Let’s not kid ourselves; we are living in turbulent times.
Sure, today’s business environment is more exciting than ever.
Never has the world been so connected. Never have news and information traveled as fast. Never have social networks made a greater impact around the globe.
Exciting as this environment may be, it also harbors huge risks for leaders navigating without a strong moral compass to guide them through turbulent, unfamiliar situations.
Global Challenges
Take the global nature of today’s business, as an example.
Earlier in my career I faced a decision about continuing to operate in a country where we felt that the rule of law was not solid. Eventually, we decided to exit the country. It’s probably one of the best decisions we ever made.
That experience guided me through subsequent global assignments including my last one, where I was responsible for business operations in more than 200 countries.
Together, these countries represented the entire gamut of legal, ethical and regulatory practices. But I made sure the team knew there was only one way for us to win. And that is the right way, with moral and ethical integrity anywhere and everywhere.
As the people who have worked with me know, integrity, along with credibility and respect for the individual are some of the values that form my moral compass.
Even Leaders Need Guidance
Leadership is tough, particularly when it involves complex issues in today’s ever-changing technical, political and economic climate. Sometimes you need guidance.
In my case, I sought it from a leader I greatly admire: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
I never met him but I studied his leadership throughout my career.
In fact, I devoted a chapter in my book to his teachings and for years have kept a replica of his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” on the top of my desk. It was given to me by Dr. Robert Franklin Jr., the former president of Morehouse College, where I served as a trustee.
In that letter, Dr. King says there are moral, just laws; and there are unjust laws.
A just law, he says, is a man-made law that squares with the moral law and the law of God. An unjust law, on the other hand, is one that is out of harmony with the moral law.
Here is where Dr. King’s words clicked for me: A moral law that uplifts human personality is a just law. Conversely, any law that degrades human personality is unjust.
Legal vs. Moral
Deciding between what is legal and what is moral can be controversial.
Let’s use, as an example, the current administration’s announcement to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, commonly known as DACA.
DACA makes it possible for some 800,000 undocumented immigrants, who were brought to the US by their families as children, to achieve their dream of working and getting an education without fear of deportation. That’s why they are commonly referred to as Dreamers.
The reversal of DACA would wipe out that noble dream because of a legal issue: the Dreamers entered the country as a result of a decision made not by them but by their parents. They could face deportation from the only country they have ever known. A country in which they have lived as law-abiding citizens while making a positive contribution to their communities.
In my mind, the decision to phase out DACA may be legal, but it’s unjust.
It’s unjust because, to use Dr. King’s words, it’s out of harmony with moral law. It does not lift human personality; it degrades it.
And it’s unjust because it contradicts the values of America’s moral compass: freedom, justice, and opportunity for all. (Ironically, the same values that the Dreamers’ parents sought in coming to the US.)
It’s up to Congress now to do the right thing, the just thing. I’m confident that when it looks at this from a moral point of view, it will find a way to allow these Dreamers to stay and be part of the greatest country in the world. Such a decision would lift human personality and reinforce the core values that make this a great nation.
Your Moral Compass
As a leader, one of your most important jobs is to define your core values and communicate them clearly so they serve as the moral compass for your organization. But that’s not enough. You must also “walk the talk.” Your team must see that what you do is aligned with what you say they should do.
I’m not dictating what values you should follow. The ones you pick and the compass you follow should be authentic to you and/or your organization.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you would approach building your moral compass and what values you would include.
