If you're not generous with others and others aren't generous with you, you won't have a quality relationship. #principleoftheday

Having power is good because power will win out over agreements, rules, and laws all the time. When push comes to shove, those who have the power to either enforce their interpretation of the rules and laws or to overturn them will get what they want. It is important to respect power because it’s not smart to fight a war that one is going to lose; it is preferable to negotiate the best settlement possible. It is also important to use power wisely. Using power wisely doesn’t necessarily mean forcing others to give you what you want—i.e., bullying them. It includes the recognition that generosity and trust are powerful forces for producing win-win relationships, which are fabulously more rewarding than lose-lose relationships. #principleoftheday

Identify which principles apply to the case at hand, review them, and see if they would have helped. Think for yourself which principles are best for handling similar cases. This will help solve not only this problem but other problems like it. #principleoftheday

Apparently, if you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water it will jump out immediately, but if you put it in room-temperature water and gradually bring it to a boil, it will stay in the pot until it dies. Whether or not that's true of frogs, I see something similar happen to managers all the time. People have a strong tendency to slowly get used to unacceptable things that would shock them if they saw them with fresh eyes. #principleoftheday

A decision-making group in which those who don't get what they want continue to fight rather than work for what the group has decided is destined to fail... #principleoftheday (1/4)

Many complaints either fail to take into account the full picture or reflect a closed-minded point of view. They are what I call "chirping," and are generally best ignored. But constructive complaints may lead to important discoveries. #principleoftheday

They are rare. Such relationships take time to build and can only be built if you treat such people well. #principleoftheday

The line is what's fair, appropriate, or required, as distinct from what's generous, in light of the defined quid pro quo relationship between parties. #principleoftheday (1/5)

I often hear people say, "Wouldn't it be good to do this or that?" It's likely they are being distracted from far more important things that need to be done well. #principleoftheday

Watch out for people who argue against something whenever they can find something--anything-- wrong with it, without properly weighing all the pluses and minuses. Such people tend to be poor decision makers. #principleoftheday

For instance, if you want to have a healthy life, you shouldn’t have twelve sausage links and a beer every day for breakfast. #principleoftheday (1/2)