April 2nd, 2013
Got some great responses from the last blog post regarding principles and compromise; and on a national level this seems to be something that we are really struggling with right now. I think the idea that you cannot be a person of principle and compromise is dangerous, I think that it invites unnecessary drama and conflict. It’s a backhanded way of saying that “we” have principles and “they” do not, for starters, and it also rests on a belief that my perspective is superior to something that we figure out together. I think that the larger truth is that we are all people of principles; in fact I believe we subscribe to many of the same principles. Where we differ is in how to act accordingly.
What do you think?
Be good to each other.
I find I often am in conversations with people, either about everyday politics or organizational development issues, where the discussion or debate is about tactics or choices. While those may be a natural point of entry, they can be divisive if they aren’t anchored in some transparent expression of our principles.
I know of many people who advocate tactics I disagree with as solutions to particular issues, but with whom I share common principles about what is important. Our tactical divisions will truly become divisive (and corrosive) to our relationships if that’s all we talk about.
But if we think of this as a decision-tree, we should go back to our common principle and scaffold our way through all of our potential levels of agreement before we hit the first difference where compromise may be required. “So we agree that …. and on …. but here’s where we get stuck. Given that we both think it is important to, what options can we create that will satisfy our respective concerns?”
So is there something in here about ideas versus beliefs? It’s hard enough to admit we are wrong, then when you tie that into a principle, well it gets even tougher for many folks. Here’s a post a friend wrote today about that.
http://treacletiger.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/beliefs-vs-ideas.html
I try to live by the following: ‘I’m often wrong and sometimes right. I rarely know which is which and I reserve the right to change my mind’.