“He that gives good advice, builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example, builds with both; but he that gives good admonition and bad example, builds with one hand and pulls down with the other.”—Francis Bacon

You can get to the top of our profession and game by being conniving, ambitious, and ruthless. You really can. And it may be something you can live comfortably with. The name of my website, The Practical Leader, may even suggest that I’m willing to take the most direct route to success and accomplishment. After all, what is more practical than doing whatever it takes to get whatever you want?

But I have not suggested, nor will I ever, that the validation of effectiveness is results. There are rules by which effective and principle-centered leaders play.

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