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Week3LectureSlides.pptxWeek 3: Developing a Moral Character
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A person’s character is his fate – Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher
Virtue lies in the struggle, not in the prize - Adam Gilchrist, Cricketer
It is better to acquire a little with virtue, rather than acquire great revenues with vice - Proverbs 15:16
When we think about leadership, we focus too much on what leaders do . . . and we don’t spend enough time on who leaders are — the character of leaders - Domenic Barton, Head of McKinsey & Co
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Character Lessons from The Lord of the Rings
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Character (or Virtue) Ethics
Character is a state of being that is reliable and consistent.
Virtues are attitudes, dispositions or character traits that enable us to pursue flourishing (a good life)
The virtues must be lived; motivation and reward are intrinsic, self-fulfilling and reinforcing.
Virtue is chosen, chosen knowingly and chosen for its own sake! This requires practical wisdom – a life skill!
Communities have responsibilities to protect, enhance, value, reward and promote good character.
A virtuous person acts well---consistently and reliably. To do otherwise would be ‘out of character.’ But virtuous people act well because they value their lives, and others’ lives, very deeply. Accordingly, they think, they feel, they reason, they desire and they care, fundamentally and intrinsically, about being good, about doing good; thus, they choose and enjoy a good life.
There is no universal principle or handy formula for determining---in each context, in every circumstance---exactly what a virtuous person must do. This is a function of the complexity of life.
But we require practical wisdom, phronesis, moral judgment to decide what the moral thing to do is. Practical wisdom is intelligence, a form of knowing. It is also a life skill.
Virtue ethics cannot be separated from community values, moral development, role models and mentors.
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Developing a Moral Character (or Practicing the Virtues)
It is important to discern purpose and/or intention of the act: What is the essential good being sought in these examples?
Harry is an electrician, is married with a couple of kids and his wife is very sick. They have financial difficulties. His brother is an accountant and earns a lot more than he does. They are at a dinner to raise money for the Christchurch Earthquake. There is a general call for donations. Harry’s brother makes out a cheque for $2000. Harry does the same to keep up appearances. What was Harry’s aim? Was Harry generous? Was he acting unselfishly for the benefit of others?
Joan works at a retail store in the city. She discovers that a fellow colleague (and friend) is stealing items from the store. She approaches her friend, and after a long discussion Joan promises not to tell anyone. After a few weeks, the Store Manager asks Joan if she knows anything about the theft. Joan doesn’t tell because she doesn’t want to lose the friendship. What is the good to be sought in this situation?
Use the practice tool on the previous slide to work out what these individuals should do. If you want post your answers to the discussion board for topic 3.
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Developing a Moral Character (or Practicing the Virtues)
Analyse the character of the actors in these examples:
Jack is the sales manager in a large computer company. One of the sales reps has a very impressive sales record and there are rumours that this rep might be promoted to his job. So Jack decides to increase the annual sales target for that rep only, so their sales figures don’t look so impressive. Jack is 55 and has a large mortgage and 3 children who are in private schools. Analyse Jack’s action. What good is he seeking? Does he have the virtue of fairness?
Sally is the part-time marketing consultant for a line of products of a large white goods company. She comes to work two days a week. When she arrives each morning she has an hour gossip session with the people in reception about all the employees that aren’t present and then takes a morning tea break. She gets her job done but loses her temper easily and yells at other staff members when something doesn’t go to plan, although she is extremely courteous with everyone when the bosses are around. Analyse Sally’s actions. Does she have the virtue of loyalty, fairness?
Use the practice tool on the earlier slide to work out what these individuals should do. If you want post your answers to the discussion board for topic 3.
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The Effective Leader (Seijts et al., 2015, p.66)
Competencies reflect what a person can do; commitment refers to the effort someone will put into doing it; character influences the choices people make about what to do, as well as whether they will acquire the requisite competencies and make the commitment to do so in any given situation. We suggest that if any of these three pillars are deficient, the shortfall will undermine the other pillars and, ultimately, lead to performance problems for leaders, organizations and related stakeholders. Just ask the shareholders of Lehman Brothers. The organization had a surplus of competencies and commitment among its leaders; but shortcomings of character still set the organization up for failure.
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Leadership Character Dimensions (Seijts et al., 2015, p.67)
Character as an amalgam of virtues, personality traits and values. Virtues, such as courage or temperance, refer to patterns of situationally appropriate behaviors that are generally, indeed near-universally considered to be emblematic of good leadership. Some of these virtues are personality traits, such as open-mindedness or conscientiousness, which are relatively stable dispositional variables. They may be either inherited or acquired; and they predispose people to behave in certain ways, if not overridden by contextual variables such as reward systems and organizational culture. And some of the virtues operate as values, such as honesty and transparency, which act as deep seated beliefs people hold about what is morally right or wrong or, alternatively, what makes the most sense to do, or not to do, in choosing a course of action.
The dimensions work separately and together to influence action. For example, individuals who have courage in excess may act recklessly unless they have access to the character dimensions of temperance and judgment. The effect of irresponsible and reckless behavior was on full display in Iceland where bankers from Glitnir, Landsbanki, and Kaupthing ruined financial institutions and caused a near-bankruptcy of the country by building up irresponsible leverage prior to the 2008—2009 financial meltdown.
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We argue that the well-developed, mature character encompasses each of these dimensions. In other words, individuals must be able to activate each of the 11 character dimensions. For example, Drive without Integrity may lead to self-serving goals and subsequent mistrust between individuals on the senior leadership team. Without Justice, Collaboration may derail, as emerging inequities erode trust and a lack of trust typically leads to an unproductive if not hostile environment. Without Humility, decision making may become autocratic and arrogant, Collaboration becomes difficult, and leaders no longer learn –
Seijts et al. (2015, p.67)
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Seijts et al. (2015) findings…
Their research revealed that all 11 character dimensions were considered to be positive contributors to both leadership performance and leadership outcomes (p. 70), however…
Four character dimensions (Transcendence, Temperance, Humanity, and Humility), scored consistently low, while Drive, Integrity, Accountability and Judgment scored consistently high.
Why do you think that is? Why is this important for responsible leadership?
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Developing Leadership Character
Never assume leaders, managers, and employees understand the meaning of character and its importance to success. Never miss opportunities to bring character to the forefront.
The importance of character must be reflected and embedded in organizational systems and processes (e.g., recruitment & selection, performance management, training & development etc)
Leaders, managers and employees must be able to observe role models of character to whom they can relate.
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