McCarley Guiding Principles
The Guiding Principles below are not only those values that we now hold most important, but those that helped us get to where we are today. They have been the degrees of our professional compasses, directing our short-term decisions, defining our long-term path, and always reminding us where we have been and where we are going.
Bring value to every situation.
Be helpful all the time. Ask yourself what you can add to the situation. What can you make better?
Do as much good for as many people as possible.
Our commitment to others will be demonstrated through our choice of actions and our choice of words.
Express yourself and listen for understanding.
You may have the best idea, but no one will know unless you summon the bravery to express yourself – to speak up. You may not have the best idea, but you will not know unless you summon the courage to truly and openly listen.
Be someone who people like to do business with.
Be fair, courteous, respectful and polite.
Earn trust.
Trust is two things – competence and ethics. Trust is earned. Your “word” should not be given without thought. Manage and persuade not by an emphasis on authority, but through an emphasis on competency, influence, education, logic, and inspiration. Embrace honesty and candor as a way of life. Insist on the highest ethical standards.
Help the best idea win.
Whether the source is a teammate or a client, embrace their better idea. Don’t defend a weak position. Trust is earned. Be sure your judgment is trusted.
Be a teacher and a student all the time.
Great teachers find multiple ways to reach a student. Taking different tracts and angles until the student understands. Be a student – all the time. Embrace the fact that no matter how much you know, you have much to learn. Enjoy the growth of learning. And know that everyone has something to teach. Know that even a fly can do something you can’t.
Think and act for the long-term.
Prioritize long-term success over superficial short-term gains.
Focus on goals.
Be clear on the goal and follow the formula of SPACE. If the goal is important, stay on it. If the goal drops in importance, let it go.
Grow.
Strive to be better every day. Aim for continuous growth in all three components of PKE.
Work hard and enjoy your work.
It may be hard work, but on the whole, it must be satisfying work.
Be patient for results.
Have urgency regarding the creation of feedback loops through Planning and Actions.
Embrace failure.
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. We learn more from our failures than our successes.
When in doubt, do the right thing.
When in doubt, do the right thing. If still in doubt, be fair.