Principles are ways of successfully dealing with reality to get what you want out of life.
Ray Dalio, one of the world’s most successful investors and entrepreneurs, cites principles as his key to success.
In 1975, Ray Dalio founded Bridgewater Associates, out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Over forty years later, Bridgewater has grown into the largest hedge fund in the world and the fifth most important private company in the United States (according to Fortune magazine), and Dalio himself has been named to TIME’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Along the way Dalio discovered unique principles that have led to his and Bridgewater’s unique success. It is these principles, and not anything special about Dalio, that he believes are the reason behind whatever success he has had. He is now at a stage in his life that he wants to pass these principles along to others for them to judge for themselves and to do whatever they want with them.
Work Principle
Evaluate accurately, not kindly.
Nobody ever said radical honesty was easy. Sometimes, especially with new employees who have not yet gotten used to it, an honest assessment feels like an attack. Rise to a higher level and keep your eye on the bigger picture and counsel the person you are evaluating to do the same.
RECENT USER EXCHANGES
I agree with the principle ‘evaluate accurately, not kindly,’ but how do you take in an honest assessment when it’s painful to hear—even when you know the criticism is right and that you prepared badly by doing your own thing?
You have achieved a great breakthrough that will allow you to become much better and more successful.
Isn’t the real principle to evaluate accurately—based on facts, not feelings—while delivering that evaluation empathetically, rather than interpreting ‘not kindly’ as a lack of empathy?
I am just trying to convey that accuracy about one’s performance is the most valuable thing one can have in order to do well and that one isn’t doing others favors by just giving people complements.
Work Principle
- Constantly Train, Test, Evaluate, and Sort People
Evaluate accurately, not kindly.
- In the end, accuracy and kindness are the same thing.
- Put your compliments and criticisms in perspective.
- Think about accuracy, not implications.
- Make accurate assessments.
- Learn from success as well as from failure.
- Know that most everyone thinks that what they did, and what they are doing, is much more important than it really is.
Any person or organization can adopt Principles to better achieve their goals.
Learn what Principles are and how they are applied at Principles.com
