Page 302 - Ray Dalio - Principles

Bridgewater. It’s important not to get hung up on all those
emotion- and ego-laden “little deals” that can distract you
from the overall mission.

1.2 Have integrity and demand it from

others.

Integrity comes from the Latin word integritas, meaning “one”
or “whole.” People who are one way on the inside and another
way on the outside—i.e., not “whole”—lack integrity; they
have “duality” instead. While presenting your view as
something other than it is can sometimes be easier in the
moment (because you can avoid conflict, or embarrassment, or
achieve some other short-term goal), the second- and third-

order effects of having integrity and avoiding duality are
immense. People who are one way on the inside and another
on the outside become conflicted and often lose touch with
their own values. It’s difficult for them to be happy and almost
impossible for them to be their best.

Aligning what you say with what you think and what you
think with what you feel will make you much happier and

much more successful. Thinking solely about what’s accurate
instead of how it is perceived pushes you to focus on the most
important things. It helps you sort through people and places
because you’ll be drawn to people and places that are open and
honest. It’s also fairer to those around you: Making judgments
about people so that they are tried and sentenced in your head,

without asking for their perspective, is both unethical and
unproductive. Having nothing to hide relieves stress and builds
trust.

a. Never say anything about someone that you wouldn’t say to them directly
and don’t try people without accusing them to their faces. Criticism is
welcomed and encouraged at Bridgewater, but there is never a

good reason to bad-mouth people behind their backs. It is
counterproductive and shows a serious lack of integrity, it
doesn’t yield any beneficial change, and it subverts both the
person being badmouthed and the environment as a whole.