VLI Handout Heart of Leadership 5 26 2011

Dr. Larry Donnithorne 5/25/11

The Heart of Leadership 1

•  Malone: "ge&ng people to do things-‐-‐willingly”

•  Northouse: “a process by which an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.”

•  Donnithorne: “the exercise of interpersonal influence to bring together purpose and people so as to fulfill the purpose AND meet the needs of the people that brought them together.”

• Ethics generally refers to determining what is “the right thing to do” in a situaEon.

• Most dicEonaries see ethics and morals as essenEally synonymous.

• Ethics & morality arise in social se&ngs, in the interacEons of people. Therefore,…

• Ethics in persons is reflected in their willingness or propensity to take other people into account in their decisions and acEons.



“What I say is that ‘just’ or ‘right’ means nothing but what is to the interest of the stronger party.”

“Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it.”



to meet my needs and stay out of difficulty

to make my life (and that of others) work a liOle beOer by adhering to some rules, that is, to a “social contract.”

to take responsibility for myself, who I am, who I am becoming, in pursuit of real meaning or significance.

-- Lawrence Kohlberg, The Psychology of Moral Development

•  … in the actions of men, especially of princes, the end justifies the means.

•  A prudent ruler cannot, and should not, keep his word when keeping it is to his disadvantage, and when the reasons that made him promise no longer exist. Men are bad and will not keep their promises to you, so you are not bound to keep yours to them. -- The Prince, ca. 1515

Never value anything for yourself which would compel you to break your promise, to lose your self-respect, to hate any man, to suspect, to curse, to act hypocritically, or to desire anything which needs walls and curtains.



“I made the typical mistake of believing I could do more for the country and the Army if I stayed in than if I got out. I am now going to my grave with the burden of that lapse of moral courage on my back.”

On March 24, 1995, Portugal recognized Sousa-Mendes as its

Portuguese President Mario Soares said,

“Despite confusion raging around him and the direct threat to his family, Sousa-Mendes stood by an ideal that could only bring him suffering.”

“Remember that you are an actor in a play, which is as the author wants it to be: short, if he wants it to be short; long, if he wants it to be long. If he wants you to act a poor man, a cripple, a public official, or a private person, see that you act it with skill. For it is your job to act well the part that is assigned to you; but, to choose it is another’s.”

“Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Enron

Tyco

WorldCom

Adelphia

Westar Energy

Qwest

Hollinger Intl

Radio Shack Scott Paper

Gillette Kimberly-Clark Circuit City Abbott Laboratories Walgreens

Chrysler General Electric

Good Not-so-good



“Presumably one can lead others downward--down the primrose path or down the road to barbarism. Yet leadership has the connotation--quite rightly, in my view--of leading people upward, to some higher values or purpose or form of self-fulfillment.”

Drucker

-- Leadership, p. 452

Stanford Prison Experiment – early 1970s

The Milgram Experiments Ron Ridenhour describes the soldiers at My Lai and the terrible choices they made.

“Only a few people had the presence of mind and the strength of their own character to see them through that difficult circumstance.”



•  To define my idenEty, who I really want to be •  To define myself in response to some unavoidable

“philosophy of life” choices… –  Thrasymachus v. Lincoln –  Machiavelli v. Marcus Aurelius –  Johnson v. Souza-‐Mendes –  MacBeth v. Epictetus and Stockdale

•  To enhance my potenEal, my outcomes, and my ulEmate effecEveness as a leader

•  To build my internal character so that I am able to resist, if ever necessary, a self-‐defining, life-‐changing moral meltdown

•  To have the moral courage to prevent moral failure by those whom I lead

--from The New Yorker

“Miss Dugan, will you send someone in here who can distinguish right from wrong?”

“To say that an acEon is 'right’ is not simply to express one's taste or preference; it is also to make a claim. It is to convey that the judgment is backed by reasons, to invite discussion of such reasons, and to suggest that these reasons will be found compelling when looked at imparEally and objecEvely.”

-‐-‐ Scheffler, Reason and Teaching, (New York: Bobbs-‐Merrill Co., 1973)

1. The consequences (outcomes) of the acEon – Will these consequences result in more good for more people than any alternaEve would?

2. The ac8on itself – What about the acEon is inherently right? Are there moral principle(s) upheld or at risk in this acEon?

3. The actor – What about the actor indicates the rightness of the acEon? Virtues? Strong, posiEve moral character?



– Background origins •  Social reforms--19th century--Hume, Bentham, Mill •  As revolutionary as Darwin and Marx

– Tenets of the Classic Theory •  Only consequences of one's action matter. •  Goal is the greatest good for the greatest number. •  No one person's good counts more than others. •  Modern exception: special relationships / responsibilities

– Examples •  Triage of emergency patients •  Truman and the A-bomb on Hiroshima

Historical background –  Immanuel Kant, German philosopher, 1724-1804 –  "Kant's [book] has exercised on human thought an

influence almost ludicrously disproportionate to its size.”--H. J. Paton

The Theory of the Categorical Imperative –  “Act only on that maxim you could will to be universal.” –  “Treat others as ends not means.”

Key principles –  Justice (fairness, equity) –  Rights (and corollary Duties)

Example case –  Borrowing with false promise to repay.

•  Virtue has been discussed for two millenia. •  Virtue is based in the narratives of our lives.

•  Virtues are the dispositions or habits (of character) that help us to succeed as human beings – to achieve deep good, to thrive (eudaimonia).

•  Virtues are internal, in motives, written on the heart; e.g., in "not hating" instead of only "not killing."

•  Virtue may describe a golden mean between extremes that are vices, as with courage.

•  Virtues empower fulfillment of our purpose in life.



•  An acquired system of personal habits (which can be virtues or vices)…

•  which determine my initial, most-likely response to an event or circumstance...

•  although I can choose to act contrary to habit or “out-of-character”…

•  and, by doing so repeatedly, I can alter my habits (character) – for better or worse.

•  Thus, my character reflects who I now am: my core identity.

n  Agnes Bohaxjiu born in 1910 in Macedonia n  Joined the Loretto order and went to India n  Founded Missionaries of Charity n  Served the poor, the dying, the lepers, the

unwanted children of Calcutta and the world for almost 50 years, 1948-1997

n  Recipient of myriad awards and degrees, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979

•  The acquired habit of determining what is the right thing morally for the leader to do in a situation, and…

•  Having the self-discipline to do it... •  Even when it is costly to oneself ... •  Doing so spontaneously, as an

expression of one’s “character.”

George Washington on the Plain at West Point

•  Washington was first to risk fortune, honor, and life for an ideal.

•  He maintained an army for eight years, with little support, by sheer willpower and perseverance.

•  West Point played a vital, strategic role in the American Revolutionary War.



•  Arnold was promoted to general after the battle of Ridgefield, Connecticut.

•  Then, he was the hero of the battle of Bemis Heights (2nd day of Battle of Saratoga, NY).

•  Arnold provided a vital link in the chain of victory…

•  but, Arnold became a greed-driven traitor.



George Washington on the Plain at West Point

•  What are the consequences for others? – Maximize the well-‐being of all people who will be affected by my decision.

– Maximize the well-‐being of those people, if any, for whom I have special responsibility.

•  What moral principle or duty is at risk? – Distribute the benefits and burdens of my decision fairly (justly) among all who are affected.

– Respect any fundamental human rights affected by my decision.

•  Does this decision reflect virtue & character?

The moral temptation … presents itself when a person believes s/he knows what action is the morally right one to take, but is tempted to do otherwise (for a variety of reasons). This choice is right versus wrong.

The moral dilemma … presents itself when a person is forced to choose between two conflicting right (or wrong) actions, both of which have moral weight, but only one (or the other) can be taken (or avoided). This choice is right versus right.



•  Moral temptaEons arise, not out of the clear blue, but in difficult organizaEonal situaEons.

•  My choices: keep quiet, or speak up, or leave. •  My response is controlled by two sources:

factors (my personality, character, disposiEon, virtues, aOributes)

factors (my boss, company culture, other employees, clients, circumstances)

•  Can I strengthen the disposi3onal in advance in order to overpower the situa3onal?

•  Consciously re-‐consider your self-‐defining answers to those big “philosophy of life” quesEons.

•  Define your “purpose” explicitly and broadly – in life and in your work and professional career.

•  What is the impact you most want to have in your work? –  For example, providing valuable products or services to consumers, creaEng good jobs in healthy work places, building a firm that investors trust to report honestly

•  Appeal to the broader sense of purpose in others.

“Leadership requires . When I took moral risks [by speaking

up], I had two parachutes. First, being fired for pursuing the right ideas would not hurt me – it would be to my credit. I could work somewhere else. Second, I never got used to the perks of the posiEon. If I had lost my job, it would not have changed my life.” -‐-‐ Franco Bernabe, CEO of Eni, from interview in HBR with Linda Hill

Recall situaEons in your work when you were expected to act regarding a non-‐trivial management decision in a way that you perceived as not right or good, or contrary to your values.

– Of those situaEons, choose one in which you SPOKE UP and acted to try to resolve the conflict.

–  Then, choose one situaEon in which you kept quiet and did NOT speak up to try to resolve the conflict.

– Analyze both situaEons: What happened? What moEvated you? How saEsfied are you? What would have made it easier for you to speak up?

•  EnlisEng allies –  talking it over with friends, family members, people in similar posiEons in other organizaEons

–  Asking opinions of others in one’s own organizaEon •  SelecEng and sequencing audiences

– Who has the decision-‐maker’s confidence? – When to talk one-‐on-‐one? or in a group?

•  Doing my homework, gathering the data first •  Asking quesEons instead of giving answers •  Re-‐framing the issues (truisms as debatable, win-‐lose…) •  Referring to organizaEonal commitments and values •  Understanding your audience (needs, fears, moEvaEons) •  Moving toward large change by small incremental steps

•  Many conflicts that we encounter are classic business ethics problems that are almost inevitable for us – sooner or later.

•  When we already expect to be challenged with moral temptaEons, we are more likely to approach them calmly and competently, avoiding an over-‐reacEon.

•  When we see ethical problems as predictable in our work, we can de-‐escalate the emoEon in advance and prepare ourselves to respond effecEvely when it arises.



•  Everyone does it. It is standard pracEce. •  The impact is not material. No one is hurt. •  Those hurt are not fully human (de-‐humanizing). •  This choice is not my responsibility. •  I do not want to hurt my reports (or team, or boss, or company, or family).

•  We have no other choice (false dilemma). •  Our acEon is morally jusEfied.

•  Recognize the typical raEonalizaEons. •  Recognize the typical ethical challenges within your industry or venue (e.g., finance, sales, operaEons, M & A).

•  Script your responses to these raEonalizaEons and challenges.

•  PracEce aloud giving expression to these scripts with like-‐minded peers.

•  Remember that half of “will” is “skill.”

•  Strengthen your disposiEonal power to overcome the situaEonal factors.

•  Re-‐visit why you chose to be moral. •  Recognize moral temptaEons as normal. •  Learn from your past experience the factors that helped you to speak up.

•  Learn the typical raEonalizaEons and challenges.

•  Script your responses and pracEce them aloud.

•  truth v. loyalty •  individual v. community •  short-‐term v. long-‐term •  jusEce v. mercy -‐-‐ Rushworth Kidder, How Good People Make Tough

Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living



by Gary Larsen

“C’mon, c’mon—it’s either one or the other.”

back



•  In the US Civil War of the 1860’s, the dilemma was war versus slavery.

•  In the Wall Street meltdown of 2008, the dilemma was “systemic risk” versus “moral hazard.”



•  Unregulated resources include: city streets, highways, fish stocks, rivers, oceans, forests, the atmosphere, even the earth habitat itself.

•  The dilemma is this: With access unregulated, users can increase their use of the resource – raEonally in terms of their individual benefit/cost – to such a level that collec3vely their uses degrade or even destroy the resource itself.

•  A classic arEcle in Science magazine in 1968 contended that there is “no technical soluEon” to this problem; rather, the soluEon is human and moral, “a fundamental extension in morality.”

•  Recognize that no holy hierarchy of moral obligaEons exists.

•  Most ethicists prioriEze “human rights” over jusEce, and jusEce over consequences, when they conflict.

•  Dilemmas are the most troubling because you are wrong, in one sense, no maOer which you choose.

•  Your final resort for deciding your higher moral obligaEon is your well-‐developed character and judgment (and prayer if you are so inclined).

•  To define my idenEty, who I really want to be •  To define myself in response to some unavoidable

“philosophy of life” choices… –  Thrasymachus v. Lincoln –  Machiavelli v. Marcus Aurelius –  Johnson v. Souza-‐Mendes –  MacBeth v. Epictetus and Stockdale

•  To enhance my potenEal, my outcomes, and my ulEmate effecEveness as a leader

•  To build my internal character so that I am able to resist, if ever necessary, a self-‐defining, life-‐changing moral meltdown

•  To have the moral courage to prevent moral failure by those whom I lead

•  What are the consequences for others? – Maximize the well-‐being of all people who will be affected by my decision.

– Maximize the well-‐being of those people, if any, for whom I have special responsibility.

•  What moral principle or duty is at risk? – Distribute the benefits and burdens of my decision fairly (justly) among all who are affected.

– Respect any fundamental human rights affected by my decision.

•  Does this decision reflect virtue & character?



•  Strengthen your disposi3onal power to overcome the situa3onal factors.

•  Re-‐visit why you chose to be moral. •  Prepare for moral temptaEons as a normal part of organizaEonal life by scripEng and pracEce.

•  Recognize that no holy hierarchy of moral obligaEons exists to resolve true dilemmas.

•  Generally, prioriEze “human rights” over jusEce, and jusEce over consequences.

Leadership Skill, technique, knowledge, ability

Character, virtue, outlook on life

Purpose People

VLI Handout Heart of Leadership 5 26 2011

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Transcript of VLI Handout Heart of Leadership 5 26 2011