Ethics and morals are often used as synonyms for each other.  Some would argue that an individual’s morals differ from their ethics.  Morals are often associated with an indivuals perspective and personal beliefs such as religion and values.  Ethics are often defined within a group or orgnaization as a set of rules and guidelines to follow.  Still, each of us has our own set of rules, our personal ethics and morals, which define our character.  Abiding by this set of rules will ensure that an individual’s character is not discredited.  Regardless of what you and I call them, we all have our own personal set of rules.  At the end of the day, we must live with the decisions that we make.  If I end my day knowing that my decisions have not discredited my character, I have had a good day regardless of the outcome.

The right, more difficult decision may challenge you in many ways.  For some this may be a personal sacrifice such as staying late at the office or forgoing a bonus or raise in order to retain an employee or award a stellar employee with that bonus or raise.  Others may face a more physical challenge such as enduring hardships and phyiscal strains such as deployments, extended periods of sleap deprivation to ensure mission success, and family seperation as many military Soldiers must experiance.  For some this may be an emotional challenge such as confronting a friend, colleague, or leader who they themeselves are making unethical or imoral decisions.  Regardless of the situation, the difficult right is still right.

One of my colleagues, a retired US Army Chief Warrant Officer Four, gave me some simple sound advice when I was challenged with a tough decision.  He told me to make the right decision and the rest will work itself out.  Some situations may work themselves out in ways that you had not desired, you may miss the bonus, experience physical pain, or anger your supervisor, but your character will remain.

-       Jared W. Snow

 In a classic case of “group think”,  a very optimistic President Kennedy and his staff watched in horror at the failed Bay of Pigs invasion by CIA supported freedom fighters attempting overthrow Castro and retake Cuba.  In hindsight, the failure was inevitable but the previously successful and highly confident Kennedy administration failed to look carefully at all the weaknesses of the plan.  As the Bay of Pigs troops found out, a positive and cheery attitude does little to stop a bullet.  When making decisions, leaders must face sober realities and address them appropriately before acting. As retired General Gordon Sullivan states in his book, “Hope is not a method”.

Does a positive attitude have value over a negative or even neutral one? Definitely.  Once a plan is in the implementation stage where resources are committed and people are engaged, a positive attitude and high morale may be the only variables left to swing the outcome of impending events.  Hope is not a method for preparation but during implementation,  confidence and determination is surely preferable to fear and hesitation. Leaders model and set the attitude once the action starts.

Daniel Goleman states in his book titled Primal Leadership, “When people feel good they work at their best. Feeling good lubricates mental efficiency, making people  better at understanding information and using decision rules in complex judgements, as well as more flexible ways of thinking”.  Goleman found support for his claims in the results of several research studies:

 -In a study of fortune 500 companies, cooperation and team work was a good predictor of increased profit share.

-Another study found that for every one percent increase in service climate there is a 2% increase in revenue.

-Poor morale in service organizations predicted higher turnover rates , resulting declining customer satisfaction and lower revenues.

-In a study of nineteen insurance companies, the organizational climate alone predicted profitability 75% of the time.

-Cardiac units in which nurses exhibited a predominately depressed mood had four times the death rate as patients in comparable units.

-In a study of 32 stores, positive employees had the best sales results.

 Research supports the impact of leadership on results.  In a study of various organizations and their employees, the leader was estimated to contribute to 50 to 70 percent of organizational climate and morale.

 In summary, research supports the impact of leadership in setting the organizational climate and morale.   This emotional climate directly impacts organizational success.  In business the impact means money.  In the military it can impact the casualty count.  At a college it can impact enrollment and student retention.  In the church it can mean effectiveness of mission. It is a tremendous responsibility, but that is what leadership is all about.

William H. Snow, Ph.D.