The role of intent
What is the difference between murder and man-slaughter?
Intent. Only intent. How we prove intent is one of the biggest topics in court
and leads to hundreds of thousands of man/hours worth of work and millions of
dollars worth of legal fees. I recall watching the live OJ Simpson trial when
he was accused of double murder of his then wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and waiter
Ron Goldman. The OJ Simpson documentary OJ: Made In America’ Oscar-Winning
Documentary shows how there are often times multiple external facts, multiple
actors in the situation, but what the concern is around, is the one single
motivation.
We choose our principles, often very early in life
Being asked about corporate values earlier this
week, and specifically which ones stood out most and mattered most, it’s not a
topic many people spend much time dwelling on earlier in their careers
especially, and understandably so since there are many other motivations that
may take priority i.e. reward, technical content, nature of work, etc. In terms
of values; each individual will have their own values, since almost birth and
ways of behaving and operating. If these coincide or overlap with corporate
values, it’s just a happy coincidence, but it’s not easy to one day dream up a
set of values and force people to change to imbibe these; whatever the company
or context may be.
Certain "values" are needed for any type of success; these aren't a big deal
The response to which values are most
important, can only partially be answered. There are values that are secondary,
and values that are primary. Primary values are the most important; do you
really care about others? Do you want what is best for others? Are you thinking
selfishly or selflessly? Secondary values are things like “teaming”, “thinking
innovatively” etc. These, even people who don’t have good motivations, can do.
Hitler teamed, Hitler thought innovatively. Never believe that seeing certain values implies a good deeper motive. Secondary values aren’t
something to be so proud of, in isolation; they can be calculatingly attained, for manipulative
and ulterior purposes. To be "successful", such values are used in execution 9
times out of 10. There can be people who externally may not appear successful, but they have the core values right; this is what matters in the grand scheme, and not how much of a balance a person may have notched up. It's easy to see when this is the case; the emphasis will be on how we can all achieve our potential in our own ways according to our own nature and abilities, rather than how I can be successful at the expense of others.
I’ve been fortunate to have had leaders
and mentors in various fields, who have set wonderful examples with their
values, and also those who really haven’t. As time goes by, and we define what governs
the way we choose to operate and the type of people we prefer to surround
ourselves with in order to grow, it’s always nice to compare and contrast
approaches, and really understand what we value and aspire to imbibe.
Whatever our situation, greatness is having a
simple heart. Radhanath Swami
