I believe our national leadership is in tatters! And that’s because our outmoded, national leadership structure no longer works; it no longer works because our leaders are almost never held accountable; and that’s because they know there will be no consequences for their irregular behavior.
Think about it! What if our military leaders behaved similarly as many of our political leaders? When sergeants, colonels, or generals misbehave or violate conduct, misuse their office, there’s a structure in place to hold them accountable. So, what if the Second Infantry Division Commander ordered his brigade and battalion commanders not to obey the 7th Corps Commander, even if it meant mission failure? All accountability doors to hell would spring open.
What happened when GOP ordered its party members to not corporate with President Obama even if it was good for the country? Some 500 pieces of legislation filibustered; legislation that was essential for infrastructure, indigent citizens in general and veterans in particular, etc. Nothing happened! Zero accountability! And this lasted some eight (8) long years!
Would moral leadership have made a difference?
Moral leadership requires spiritual capital: no spiritual capital, no moral leadership! Spiritual capital is the aggregated knowledge, values, and morals that feed interpersonal behavior. It is leadership that demands doing the right thing when no one’s looking! Spiritual Capital & Moral Leadership Institute adds, “Moral Leadership is the capacity to exert influence and effect change by leading one’s self and others towards specific goals, guided by universal moral principles.” Based on the foregoing, our national leaders, with few exceptions, are sorely lacking.
Finally, I believe since our dated, national leadership structure is dysfunctional, and our leaders, with exceptions, lack spiritual capital, courage, capability, and capacity to lead, political inertia will remain, without accountability, keeping our national leadership in shreds. The question is, will Moral leadership make a difference?
Comments?
Once again, a powerful overview of the leadership structure. Thank you for your thoughtful leads and questions, David.
Thank you, Francis! I am so filed down with the constant negativity, pass-go, and behavioral surprises from 45 and some of his staff that I am at a loss for words. USA needs much leadership: adaptive, situational, transformational, plus.
It requires moral citizens to elect moral leaders. But in a post-factual world there is no legitimate source of morality. Trump’s base consists of Evangelicals. It would appear then that a large swath of Christians support Trump’s version of morality as opposed to the morality of the population of Christians who don’t support Trump’s version of morality. If the Christian bible isn’t a consistent and credible source of morality and science/philosophers/academics aren’t, and politicians aren’t, and business leaders aren’t, what are we left with? We are at am impasse.
Rae,
I agree! And I wonder why we don’t vet our presidential candidates differently, more rigorously.
Yes~so true! Without a code of ethics in place we get what we are seeing. Responsible action requires self-accountability.
Kim,
Thank you! And when self-accountability works!