University of Botswana Law Journal - PULP

PRINCIPLED LEADERSHIP 157
for the hearts, minds – and votes – of citizens is fought. Regardless of what
group wins and what opinion manages to weave itself into the fabric of the
law, issues of ethics cannot be resolved by majority rule for most people, and
spirited debates continue, sometimes escalating into violence and death in too
many countries around the globe.
4. CHARACTERISTICS OF PRINCIPALED
LEADERS
Fortunately, honest, honorable men and women worthy of the respect and
loyalty of those they are entrusted to lead can create and promote an ethical
business environment regardless of whether their personal ethics are grounded
in the teleology or deontology traditions. I prefer the term principled leadership
to that of ethical leadership to denote such individuals precisely because there
is less ambiguity in the former than in the latter term. For me at least, the
qualities that make for a principled leader are easily enumerated, and the
environment that such individuals need in order to thrive and flourish is equally
easily identified. These leaders do not need to consult best practices manuals
or other flavor-of-the-month derivative “new” pathway to success. Their
guiding principles are simple, timeless, and work without mystery or magic.
They simply share the following characteristics:
1. They put the interests of the institution they serve above their own self
interest;
2. They understand that character is defined by the small acts they perform
when nobody is looking;
3. They recognize that respect must be earned and nurtured over time but can
be lost in an instant;
4. They promote their people, not themselves;
5. They take responsibility for their personal failures and for the failures of
the group they lead;
6. They share credit for their successes with those who made them possible;
7. They are consistent and predictable in their decision making and in
exercising their discretion;
8. They strive to do what is right rather than what is expedient, regardless of
the consequences to themselves;
9. They do not fear making unpopular decisions or clearly communicating
their rationale for making such decisions;
10. They only serve institutions that do not require them to compromise their
principles.
Principled leaders make an enormous impact on the organizations they serve at
all levels, and are often most appreciated after they retire or move on, their
contributions and impact most poignant and palpable in their absence.