Page 358 - Ray Dalio - Principles

political systems and nations. I’m not saying that people
should pretend they like the decision if they don’t, or that the
matter in question can’t be revisited at a future date. What I

am saying is that in order to be effective, all groups that work
together have to operate with protocols that allow time for
disagreements to be explored, but in which dissenting minority
parties recognize that group cohesion supersedes their
individual desires once they have been overruled.

The group is more important than the individual; don’t
behave in a way that undermines the chosen path.

a. See things from the higher level. You are expected to go to the

higher level and look down on yourself and others as part of a
system. In other words, you must get out of your own head,
consider your views as just some among many, and look down
on the full array of points of view to assess them in an idea-
meritocratic way rather than just in your own possessive way.
Seeing things from the higher level isn’t just seeing other

people’s point of view; it’s also being able to see every
situation, yourself, and others in the situation as though you
were looking down on them as an objective observer. If you
can do this well, you will see the situation as “another one of
those,” see it through everyone’s eyes, and have good mental
maps or principles for deciding how to handle it.

Almost all people initially find it difficult to get beyond
seeing things through just their own eyes, so I’ve developed
policies and tools such as the Coach (which connects
situations to principles) that help people do this. With practice
many people can learn to develop this perspective, though
others never do. You need to know which type of person you
and the people around you are. If you can’t do this well on
your own, seek the help of others. Recognize that many people

cannot see things from the higher level and distinguish those
who can from those who can’t, and either get rid of those who
can’t or have good guardrails in place to protect yourself and
the organization against this inability.

By the way, it is of course okay to continue to disagree on
some things as long as you don’t keep fighting, thereby