I recently read an article by Stephanie Fairyington, a staff writer for THRIVE GLOBAL, about principles embodied in the U.S. Constitution. These are principles that apply to each of us individually and to our organizations, that can support our success, well-being and overall satisfaction in life. These lessons are succinct and loaded with wisdom.
- The Preamble to the Constitution states its purpose is to promote tranquility, justice and the general welfare for EVERYONE. In other words, “We must meet people where they are”. Every person has different opinions, different needs and different problems. This is true in a country, in a company and in a family. It is impossible to maximize the potential or the welfare of all unless we do our level best to accommodate the needs of all.
This is very difficult to accomplish, as the needs and wants of a part of the group will suffer at least some of the time for the greater good of the whole. The more integrity and sincere effort we apply in meeting the basic needs of everyone, while rewarding everyone as the “group” prospers, the better things go for the great majority of us in the long term.
Experience irrefutably shows us, in groups large or small, that we prosper most when we succeed in serving the needs and desires of the entire community best.
- Power is far more effectively exercised when it is shared. We’ve all heard the saying, “Power Corrupts, Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”. Whether we are running a business organization or a country, we see the damage that autocratic leaders eventually create unless their authority is checked by countervailing forces. When power or authority is shared, everyone has the responsibility for decision-making and partakes of the outcome. In such a culture, the brilliance and creativity of all parties unite in achieving the best result. To contrast, in any dictatorial setting a significant percent of the group will always rebel and work to the detriment of the goal.
Even when power is effectively shared, differing opinions remain the norm. Invite the conflict! This assures that all sides of an issue are presented, and that maximum creative negotiation and compromise are reached. Conflict represents the energetic presentation of ideas, observations, experience and abilities of all constituencies. When we have built a culture that recognizes and works toward the good of all, most everyone is working toward the common good, feeling they have “skin in the game”, and genuinely want the best for everyone in the group.- When we have determined our goal regarding what we want to accomplish, we then must pull together as a community with all elements coordinating and participating with all other elements to get the results we want. Even though some people, departments or divisions won’t always have their wants win out, in a healthy organization, once the decision has been made, everyone puts aside their differences, and work together for the good of the whole group.
For close to two hundred and fifty years our constitution has worked effectively. We go through periods where we haven’t fulfilled our commitment to these principles as well as needed, and we get thrown off track temporarily. When we have leaders committed to the good of the whole, and who, with integrity and honor include the whole of the population in the power-sharing and decision-making, we progress well, whether as a nation, a state, an organization or as a family.
Tom Searcy, BCC
Spirit of Eagles
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