guiding principles
Values to follow
Guiding principles are fundamental beliefs or values that direct decisions and behavior.
Organizations articulate them to ensure consistent action: Our guiding principles emphasize transparency and customer service.
Individuals rely on them too: Her guiding principles kept her honest when shortcuts tempted.
The phrase implies standards consulted regularly, not rules imposed from outside.
- honestyTruthfulness, sincerity
- integrityMoral soundness and consistency
- core valuesFundamental guiding beliefs
- respectRegard with honor
- fairnessJust and equal treatment
ethical standards · north star · guiding light · accountability · compass · star · vision · justice · cornerstone · first principles · golden rule · rule of thumb · transparency · truth · bedrock · beliefs · alignment · values
guiding principleswhims
Spontaneous, capricious notions
impulses · knee-jerk reactions · caprice · snap decisions · snap judgments
guiding principlesopportunism
Exploiting circumstances for gain
expediency · amorality · self-interest · situational ethics · Machiavellianism
guiding principleschaos
Complete disorder and confusion
randomness · aimlessness · purposelessness · drift · rudderlessness