INTHEBLACK April 2026 - Magazine - Page 60
LEADERSHIP:
WORK SMART
PRINCIPLES VS
PRESCRIPTION
Some situations require autonomy;
others require control. The most
effective leaders know when
to adopt a principle-based
leadership style and when to
rely on a prescriptive model.
WORDS NICOLA HEATH
I
n today’s complex and fast-evolving business
environment, leaders must navigate the tension
between empowering teams with autonomy and
ensuring consistency. This is especially important
in accounting and finance roles where compliance,
ethics and performance intersect.
One approach involves leading with principles;
the other with prescription. The most effective leaders
blend both depending on context, team capability
and organisational culture.
60 INTHEBLACK APRIL 2026 SPECIAL EDITION
DIFFERENCES IN APPROACH
A principle-based approach grants individuals
the agency to make decisions about how they
undertake a task, says leadership expert
Dr Michelle Gibbings.
“When you’re working with principles, you’re
permitting a level of freedom. You’re saying, ‘this
is where we need to get to, but there is autonomy
in terms of how you get there — with values, ethics
and professional standards serving as guidelines’.”
On the other hand, a prescriptive model lays out
what needs to be done and precisely how to do it.
“It is more tightly controlled,” Gibbings says.
Executive coach Dr Tanvi Gautam likens the
distinction between the two to the difference
between a blank canvas and a paint-by-number kit.
“On a blank canvas, an artist has the freedom
to paint the canvas with the palette given to them,
whereas a paint-by-number specifies which colour
goes where,” she says. “There is beauty in both
approaches. Principle-based leadership empowers
