It is the principle of the thing!

How would you like to guarantee your outcome? Or increase your odds of success? Sure, you would, who wouldn’t?

You’ve probably said or heard, “It is the principle of the thing!” What does this mean? Generally, it means someone is trying to convince another person to do something that they aren’t sure about.

When we use “It is the principle of the thing,” we are using this phrase at a much deeper level.

The word principle is defined in Oxford's Dictionary as: 1. a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior, or for a chain of reasoning. 2. a generic scientific theorem or law. Therefore, a principle is a kind of rule, belief, or idea that guides you. 

It is this deeper definition of principle that intrigues me. I’ve explored principles throughout my life and career in situational context to solve problems and improve performance.

What if we could uncover, identify, and apply key foundational principles to benefit our own lives, team members, organizations, and communities?

Here’s an example. Stephen Covey’s The 7 Principles of Effective Leadership. Remember…

...Begin with the end in mind. (principle)

…Seek first to understand, then to be understood. (principle): 

If we can, we can use these key principles, that are tried, true and proven, as guides to innovate and build anything, like a business enterprise, nonprofit organization, sales team, or fundraising department.

Extended Impact’s Northstar is built upon the principle of an extended enterprise (trusted, resourceful relationships and partnerships). We believe in being principle-based, data-driven, holistically strategic, and customer-centric.

The main premise of our blog, Principle Impact: Maximize performance by leveraging proven, guiding principles, is to explore and present aspects of key principles to help you make your personal and professional life easier and more rewarding. Stay tuned!

Learn more about Organizational Revenue Readiness principles here.