Five Guiding Principles

First published April 9, 2022. Updated July 28, 2026.

Have you ever prepared to cross a street, and there at the curb is a big, deep puddle? You don't want to step in it. So, you look for a way around, or you try to decide if you can jump across it. I believe this is where many of us are right now.

We are stuck trying to figure out a way around the complexity that we face in our daily existence. In many respects, we feel paralyzed. We don’t know which way to go.

In the first chapter of my book, Circle of Impact: Taking Personal Initiative To Ignite Change, I tell William’s story. He has worked for the same company since graduating from college. He is married with kids in high school and two sets of parents that need close attention. His company has been sold, and his job will be transferred overseas. A challenging moment of transition and decision.

William comes to understand that he has internalized the value system of the company as his personal value system. It is one reason why he performed so well. But now, he is without a job, and must decide, now in his mid-40s, who he is and what he wants to do with his life.

As I was preparing to publish Circle of Impact, I identified five guiding principles that I felt were a simple summary of the book. They continue to evolve as the world does.

Each of these principles is derived from the Circle of Impact model, providing a way to apply the diagram in moments of complexity and indecision.

CIRCLE OF IMPACT FIVE GUIDING PRINCIPLES

1.  ALL Leadership Begins with Personal Initiative to Create Impact.

2.  We are ALL in Transition. Every one of us. ALL the time.

3.  The Greatest Change We Experience is in Our Self-Understanding.

4.  Impact Expands through Networks of Relationships.

5.  Start Small. Act Locally. Share Globally. Take the Long View.

Many people provide us with principles. Many are good and helpful. Others are simplistic and forgettable. The purpose of these is to provide perspective about living in a time of transition.

This time of change requires us to be open to what we must do to first survive and then thrive. We cannot simply pull back and enclose ourselves in some protective shell. We must respond to change with purpose.

These principles direct your perception to be able to see what is taking place in your world. As a result, you can act with greater assurance and energy.

May your find what is possible for you to do, create, and the impact you can create through the application of these Five Guiding Principles

The Circle of Impact is a leadership model that challenges the traditional perspective that leadership is a function of organizational structure.

Our acts of initiative bear the mark of our values. So, when we lead, we create.

The puddle is not an obstacle, but an opportunity to see what is before us.

We can start a process that produces the impact that we want to see come to pass.

Ultimately, what you change is a product of what you value. The clearer you are in knowing what you value, the easier it is to know where you need to take initiative.

Transition is always about change. But change is not always a transition. Transition is a movement in a particular direction. What direction are you moving towards, or are you moving away from today? If you don’t know, how do you determine the direction you are headed?

Pinpoint that moment, that date in time.

What has happened since then that reinforces the sense that you are in transition? Write down what you have experienced. If all you can say is,“I feel that I am in transition,” that is enough to begin. In your mind, you are now aware that you are in transition. From this point on, you will be able to see the moments of transition as they happen.

Acknowledging that you are in transition is an important step. It shows that you are in the middle of a period of transition. Your mind opens up to see new possibilities. New opportunities may be offered to you. The first step is to become aware that you are in transition.

I have experienced this sense of transition causing me to want to leave a place or a job or a relationship. There is a sense of wanting to flee or escape. When we feel this, we are in transition. It is important that the decision to leave focuses on leaving to go towards something, rather than leaving to leave something.

We all have things we must do. They are tasks that must be done. I just finished cleaning my kitchen. It is a task that must be done. However, the task is transformed when I ask, “What is the impact I want to have from a clean kitchen?” It becomes a place where I can invite people to share in cooking a meal. The impact is a change that makes a difference that matters.

When we ask about our work, “What difference does it make?” we actually might realize that it doesn’t matter. It is something that must be done, like cleaning the kitchen. However, we have it within ourselves to change our perspective and seek to identify how we can turn these tasks into actions that create impact.

In a strategy session with a client, we talked about being able “to make her no a yes.” What does this mean? When confronted with a decision that had no real purpose or value to her, she could say no by affirming values that do matter. I developed this principle in my short book “May Your No Be A Yes: A Guide To Making Better Decisions.” It becomes easier to say no when saying yes answers the question, “What is the impact that I want?” With an impact focus, our lives become simpler. We get used to making all our No’s an affirmation of the Yes’s that matter to us. What a wonderful way to live! Yes to life in a practical and real sense.

The principle, therefore, affirms the idea that our sense of identity is not a label or a category, but rather the impact of the work we do. The more we give ourselves to making a difference, the greater our sense of who we are and what matters to us. This is what self-understanding gives to us.

There is a proverb that says,

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

This is a simple way to understand the importance of creating networks of relationships. When we do, the opportunity to expand the reach of our impact expands. We need relationships of respect, trust, and mutuality. When we do, our shared values can create a community of impact.

I created the Global Impact Network for this reason. It is a network of networks. The purpose is to connect people together in their local communities for shared impact in areas of common concern. It is the first step in creating a culture of impact in a community.

This principle guides us in our impact initiatives. When we find ourselves in transition, it is an opportune moment to create impact. These moments are not just meaningless minutes in our lives. They are not moments overly invested with drama. Instead, they are moments where we want to make decisions that have an impact.

We need a different way of looking at how we live. When we learn opportunistically, for the potential impact that is always present.

I often find that people get excited by a big idea of their impact. This principle is about being realistic as the process unfolds. It is sort of like reading a really long novel. It takes time, patience, and consistency in being attentive to the tasks involved. For this reason, the principle follows a series of steps:

Starting small means you are learning what it takes to succeed. You are not getting ahead of yourself. You find your direction and goals may well change. We start small believing that growth will come when the time is right.

To act locally means that your acts of personal initiative have a direct impact on people whom you can know personally. Direct impact helps you see what works and what doesn’t. A lot of what we see today is talk about influence. What really is influence? What difference does it make in a local community? Demonstrating that they have created impact is different. It isn’t based on opinion or an algorithm. Focusing on the needs and opportunities where you live and work provides a place to build for a wider impact.

To share globally means that your story of local impact can signal to someone elsewhere what is possible when they take personal initiative to create an impact as you have. This is why The Eddy Network podcast is a global conversation for local leaders. I learn things through the people I know around the world. Through our conversation, they pass along their wisdom and experience to you, who are a part of our network of persons of impact.

To take the long view means you are not investing a lot of emotion in trying to be perfect or to excel beyond what you are capable of at this moment. Your potential for impact grows as you learn how to create impact. Over the long term, you will see things happen to you that today you would have never imagined possible. We must not think of a quick impact of change, but rather creating a legacy that generations to come can draw on for inspiration to be persons of impact.

Finally, when the guiding principles seem to be unworkable, shift your attention from the principle to the impact of the principle.

What is it that should change because these principles are active in your life?

Only you can answer that question. Once you can, a life of impact will come to you. Then the puddle means nothing. You can walk around, jump over, or slog through it, and it will not matter. It is only a moment in the transition from where you are to where you will be shortly.

Circle of Impact is available in Hardback, Paperback, Kindle, and Audiobook. They are individually linked. Bulk orders are available through me for a 30% discount plus shipping.

Everything that I’ve written at my Substack site, The Future of Leadership, is an outgrowth of what is in the book.

The Eddy Network Podcast features people, introduced to me, who are personal of impact.

For direct work with you and/or your team, here is where we start.

For Individual Leadership - For an hour session, schedule through this Calendly link.

For Organizational Leadership with your team - Schedule at this Calendly link.