What the Best Leaders Believe

The most effective leaders hold to a common set of principles and consistently use those principles to guide their day-to-day actions. The principles business leaders follow are the same set of principles that all human societies throughout time have believed to be “right.” These fundamental beliefs have been embedded in human society for so long that they are now widely recognized as universal.
It’s no coincidence that good leaders, no matter what their style or personality, all seem to follow the beat of the same drum. They don’t make up their values as they go along; they listen carefully to the call of moral values that already lie within all of us. Universal Principles. Noted anthropologist Donald E. Brown found in his research that the moral codes of all cultures include recognition of
responsibility, reciprocity, and ability to empathize.5 Other studies have confirmed his findings. 6 The major world religions preach common values: commitment to something greater than self, responsibility, respect, and caring for others. Genuine differences in behavior in different cultures
may distract us from what we have in common with all people a universal moral compass. Consider a study that compared children