According to Aristotle, integrity can be defined as the “particular quality men acquire by constantly acting in a particular way”. It is the sense of honesty and rectitude, towards our moral and ethical principles. We’ve discussed at length how compromising integrity can damage our reputation, how people decide to act against integrity for personal benefits, and ultimately cause irreparable damage among followers. So is it really worth compromising integrity for a big paycheck? Is losing reputation worth the money? Throughout the essay, numerous examples of compromised integrity will be discussed focusing on the Aristotelian view of Leadership. The philosopher’s Seven Virtues will ultimately allow us to understand and reach to a conclusion regarding such doubts.
Lance Armstrong’s doping scandal is one example that truly illustrates the negative consequences of defying integrity. The lawsuit against the Former American cyclist was originally filled by a former teammate. The ethical issue of using money from the U.S. postal service to unfairly associate it with a sophisticated doping program is what led this former athlete from hero to zero. Denial and disagreements between him and his people arose until he finally decided to confess his unmoral actions. Despite the confession, he was stripped of his record seven tour de France titles, and was banned for life by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. To make things worse, his “Livestrong” foundation’s vision was irreversibly destroyed. He compromised his integrity, preaching visions that were contrary to his actions, and as a consequence, people lost trust and respect in him. He ignored justice and prudence for financial aspirations, which ultimately led to not only losing all what ...
... middle of paper ...
...and “shame”. Being able to develop this values will build a character strong enough to control your temper in hard, circumstantial situations, and what’s even more important, itll guide you through the correct path between choosing whats best vs. what’s the right thing to do.
Let it be clear that no book will tell us the optimal way of leading, the best way of organizing subordinates, however, we need to realize that successful leaders have all something in common, their actions speak louder than their words, and that these actions are all guided by integrity. The emerging leader should in the end be able to build a character dependent on integrity. The character should be built by the core values we stand for, by our vision’s context, and what’s most important, we should always keep in mind, that “nothing is worse than losing trust, as it will mark our reputation”.
Why was Trajan considered to be one of the five good emperors of the Roman Empire? Trajan was a visionary leader as well as an ethical leader. First I will tell you how Trajans actions during the Dacian Wars proved that he was an inspirational leader for his soldiers. Next I will tell you how Trajan, by the domestic policies he instituted as the Roman Emperor, proved to be an ethical leader. Last I will tell you about the personal relevance this has to me. More specifically I will tell you about my actions as a leader when I moved to Holloman Air Force Base. Now that I gave you an overview of what I want to talk about let’s get to my first main point.
Some say Themistocles was the most successful general in ancient and some say he was just another one of those successful public figures. All in all he had many, many successful events in his life. Now you might be wondering who this Themistocles really is? Well let’s start with his background.
In this book, the authors Tom Rath and Barry Conchie examine the question “What are the keys to being an effective leader?” To answer this question they had a team that reviewed data collected from Gallup polls. The data came from interviews from 20,000 senior leaders, over a million teams and more than fifty years of Gallup Polls of the most admired leaders in the world. The authors then had the team do a study of more than 10,000 followers to find out why they follow the influential leaders in their life.
Lance Armstrong’s pride could not let defeat end his career, so it impaled him to cheat. Nevertheless, “Lance Armstrong is also being asked to pay back millions of dollars. And the term ‘Armstrong era’ is now apparently a moniker of widespread cheating” (Levs 1). This outcome was amiss from the prominent title that Armstrong dreamed of when he started cheating, and what hubris brought to him was a notorious name people look down upon. Furthermore, not only was wealth taken away from him, but the Cycling Union president, Pat McQuaid also said, “Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling … Armstrong is also banned from the sport” (Levs 1). Everything that Armstrong had, including his passion, wealth, and reputation, was in tatters by the act of cheating derived from pride. This absurd choice he made set him up for an “epic downfall.” Thus, Lance Armstrong’s story illustrates the dangers of pride, something that can take away everything one has just by one absurd
It takes a long time to become an effective and respected leader but can evaporate very quickly with one misstep. It needs to be nurtured and cultivated every day. My personal leadership style is to observe and correct. As a junior member, one of my Chief told me, “I don’t care how long it takes you to do a job as long as you do it right the first time because if it is wrong you will be the one fixing it.” That resonated with me because it allowed me to take risks and learn from my mistakes making me a better technician. I firmly believe one of the best learning tools is failure. His statement let me know it was all right to fail but if you do you will be learning from it. Identifying weaknesses within my leadership abilities and striving to correct them will result in being consistently looked upon a leader within our
The role of a leader is often inaccurately defined as an individual who is in a position to give orders. However, there are enormous differences in the attributes of an outstanding leader, and one of mediocrity. An outstanding leader, above all else, is a role model for their peers. In doing so, a leader of the highest caliber is trustworthy in both their peer’s trust for the leader as well as the leader’s trust of their peers. A leader must also display exceptional skill in communication which transcends speaking and, more importantly, includes listening and consideration to the ideas presented to them. Furthermore, a leader must be supportive of and willing to help their peers build their own strengths. The attributes listed above represent only a small subset of what makes an outstanding leader. Yet,
One may wonder exactly what it is that qualities a strong leader possesses. A strong leader is determined, and strong willed. They must be of good judgment, and without bias. They cannot easily be persuaded, and they are firm, yet at the same time, a good lead must also empathize with his subordinates, and have the best interest at heart for said subordinates, at all times. However, with that being said, a good leader cannot be afraid to discipline his subordinates when necessary. Unmistakably, being a leader is a very difficult feat – one which not everyone can accomplish. A leader must be an authority, a friend and a counsellor, all at once. They must be responsible, and always take into account the disadvantages of a situation. Not everyone is suitable to be a leader, whereas, just about anybody can be a good role model.
Over the past century many athletes have been suspended from sports, titles and medals taken away, and received penalties for having tested positive for one of the banned substances (Timothy Herman 6). A major story that came about in 2013 was Lance Armstrong admitting to the use to performance enhancing drugs. An interview which aired on January 17th 2013 with Oprah Winfrey was the first time Lance admitted to the use of performance enhancing drugs (6). Lance admitted to the use of the following banned substances; EPO, testosterone, cortisone, HGH and illegal blood transfusions (6). In October 2012 the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), a non-profit, non-governmental organization and the national anti-doping organization for the United States (USADA), released more than 1,000 pages of evidence in doping allegations against both Armstrong and his teammates (Greg Beaubien 7). After the evidence was revealed Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, and was to give back the bronze medal he won in 2000 (9). Cycling is a very common sport to find athletes using performance enhancing drugs. For example, eighty percent of the Tour de France medalists between 1996 and 2010 have been stripped of their title after failing a drug test or later finding out they were using banned substances, according to the USADA report on Armstrong (Timothy Herman 6). Armstrong didn’t just use one drug to enhance his performance he used multiple drugs (6). When tested Lance was found to have been blood doping (EPO), using corticosteroids and testosterone. All these drugs are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which is a foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee (Dictionary). EPO...
Leaders is an effective tool for summarizing and inspiring leadership, not in that it teaches tough strategies and manipulations, but that when looking at an overview of its content, Bennis and Nanus are essentially teaching human relations and human decency. All in all, this book highlights strategies for us all to be better in our lives and our everyday interactions.
Respect, it is a very simple gesture; however the individual who chooses to be respectful can gain a lot more in return. This was proven through the success of an Athenian political leader, Pericles, who was known for getting his argument across without offending the listener. The gift of communication was something Pericles learned to use to his own advantage. His well worded speeches can be found on the pages of the History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, where it is clear that his sharp tongue and outspoken personality have played a key role in his political career. Through up rises and down fall Pericles continued to lead Athens and never spoke negatively about his city. His nationalism proved the love he had towards his home and demonstrated to the Athenians his untainted means for governing. Many scholars and authors agree on how phenomenal Pericles’s leadership was, while textbooks even award him the title of “the guiding spirit of Athenian imperialism” (Pomeroy 164). Although his methods are approved today, by refereeing to Plutarch’s work Life of Pericles one might notice that there were many authority figures in Athens who did not appreciate Pericles’s style of governing. Yet this did not discourage him, instead led him to become sturdier and closer to his people. Pericles had democratic views unlike the rest of Ancient Greece; however his unique ways of governing helped him maintain order in the Golden Age of Athens. While the success of a political leader is commonly recognized through the greatness of his achievements, Pericles has also acknowledged the importance of understanding and respecting his people.
To prosper as individuals, it is essential to control a sense of honesty, in simple hopes of maintaining humane, respectable standards and boundaries. This honesty, however, is often asked of extension, now presumed to mature into a component well known as integrity. Learning, consequently, is inhabited through these expectations of strict dedication and independence. And although learning is accomplished abundantly, there is only a certain extent of upholding this righteous behavior. Though teachers, bosses, parents, or companions may be satisfied with the efforts of their lesser, they fail to realize that the request of integrity has not been fulfilled. Integrity, being the unflawed ability to completely dedicate one’s personally believed morals is a specific, well-rounded trait, difficult to be entirely possessed by a faulty being.
To become a truly effective leader, one must encapsulate the various behaviors related to the aforementioned course learnings in his/her persona and demonstrate such behaviors daily. This course has allowed me to identify four behaviors that all leaders must portray to be effective. The first of which is that a leader must be inspirational. To do so, a leader must set the appropriate vision and direction for the organization and provide a path to achieving defined goals. Additionally, a leader must induce the proper levels of motivation so that each employee has sufficient incentive to work towards the organization’s goals. As discussed in the class, motivation can be accomplished by factors such as rewarding hard work and providing the correct opportunities to employees. While these are motivating in that employees desire to be fairly compensated and to be doing work they deem valuable, inspiration comes more from organizational culture. A leader will be inspirational by setting a tone that appreciates each employee’s contribution, no matter how small in scale it is. Further, employees are inspired when they work collaboratively in a group setting and can capitalize on individual strengths to drive organizational goals.
”Leadership involves the exhibition of style or behavior by managers or supervisors while dealing with subordinates; leadership is a critical determinant of the employees ' actions toward the achievement of the organizational goals” (Saeed, Almas, Anis-ul-Haq, & Niazi, 2014). Leadership is a strength that initiates, inspires, and guides the cooperation and attitudes of others on the way to set vision. Leadership is influential and involves several styles of approaches that involve trust, accomplishment and focus to reach a projected result. Using and implementing the ideas of others motivates new thinking and gains the confidence to build the trust and encourage everyone to work to the same goals (Northouse,
What is leadership, and how do we attain the best and most effective leaders? These are questions that are as old as civilization itself. Bass (1974) wrote that, “from its infancy, the study of history has been the study of leaders” (as cited in Wren, 1995, p. 50). Since the study of history in the West is commonly held to begin with Herodotus of ancient Athens, it is not surprising that we should examine the historical views of leadership through the eyes of two titans of Greek thought: Plato and Aristotle.
Leaders of the future will be faced with many challenges. As the world changes, we must adapt the ways in which we face these challenges, and in turn grow as leaders. A leader is not merely someone which commands a group or organization. A good leader exhibits the ability to take an average team of individuals and achieve greatness. Leadership is not supervision or leading. It is the ability to inspire or influence others towards the end goal. As Barendsen and Gardner stated (2006), “the best leaders are individuals who, in their work, exhibit three distinct meanings of good: (1) an excellent technical and professional quality and competence, (2) an ethical orientation, and (3) a completely engaged sense of fulfillment and meaningfulness” (p. 266). Good leaders must utilize all of these traits in order to meet the challenges of the future. A few emerging challenges that future