How Morals and Character Influence a Leader
- Aristotle once said, "Character is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses and avoids."
- Although a person may be in a leadership position, that alone is not enough to make them a leader. Traits expected in a leader that relate to morals and character include integrity, dedication, humility and fairness. When a person in a leadership capacity possesses these qualities, others are able to develop the trust necessary for them to decide to participate in the goals or objectives.
- Trust is a critical factor that makes or breaks a leader. Personal integrity is critical to establishing trust. Integrity creates a calm and secure atmosphere, where people know they will be dealt with fairly, regardless of circumstances.
- Morals and character or integrity and good moral conduct are the traits desired in a leader. However, "disagreement comes when these standards are applied equally to personal and professional lives," said Major General Jerry E. White of the United States Air Force. In an article for the Airpower Journal, White describes today's society as having an "if it doesn't hurt anyone else" mentality of exercising immoral choices in personal lives and expecting those choices to have no bearing in professional lives. But they do.
- The personal vs. professional debate became public discussion during the presidency of Bill Clinton. Questions were raised during investigations of "obstruction of justice" and intensified in 1998 during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. It had been discovered that President Clinton had not only engaged in an adulterous affair, but did so in the Oval Office. Furthermore, the affair caused distractions for Clinton that were cited as affecting national security. PollingReport notes a variety of opinion polls revealed that Clinton dramatically lost points on questions of whether he was honest trustworthy, while at the same time 60 percent of pollsters were favorable on his job performance. Major General White takes the stand that "personal ethics, morality, and integrity will strongly influence a person's professional ethical conduct."