By Jeton Mehmeti World Assembly of Youth 10 th Melaka International Youth dialogue Youth Leadership Power and its Influence to the Society 24-26 June 2010 Melaka, Malaysia Morality, ethics and leadership In search of moral leadership -Today s youth, tomorrow s leaders- I believe everyone would agree that the study of ethics concerns all of us. Since we are humans and we don t live in an island, the actions we do often affect others. Ethics is about human relationship. It is about what we should do and how we should behave in the society, it is about doing the right thing and avoiding the wrong actions. Leadership is a particular type of human relationship. Leadership is about power, influence, vision, obligation and responsibility. Since leaders have such a great responsibility towards people, they must observe the moral and ethical values. In this context we should emphasize the difference between morality and ethics. Some may argue that these two concepts are different, saying that ethics is about the social values and morality is about personal values. I would rather use the terms interchangeably, concluding that they both refer to: the distinction between right and wrong, or good and evil in relation to the actions, violations, or character of human beings (Cuilla, 2003). In this paper I will mostly use the word ethics, by which I mean both the morality and ethics, leaving aside the possible debate whether ethics and morality have the same aim. As youth leaders make their way towards a more serious type of leadership, in governments, educational institutions, private companies, etc., they ought to observe the moral standards of the society, both in the office and outside, in order to serve as a role model for the society. In this paper I argue that a leader should corporate his ethical norms in the decision making process too. I suggest that an ethical political leader will make decisions which are both politically right and morally correct. On the contrary, a corrupted leader will make decisions which violate the ethical norms, and bring more harm to the society than benefit. Thus, another objective of this essay is to see the link between ethics and politics, and reflect on some cases which were regarded as politically right but morally wrong. 1
Some authors (like Rozycki, 1993) raise the question whether a moral leadership is even possible. To them, moral leadership means moral authority. Moral authority is possible when a leader has a fellowship that recognizes it as such. It has nothing to do with any personal power to get things done, they say. However, in this essay I will argue that a moral leadership is not only possible but also practical. The world is in great need for moral leadership today, and the global crises are a result of the lack of moral leadership. Therefore, in this piece I will list down some characteristics that a moral leader needs to posses. Leaders are example for good and for bad When we talk of leaders and mention some of their characteristics, we end up saying that some of them were good leaders while some were bad leaders. Leadership is often related to power, influence and authority. But a person who is in the position of power does not mean that he is a leader. Likewise, a leader who does not possess a formal position, does not mean that he is not a leader. To illustrate this, let s reflect on the leadership of Hitler and Gandhi. Some scholars argued that bullies and tyrants are not leaders (Cuilla, 2003). They even brought up the notion of the Hitler problem. The argument starts with a simple question, was Hitler a leader? According to the morally unattractive definitions, Hitler was a leader, perhaps a great one, yet an immoral one. But, according to morally attractive theories, Hitler was not a leader at all; he was a bully, a tyrant or simply the head of state. Gandhi on the other hand did not have any power, but he had the ability to lead, influence and organize. These two leaders differ significantly. While the politics of Hitler were to kill, eliminate, destroy and exterminate, the latter aimed at restoring life, bring liberty and independence through peaceful means without much bloodshed. Although, both of them might be considered heroes today, the question remains, which one was the good leader and what is good leadership? What is good leadership? It seems like the biggest challenge is not finding out what leadership is, but providing an answer to the question on what is good leadership. In this context, the word good can be used in two senses, morally good leadership and technically good leadership. The first one refers to the personality of the leader and his code of conduct, while the latter refers to the effectiveness of the leader in getting his job done. The problem begins when we look at the explanation given by historians. The history shows that there were leaders who met both criteria, but there were also leaders who met only one of them. Unfortunately, historians do not write about leaders who were equipped with high moral norms but did nothing significant. Instead, historians tend to write about leaders who left a mark in history, whose actions changes the course of events, regardless 2
of ethics involved in such actions. In other words, they do not write about a general who was a good man, but never won a war, they write about those who won and changed the world. Today s youth and tomorrow leaders should be very selective where they take lessons from i.e. which leader they idealize. In my opinion means matter as much as ends, and a machiavellian principle is not the way to go. Take the classic example of winning the battle in exchange of great human loss. Should the leader be concerned about the victory or the means of getting to the victory? A good leader, in my opinion, is the one who reaches to the victory without violating the moral norms. Let us consider the following scenario. Police have surrounded a bank which is been robbed but robbers have taken some workers hostage. Now they demand from the police a helicopter to flee, in exchange of the lives of the hostages. The leader is in a great dilemma, to comply with their demand or attack them and put the lives of hostages into jeopardy. A tough leader who doesn t take moral values into account would prefer to attack and eliminate the robbers who have been a target for the police for so many years, even if some lives of hostages are being lost. On the other hand, a leader who is morally concerned would rather save the lives of hostages and let the robbers disappear, hoping that they will be caught soon. This scenario is an example of how leaders value the ethics and how they are affected by ethical norms. After all, an ethical leader would say the lives of hostages are more valuable than anything robbed. The morality of the leader is also affected by his integrity. Another important aspect of judging a good leader is by examining his/her integrity. Integrity is defined as wholeness or completeness, or a consistency and coherence of a set of rules (Six et al., 2008). In other words, integrity is about acting on one s words or promises. Related to integrity is also the concept of trust. Trust is defined as a psychological state comprising the intention to accept vulnerability to the actions of another party, based on the expectation that the other will perform a particular action important for you (Webster). Integrity therefore is an essential element for the moral leadership. Leaders integrity comes to question when the leader is involved in vice activities, in breaking the promises made, and in violating the code of conduct. Integrity is therefore part of the moral leadership. Ethics in political decision Politicians often tend to make certain decisions that seem politically right but create a moral dilemma. The conflict between ethics and politics is more about the different demands each of them requires from the other. In general, ethics require a person to act on principles that are accepted universally, which is, by anyone regardless of the social class, races, sex or nationality. Politics, on the other hand involves action in cooperation with others for common ends (Thompson, 1987). Let s take the example of going to war. Webster dictionary defines war as: a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations. 3
We often tend to evaluate all political decisions according to two important criteria, the effectiveness of the action and the moral dilemma involved. The case of the Second Gulf War can be argued from both the political point of view and moral perspective. A leader sometimes must take tough decision, which most of the time have to be carried by the followers or at least affect their wellbeing. In the case of the Second Gulf War, both men in coalition, Bush and Blair, failed to get past their conviction that they are right. In other words, they did not succeed in convincing the whole nation for the necessity of the war. Bush believed that it is a leader s job to lead the people, not to be led by them (Hinde, 2007). We believe this sort of conviction does not coincide with the notion of democracy. If politicians can disregard the opinion of their electorate on the basis of their own conviction, there is a great danger that they will become obsessed by perception of their own rectitude, and act as if they were dictators, says Hinde. Hence, it is essential to find the right means to attain an end. Misfit between means and ends can result in failure (Doble, 1998). Ends do not justify the mean. Although tough situations require tough decision, the decision made should be both effective and in harmony with ethical standards. What future leaders are we preparing? One of the reasons for the global crisis which is afflicting humanity today is perhaps the lack of moral leadership. There is a global outcry for moral leadership. Today s youth tomorrow s leaders should take the following suggestions in order not only to lead properly but to be remembered as good leaders with moral values: a) Be a service oriented leader The current global warfare came as a result of decisions made by leaders who were not serviceoriented people but only ideological oriented leaders. The world needs leaders who are able to address the global issues facing humanity, with integrity and justice, fairness and tolerance. This proper leadership would create and sustain institutions that can create a sustainable world civilization. This leadership also requires the commitment of the followers, and their readiness to abandon the old habits, and old loyalties and assist the new strategy of leaders. An ideal leadership, as Statement Library Institute also suggests, is very much service centered, service to the family, community and the nation, and eventually to the world at large. This model of leadership does not impose any restrictions to the individuals from being creative and innovative, on contrary it encourages them, while it serves as the safeguard for the general well-being of the whole society. Those who would emerge as leaders would combine the spirit of service with the desire for excellence. The institution that would emerge would promote the well 4
being of the nation, by safeguarding the rights, freedom and initiatives of individuals. Thus, the final outcome of this leadership would be a better world and a more peaceful planet. b) Be a leader with leadership capabilities In order to become a moral leader a person is not enough to know what is moral and ethical. The same person has also to act on those principles and to show his/her moral leadership. To become a moral leader, the person should put his knowledge into action. A moral leader is the one who has the potential to encourage others for progress and bring joy to their heart, be visionary and encourage others towards vision and creativity. A moral leader should also have the capability to participate in finding solutions and also provide freedom for different views and ideas. This would create unity while allowing diversity. c) Have passion to succeed Albert Einstein once said: It is not that I m so smart, it s just that I stay with problems longer. Success comes after struggle. Despite many problems around the world, only a few take up the initiative to tackle them and provide ideas to policy makers. Keep in mind that there will always be people who don t want changes, those who want to be controllers by using the tool of bureaucracy and corruption. Young people should not be discouraged even if sometimes their voices are not heard. They have to try and don t give up easily. Not in every part of the world accountability is enforced and achievement awarded. Yet, youth could be a catalyst of change and directly benefit from it. d) Be creative Creativity is also part of success. Speaking about creativity and global competition, Sir Ken Robinson, says: Nobody has a guaranteed seat at the top anymore. If America wants to remain competitive in the global markets of the 21 st century, creativity is no longer a luxury. He continues by saying: America needs a workforce that is flexible, adaptable and highly creative, and it needs an education system that can develop these qualities in everyone. Hence, flexibility, adaptability and creativity should be traits of today s youth and tomorrow s leaders. Here I would like to make a friendly suggestion of a book on creativity, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. e) Observe moral standards Last but not least, a good leader should also observe the moral standards. He should observe his own integrity, which is acting on one s words and promises. Trust is another quality of good leaders. Integrity and trust are essential in decision making process. A trustworthy leader, 5
reliable and responsible could not only bring change but also serve as an example for the rest of followers. Young people, like ourselves, should invest in ourselves not only with k knowledge but with moral standards too. Conclusion Discussion about ethics and leadership is not that easy. Ethics is one of those subjects that people think they know about them from the experience. Ethics is therefore something that can be understood practically not theoretically. Let it be as it may, actions are judged not only based on their effectiveness but also due to the ethical values involved. Actions taken by leaders should not only be politically right but morally correct as well. Ethics play a significant role in political decisions too. A young leader should keep in mind that ends do not justify the mean. Means should be weighted not only in the political scale but in the ethical scale too. Prior to taking an action, the leader should ponder if that action is ethically right and morally justifiable. Such a leader will lead a moral leadership, something that the world needs today. Young leaders should aspire at becoming service-oriented leaders, capable of acting ethically, being open and flexible, aiming at creating a safe society with a unity in decision making and a diversity of opinions. They should be knowledgeable, creative, passionate and ethical. The world peace is at stake today, therefore a moral leadership is what could save it. References: Hinde, Robert. Bending the rules. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Six, Frederique and Huberts, Leo W.J.C. Judging a public official s integrity. Ethics and Integrity of Governance, ed. Leo W.J.C. Huberts. USA: New Horizons in Public Policy, 2008 Ciulla, Joanne B. Leadership Ethics: Mapping the territory. Business Ethics Quarterly, Vol. 5, No.1, 1995 Dobel, Patrick J. Political Prudence and the Ethics of Leadership. Public Administration Review, Vol. 58, No. 1 Ciulla, Joanne B. Ethics and Leadership Effectiveness. Chapter 13, 2003 Rozicky, Edward G. Is Moral Leadership Possible? Widener University, 1993. Statement Library Institute, Moral Leadership, www.w3.org Robinson, Sir Ken, How creativity, education and arts shape a modern economy, Getty Foundation, 2005 6
A bout the author Jeton Mehmeti is from Kosovo. He works as a policy analyst at the GAP Institute in Pristina. He holds two BA degrees from International Islamic University Malaysia, one in Mass Communication and one in Comparative Religion. He earned his MA degree from Central European University, Budapest. His research interest is in social studies. He has participated in various international conferences and youth forums in Malaysia, the USA, Berlin, Budapest etc. He writes for local newspapers and foreign journals. 7