Principle 1: Opportunity & optimism

It all starts with opportunity. Opportunity makes it possible to do good things. Optimism is ignited when real opportunities for growth and prosperity become clear to us. Different from blind optimism, Purposeful Optimism is built on substance: derived from strategy and underpinned by well resourced people who are enabled to pursue opportunity and do something meaningful with others. Optimism keeps the light of opportunity glowing even when the world seems dark.

In the Age of AI: We use AI to identify new opportunities and insights, but human optimism and strategy guide us toward meaningful action. AI can analyse trends and patterns, but only humans can decide which opportunities align with our values and create genuine meaning for ourselves and others.

Principle 2: Above all, do no harm (primum non nocere)

That’s the basic guiding principle when making decisions. Peter Drucker said that this should be the first responsibility of every professional. We stand by it. We will never knowingly do harm to people including businesses, customers, suppliers, communities, or the planet.

In the Age of AI: We will not use AI to manipulate, deceive, invade privacy, or entrench bias in any professional relationship. Technology amplifies our ability to help or harm at scale. The same AI that could serve thousands of customers efficiently could also deceive thousands instantly. We choose service over exploitation.

Business Application: Before deploying any tool or tactic, ask: Could this harm someone? One reputation crisis can cost more than a decade of growth. The cheapest risk mitigation is prevention through ethical design.

Principle 3: Everybody lives by selling something

Understand that selling is everybody’s business and everybody lives by selling something. Regardless of our roles, everyone needs to persuade or influence others at some stage or another, whether it is to gain buy-in to an idea, product or service, or to get a job. Regardless of our roles, we are all ambassadors in the value chain of business that connects us with each other. Every solution begins with a conversation. Whether you’re pitching an idea to your team, negotiating with a supplier, or helping a customer solve a problem, the ability to communicate value and build trust through conversation is fundamental to professional success.

In the Age of AI: The skills of ethical influence and authentic conversation are now universal professional requirements. While AI can help us prepare for conversations, analyse outcomes, and follow up efficiently, the conversation itself remains irreplaceably human. AI can draft the email, but only you can build the relationship.

Principle 4: Client-centred equals human-centred

If there is no human need to satisfy, there is no business, no customers and no exchange of money, resources or value. Business is an answer to human needs. It is our duty to be human centred. This means looking after customers, employees, suppliers, communities and the planet. Human-centred selling is the means by which we create and generate opportunity.

In the Age of AI: We use AI to gain a deeper, more empathetic understanding of all stakeholders’ worlds, not to depersonalise them. AI can help us understand patterns in customer behaviour, predict needs before they’re articulated, and personalise at scale. But we never reduce humans to data points, conversion metrics, or algorithmic outputs.

Business Application: When competitors treat customers as targets, you treat them as partners. The lifetime value differential is massive. Use AI to understand context deeply, then let humans apply that understanding with empathy.

Principle 5: The power of purposeful action

Purposeful action combines purpose, process and people. Having a clear vision of what we want to accomplish makes it easier to communicate and engage with others. Knowing why we are doing what we are doing and how we do what we do gets us back on track if we get scattered or distracted. Purposeful action is about finishing what we start and persevering until we get results.

In the Age of AI: AI handles process and data, freeing humans to focus on purpose, strategy, and the perseverance required for complex outcomes. Automate the routine so humans can focus on the meaningful. Let AI manage your CRM updates, schedule follow-ups, and track tasks, while you focus on understanding client needs and building strategic relationships.

Principle 6: Discernment

Discernment is the ability to judge well. The ability to stand up for what is right and be courageous in the face of adversity and ethically compromising situations. This can mean saying no to opportunities that do not serve us or our clients or our communities well.

In the Age of AI: This is the human judgement that tells us when an AI-suggested action is efficient but ethically wrong. It is the courage to override the algorithm. AI optimises for whatever we tell it to optimise for. If we optimise purely for conversion, it will suggest manipulative tactics. Discernment ensures we optimise for long-term value, not short-term metrics.

Business Application: Every bad client you avoid saves you money. Every misaligned partnership you walk away from preserves resources for good ones. Discernment isn’t about missing opportunities. It’s about choosing the right ones.