In his article,
Roderick Kramer wrote why leaders fall (Kramer, 2003) .
He wrote that when a leader has fallen from grace, it is resultant of
several common things. Those things, as
I perceived them, related to one losing his or her ethical ways – he or she no
longer followed the bearing on their moral compass.
For instance, Kramer (2003) wrote
that a leader’s ‘fall from grace’ was often a consequence of one’s “winner
wants all” mentality (p. 60). With such
a mentality, it was easy for the leader to lose introspection. It was asserted that with a “winner wants
all” mentality, one may “perceive…introspection (as) antithetical to success” (Kramer,
2003, p. 60) . I believe that this is akin to an “ends
justify the means” mentality”. In the
context of ethics, a consequentialist may not see something wrong with a “winner
wants all” mentality – the risks, the moral missteps, etc. are worth it so long
as the envisioned outcome is perceived as the best outcome. Yet, the problem here is the lack of
introspection; one has failed (or fails to) to examine and/or assess his or her
moral/ethical behavior and actions.
For example, when climbing the
ladder of success, a leader may encounter the ethical dilemma of stepping on
other people. Yet, doing this violates
an important precept, the Golden Rule (LaFollette, 2007) .
The Golden Rule is that universal moral notion that we ought not to harm
others, or alternatively, do unto them as we would expect in return (LaFollete,
2007; Putnam, 2006). Although I did not
step on other people to find success at work, I recognized that my past actions
had indirectly harmed others.
Early in my military career as young
leader, I was very focused on mission accomplishment. I wanted recognition as the leader that gets
things done. To achieve this I pushed my
followers hard and had little tolerance for failure or excuses. Moreover, I became dissonant. I became socially and emotionally distant
from my followers and was not necessarily concerned about their personal lives. I lacked compassion. This was a result of focusing on winning (the
ends) while dismissing the means. Kramer
(2003) called this the “sins of omission” where one fails to monitor his or her
environment and paying less attention to others around them (p. 63). Contrary to dissonance is resonant
leadership, where one has mindfulness, hope, and compassion (Boyatzis & McKee, 2005) . This is now what I strive to be.
The “winner wants all” mentality is also
pervasive in our American culture (consider political ideologies). There is (and has been) ideological and
ethical conflicts between so-called liberals and conservative on issues that
include, but not limited to, abortion, welfare, death penalty, etc. where each
side resists compromise. There is irony
in this – the claim from both sides is that the other is intolerant, and yet
not recognizing the fallacy of their arguments. Yet, in the face of this I believe that I
carry moderation on these issues and use intellectual courage (or at least try
to) in considering others’ beliefs.
However, Kramer (2003) offered some
advice to avoid the previously mentioned moral and ethical pitfalls. First, keep it simple (p. 60). I realized that my life had so much more
value when I considered what was really important to me – faith,
family/friends, and self (personal improvement). Second, have a reality check, often (p.
60). I must know and understand the
basis of my moral/ethical assumptions.
Are they guided by principles and sound ethical theories or am I
affected by ever-changing social norms?
As a person (and leader), I must assess and know who I really am versus
who I want (or ought) to be. Thus,
Kramer claims, one must be introspective and understanding his or her strengths
and shortcomings.
References
Boyatzis,
R., & McKee, A. (2005). Resonant leadership. Boston, MA: Harvard
Business School Publishing.
Kramer, R. (2003).
The harder they fall. Harvard Business Review, 58-66.
LaFollette, H.
(2007). The practice of ethics. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Putnam, M. (2006).
Retrieved from www.globalethicsuniversity.com:
http://www.globalethicsuniversity.com/articles/thegoldenrule.htm
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