Joe Paterno’s name often comes to my mind often when thinking of leadership. Some think of him as a failed leader, one who knew the crimes of Jerry Sandusky and didn’t do enough to stop it, or one who inspired hundred if not thousands of his players to be their best, both on and off the field. He had always led by example and he truly believed in his school and the young men he coached and mentored. On the bronze statue that was outside stadium, he is quoted as saying, “They ask me what I’d like written about me when I’m gone. I hope they write I made Penn State a better place, not just that I was a good football coach.” (Paterno, 2001) I think he did.
Mistakes were made, certainly, but you can’t doubt the impact of a man who spent 60 plus years of his life teaching more than just a game. He instilled values on generations of players, expecting that good conduct and morals would guide his players to not only become good football players, but also good people. His philosophy, “believe deep down in your heart that you’re destined to do great things” was a driving force in what he believed in.” (Paterno) As his career was winding down and the horrors of Sandusky’s actions were coming into focus, one question of the many questions that come to mind was did Paterno do enough? Yes, he fulfilled legal obligation of telling the Athletic Director and the vice president of the university what he was told, but that was clearly not enough to make sure that the children involved were safe from Sandusky. The other question is, did he do enough morally? Ethics within an organization deal with not only who leaders are, but what leaders do.
Values play an important part in how leaders deal with ethical questions. Since values are formed at an early age, and are contributed to one’s upbringing, education, religion, and geography, I honestly feel that he didn’t realize the severity of the situation at hand. (WC PSYCH 485, L13) I think that definition is an important one with regard to the action that Paterno took regarding Sandusky. I remember seeing an interview right before his death in which he spoke about not understanding this type of heinous crime because he never heard about those things growing up, and although it seems hard for us to understand that since we live in an age of intense media coverage, I believe that certain generations feel that way. I remember speaking to my grandfather about the situation and he said the same thing. Maybe it seems naïve, but I do believe it.
Paterno embodied the principles of leadership that involved respect, service, justice, honesty, and community. (Northouse, 2016) He was not just about football. He embraced the entire community in which he lived and worked and was concerned with the character of the student athletes that he coached. The greatest example of this promotion of community and group identity was his philosophy that “it’s the name on the front of the jersey that matters, not the one on the back.” (Paterno) He valued and instilled the importance of being a team, not just his players on the field but the university as a whole.
In the end, we may never know the whole story and the total truth of what happen during those dark years but I don’t think we can disregard the legacy of a man that changed the lives of so many with his values, ethics, and morals that he showed on and off the field. I find it ironic that in a commencement speech in 1973, Paterno said “We must always act, but when we are wrong, we must be mature enough to realize it and act accordingly. This is where greatness lies and national frustrations end. …We shall act, and we shall act with good intentions. Hopefully, we will be right. But at times, we will be wrong. When we are, let us admit it and immediately try to right the situation.” (Paterno, 1973)
Lisa
Joe Paterno Quotes – Great Quotes from a Great Leader. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2016, from http://modernservantleader.com/resources/joe-paterno-quotes-great-quotes-from-a-great-leader/
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications, Inc.
PSU World Campus. (2016). PSYCH 485 Lesson 14 Ethics and Leadership. Retrieved June 29, 2016 from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su16/psych485/001/content/14_lesson/01_page.html
William Paul Bosanac says
This is a great example of ethical leadership and the challenges that these types of leaders can face. I agree with the classification of Joe Paterno as an ethical leader, however as a highly ethical leader there is the challenge of being under the microscope at all times. What Paterno has done for the university, the students, the community, and the NCAA as a whole over his sixty year affiliation aligns accordingly with what ethical leadership embodies.
Leadership involves values, including showing respect for followers, being fair to others, and building community (Northouse, p. 348). The misfortunate situation with Jerry Sandusky should not take away from viewing Paterno as an ethical leader. An ethical leader (Gilligan, 1982) takes into account the purposes of everyone involved in the group and is attentive to the interests of the community and the culture. (Bass & Steidlmeier, 1999) such a leader demonstrates an ethic of caring toward others and does not force others or ignore the intentions of others (Northouse, p. 347). With this being said it is my view that Paterno was indeed acting from an ethical position. Taking the concerns to the appropriate parties and following the established legal obligations was what Paterno saw as an ethical action. We must remember as Gilligan (1982) mentioned it is taking into account everyone involved. In this particular instance, there were many parties involved that were effected by these allegations and the manner in which Paterno handled it was doing just that. What happened at Penn State as a result of the allegations on Sandusky was a circus. There were accusations of a cover up, lying, and ignoring some serious misconduct. When leaders are not honest, others come to see them as undependable and unreliable. People lose faith in what leaders say and stand for, and their respect for leaders is diminished. As a result, the leader’s impact is compromised because others no longer trust and believe in the leader (Northouse, p. 346). This is exactly what happened since Paterno was fired from his position as head football coach. It almost seemed as the entire nation lost faith in Paterno. This brings up the topic of the dark side of leadership. The dark side of leadership is the destructive and toxic side of leadership in that a leader uses leadership for personal ends. (Northouse, p. 339). Lipman-Blumen (2005) identifies many dysfunctional personal characteristics destructive leaders demonstrate including lack of integrity, insatiable ambition, arrogance, and reckless disregard for their actions (Northouse, p. 339). I can say that Paterno did not exhibit these characteristics during his tenure at Penn State. The lack of integrity could be seen by some as being compromised by the lack of additional action, but Paterno did the right thing in my opinion. I would invite anyone who reads this blog and comment to really think about whether this scandal should define Joe Paterno’s legacy of ethical leadership.
References:
Bass, B. M., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, character, and authentic transformational leadership behavior. Leadership Quarterly, 10( 2), 181– 217.
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Lipman-Blumen, J. (2005). The allure of toxic leaders. New York: Oxford University Press.
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership theory and practice (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA. Sage Publications