrock

solid set of character traits, the elite tend to exercise selfish power.

To Counter a Lack of Meaning In Life

• The doors of opportunity more open for those best prepared to

walk through it. — Murray Johannsen.

• It was Viktor Frankl's belief that many people feel that life has

no meaning. This is also seen in the very wealthy, according to

Jessie O'Neil who wrote the book The Golden Ghetto.

Because many feel alienated and alone, they may conclude

that their lives having little meaning. However, we do

possess the ability to create our own values and so add more

meaning to our lives.

To Accelerate Personal Growth

• One definition of managerial insanity: Doing the same things, the same way but

expecting better results. —American Saying

• Many businesses walk the path of continuous improvement.

They understand that it's required to successfully

compete and execute on a competitive advantage.

However, many managers and executives are stuck in a rut of

the same routine. • Establishing a philosophy can

serve as one method of overcoming complacency.

To Accelerate Personal Growth

• "The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because

plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates

shoddiness in philosophy because philosophy is an

exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good

philosophy. Neither its pipes nor its theories will

hold water." —• John Gardner, Source:

wisdomquotes.com

Establishing Your Leadership Philosophy

• The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.

• Lin Yutang, Source: wisdomquotes.com • Developing a philosophy takes time but it can be shortened. • The following are some guidelines for developing your own

leadership philosophy.

Philosophical Guideline 1:• A Good Philosophy Has A

Number of Guiding Principles

• If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable. —Seneca,

Source: Said What• Editors and authors like to

put numbers on things. For example, there are seven

habits, (The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People),

oops, I mean eight. Or maybe there are twenty-one. (The

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and

People Will Follow You).

Philosophical Guideline 1:• These are worthwhile

books, but it's important to realize there is no magic

number since your situation and

responsibilities are not the same as someone else.

• For example, a supervisor on an assembly line would likely have a different set

than a Hollywood director.

• A Good Philosophy Has A Number of Guiding

Principles

Leadership Principle 2: • A Faulty Philosophy Has Unintended Consequences• It’s sometimes easy to forget how easily untended

consequences can occur. Take the following story as

an example:• A businessman decided to

to send his wife a quick e-mail when he was on a

business trip. Unfortunately, he missed one letter and his note was directed instead to an elderly preacher’s wife,

whose husband had passed away only the day before.

Leadership Principle 2:

• When the grieving widow checked her e-mail, she

took one look at the screen, let out a scream, and fell to the floor in a faint. Her family rushed

into the room and saw on the screen:

• Dearest Wife,

• Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

• Your Loving HusbandPS. Sure is hot down here

Leadership Principle 2: • Years ago there was a very beneficial philosophy

of business known as Total Quality

Management. • Those businesses that

acted on these ideas improved product and

service quality gaining a competitive advantage by

doing so. • One of the central

principles underlying this philosophy was known as,

"Continuous Process Improvement."

Leadership Principle 2: • There was nothing wrong

with this leadership principle, but it was

incomplete since it allowed businesses to perfect

process, but not perfect people.

• So you had a paradox of flawed (meaning unskilled

people) trying to perform in a process requiring

perfection. A better way to state this philosophical

principle would have been, "Continuously improve people and processes."

Philosophical Principle 3:

• Your Philosophy Should Change and Evolve

• Men like the opinions to which they have become

accustomed from youth; this prevents them from finding

the truth, for they cling to the opinions of habit.

Moses Maimonides, 1135-1204, Egyptian physician and philosopher, Guide for the

Perplexed

• A good philosophy is not cast in concrete—it can change.

This is easy to say, but usually this does not happen. This

reminds me of a story:

Philosophical Principle 3:• The university president sighed as

he went over the proposed budget offered him by the head of

the department of physics.• "Why is it," he said, mournfully,

"that you physicists always require so much expensive

equipment? Now the department of mathematics requires nothing

of me but money for paper, pencils, and erasers."

• He thought a while longer and added, "And the department of

philosophy is better still. It doesn't even ask for erasers." Source: Asimov, The Humor

Treasury.• Moral of the Story: Beliefs Once

Formed Rarely Change

:• Leadership Principle 4: It's Not Real Until Written

• My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take

the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition. —

Indira Gandhi

Leadership Principle 4:• A wise business leader will

take the time to write something down on paper. This simple act forces you

to clarify your thinking and define what's important.

• To give you an example of how this works, you should look into the life example of

author, publisher, entrepreneur, scientist,

inventor, diplomat, statesman and leader known as Benjamin

Franklin.• It's Not Real Until Written

Wrap-up:• Greet leaders need to have a

philosophy—a set of theory— that guides their

actions.• It helps you know whether you are on the right road and

if your actions are wise. • To not do so means you are

like a leaf blown on the wind with no branch to hang onto

in the tree of life.• There is no statement so absurd that no philosopher

will make it.—Cicero, Source: wisdomquotes.com