Notes on what separates real leaders from mis-leaders: a value-based definition of leadership, Kellerman’s seven types of bad leadership, the role of character, and the ten virtues of an outstanding leader.
1. Leadership
People are not leaders just because they are in charge of others. After weighing the thoughts of hundreds of researchers and ethicists, the authors define leadership as “a power-laden, value-based, and ethically driven relationship between leaders and followers who share a common vision and accomplish real changes that reflect their mutual purpose and goals.” In other words, while power is the authority to direct the activities of others, leaders define the visions of their organizations based on shared values and interests. The goal of leadership is to implement progress while demonstrating ethics, virtue, and good character.
2. Mis-Leaders and Followers
Bad leadership is the most common situation in today’s world, where companies don’t understand the impact of bad leadership. In Kellerman’s accounting, it can be divided into seven types:
A. Incompetent leadership
The leader lacks the will or skill to sustain effective action. He or she does not create positive changes.
B. Rigid leadership
The leader is stiff and unyielding. Although competent, he or she is unable to adapt to new ideas, new information, or changing times.
C. Intemperate leadership
The leader lacks self-control and is unwilling or unable to self-correct.
D. Callous leadership
The leader is uncaring or unkind. The needs, wants, and wishes of most members of the group or organization, especially subordinates, are ignored or discounted.
E. Corrupt leadership
The leader is willing to lie, cheat, or steal.
F. Insular leadership
The leader minimizes or disregards the health and welfare of “the other” — that is, those outside his or her own group or organization.
G. Evil leadership
The leader commits atrocities. He or she uses pain as an instrument of power.
The first three are ineffective and the last four are ethically bad. Having callous, corrupt, insular, or evil leadership turns employees away from the company. In addition, these are bad leaders, and in most cases they are ineffective and unethical. History has proven that mis-leaders can still attain power and control while being unethical and selfish. For example, Adolf Hitler personifies mis-leadership. However, while he misled so many people, his followers were equally as guilty for their actions. Contemporary examples of famous mis-leaders include Rod Blagojevich and Donald Trump.
3. Character and Leadership
Plato and Socrates were among the first to define leadership. Socrates believed that leaders accept, rather than crave, power and responsibility. A person’s moral character can be defined as a balance of values, virtues, and vices. Conscience is the internal manifestation of character; it causes people to consider what is right and wrong. Good character, like virtue, is a habitual behavior. Still, people’s characters can be flawed. Enron’s top executives and Bernie Madoff are powerful examples of mis-leaders with flawed characters. Good character is the core characteristic of leadership. Real leaders treat people as they should be treated and always try to act righteously.
Some people believe that businesses can exist without ethics, but to be successful, businesses must serve more than themselves. The ethical demands of businesses are modest, and they apply to both big and small businesses. They include:
- Respectable products at fair prices.
- Honest marketing.
- Fair treatment of employees, customers, vendors, and competitors.
- Service to communities.
- Reasonable profits.
While leaders need followers, employees must not follow mis-leaders. Mis-leaders abuse power; they are motivated by greed and narcissistic self-interest, do not serve their communities, and are ultimately destructive. Leadership is a relationship of mutual benefit and interdependence. It is an inherent element of being human. Critical and moral thinking are essential tasks of leadership, while being ethical is its core challenge. Conscience is frequently the first step in making a moral decision — the internal uneasiness that prompts us to ask ourselves some hard questions.
4. The 10 Virtues of a Leader
The Greek philosophers were pioneers in addressing how people should live their lives. They concurred that a society’s survival depends on its moral character and that personal character emanates from moral virtue. This is still true today. A virtue is an excellent moral behavior. It stems from self-control and self-discipline, especially people’s willingness to balance their own desires with the needs of their communities. Rooted in ancient philosophy, but adapted to modern realities, the top 10 virtues include character traits, modes of reasoning, core beliefs, and emotions.
1. Deep honesty
The value of honest communication is an essential expression of respect for others and ourselves — believing that people are entitled to the truth and that dishonesty is wrong. Great leaders perceive honest communication as part of mutual respect and trust, and they apply this value when establishing new policies. Although honesty is vital, leaders do not have to be completely transparent. They may need to maintain confidentiality to protect the rights of others or their organizations, but deeply honest leaders are committed to organizational transparency in everything that does not deal with sensitive and confidential information.
2. Moral courage
The courageous person is one who exercises good judgment about risks and danger — being willing to face fears, risks, and dangers in support of deeply held beliefs. Courageous leaders may risk financial security, criticism, embarrassment, or loss of relationships. They rationally assess risks and accept uncertain futures when necessary. Moral courage is an essential virtue because without it the other virtues would not be possible. The willingness to stand up for one’s deepest values is essential for a leader, and commitment to the highest moral values like honesty, compassion, or fairness is useless unless complemented with courage. Leaders will face internal and external obstacles, and the fear that develops from these obstacles must be fairly estimated.
3. Moral vision
Leaders need to understand the importance of values and ethics. They need to come up with a plan for when, how, and why to fight for them. Another way of putting it: outstanding leaders have a good moral compass. They know exactly what their next steps are to translate their vision to their followers. They follow their moral visions in times of conflict, even in situations where others give in to immoral temptations.
4. Compassion and care
An outstanding leader has an emotional and affective side, and balances their emotions with a sense of justice and fairness. They also express a positive moral dimension, which is charisma. A leader who is able to exhibit caring and compassion in the eyes of his followers will be perceived as charismatic. Charismatic leaders usually develop an impressive show of compassion, and followers regard them as deeply caring.
5. Fairness
Like honesty and compassion, fairness is one of the crucial aspects of an outstanding leader. The leader develops organizational policies and rewards good performance and behavior. An outstanding leader must also be willing to punish followers for misbehavior in order to inspire trust — for example, when a follower is trying to take advantage of a policy, the leader might need to change the policy or warn the employee about the wrongdoing.
6. Intellectual excellence
An outstanding leader is open to the world. They always learn about new ideas and are interested in various subjects; they have a desire to learn. Leaders with intellectual excellence also listen and consider input from others. This comes with an added benefit: curiosity. The mind of an outstanding leader is passionate about learning new things. They initiate discussion and invite opposing viewpoints. Although great leaders are often brilliant people, they understand the limitations of their own intelligence and knowledge.
7. Creative thinking
An outstanding leader has a tendency toward independence and creativity in thinking. They understand that what has worked in the past will not always work in the present and future. They come up with ideas, try to innovate to perpetuate their organizations, and work to generate buy-in from their followers for their new ideas and methodologies.
8. Aesthetic sensitivity
Using the creation of beauty as an organizational advantage. Not all great leaders have great aesthetic sensitivity, but those who do have a competitive advantage. In the current era, consumers care about both the looks and the utility of any product they buy.
9. Good timing
Good leaders have a strong understanding of when to act. As is the case with moral courage, good timing facilitates the other virtues. One aspect of good timing is carefully considering the issue or situation before acting. The good leader waits for the right time to act on a particular problem and never thinks about shortcuts.
10. Deep selflessness
The willingness to sacrifice oneself is a major attribute of an outstanding leader. They demonstrate a consistent commitment to the cause, as in literally or metaphorically leading troops into battle. CEO salaries are increasing exponentially while workers get the same penny on the dollar by comparison — those executives are mis-leaders. True leaders want to sacrifice; in other words, they show altruism, not predation.
Closing Thought
Leadership is not a title — it is an ethical relationship. Power without character produces mis-leaders; character, courage, and the other virtues above are what turn authority into real leadership.