Morals and Ethics over Performance

Which is most important to you, moral leadership or performance management? “Most Western models only consider management preferences in the form of performance objectives, or decision criteria related to what management hopes to achieve in a specific situation,” (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 423). Sun Tzu, a Chinese General, military strategist, writer and philosopher argued that moral leadership is the missing piece of the puzzle. He based this on six basic principles, which I want to utilize in my own transformational leadership as I work my way up the corporate ladder. Of the six principles, there are three that I feel I can improve on morally.

The first principle is to share my employees’ trials and difficulties, not just successes. This is where performance management comes into play. If employees are constantly told what they are doing best, how will they ever improve on their weaknesses? Performance reviews are a great technique to accomplish this particular task. If the manager lays out a specific game plan for the employee in which they can fix an area where they are struggling, as well as provide a time period to do so, the leader is morally focusing on the employee’s contribution to the company as well as what they need emotionally and mentally. Examples may include communication with colleagues or exhibiting one of Geert Hofstede’s dimensions of culture and practicing behaviors of collectivism rather than individualism. This is useful to employee’s in any organization.

The second principle I would want to work on internally is to lead with actions, not just with words. This is something I feel I have been becoming better at over the past two years. In my method of leadership, I like to lead by example. I work hard every day at work and encourage my colleagues to do the same through action, rather than telling them what to do. Leading with words is necessary in some situations, but if done too often, my colleagues could mistake that for me try to be a dictator rather than a team player.

The last of the six principles I feel is important to discuss, is to make my strategy drive the organization, not vice versa. What does this mean exactly? This also plays on the idea of synergy, where the collective effort of everyone on the team is more beneficial than the individual effort. If my business strategy is improving sales for example, I would put most of my focus on clienteling and improving customer service in the store. I would encourage my team leading through action with consistent communication with clients via face to face interaction, email, etc., to try and get to know them better on a personal level rather than just a professional level. This would show my team members that if we take the extra mile to learn about the individual we are working with, they are more willing to maintain trust in us and come back to work with us. Creating a strategy whether it be for marketing, sales, leadership, etc., it should ultimately drive the organization as a whole. This strategy could be utilized throughout the company, or be specific to one location depending on the team involved.

Moral leadership and performance management are interrelated. If you work on your internal skills, such as the way you treat people and “…put the needs and expectations of others ahead of your own, and be willing to sacrifice,” (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 423), the rest will fall into place. If I work on getting to know my colleagues on a personal level, they will be more willing to work with me on operational tasks or team-oriented tasks.

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge.