University of Botswana Law Journal - PULP

158 UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA LAW JOURNAL DECEMBER 2010
5. CONCLUSION
While we may forever debate the relative worth or practical value of the
various schools of ethics, there can be no doubt that there are countless
principled leaders whose personal ethics reflect each of these divergent views.
Consistency, fairness, conscientiousness, reasonableness, supportiveness and
predictability are among the qualities that earn good leaders the respect and
trust of those they are entrusted to lead and are universal virtues in themselves.
Women and men of good conscience can arrive at good decisions for the
organizations they lead from a wide range of perspectives. And while their
personal ethics will inform their views on issues, it is these other qualities that
will ultimately determine whether they are principled leaders. Strict adherence
to a given ethical philosophy will not guarantee principled leadership, and may
well hinder it. Leaders with an absolutist philosophy (religious of secular) can
be inflexible, overly judgmental, and unable to empathize or effectively
interact with those who do not share their views. Likewise, leaders who strictly
follow ethical relativism may face difficulty in setting clear standards,
enforcing rules and providing a predictable, stable administration. And,
clearly, a truly nihilistic individual who acknowledges no valid guiding
principles beyond the attainment of goals dictated by their self-interest will
never be a principled leader.
Examining the essential sources of our different ethical belief
systems can enhance understanding, allow us to find common ground and
work together towards achieving a common purpose. The personal ethical
values of a leader, and the ethical philosophy upon which these are grounded,
may be important elements of principled leadership. But an individual’s value
system is not the best yardstick by which to measure principled leadership.
Ultimately, we must judge our leaders by the observable virtues we can glean
from their actions and recognize that good, honorable, effective principled
leaders may hold value systems very different from our own.