How Power Affects Moral Courage - Essay Example

Moral courage is one of the many characteristics a leader must possess because if he lacks moral courage, he will never be able to take a positive step for those working under his leadership. Moral courage serves as the backbone of leadership. In a corporate setting, moral courage serves as the strength of character which allows the leader to lead his people without any fear of anyone or anything. When a leader is practicing moral courage, he has the guts to stand for his subordinates when needed, fight against injustice and suggest fair rewards and punishments.

If an organization possesses a leader who does not take righteous actions and decisions when required then the organization is likely to experience failure. We agree that it is a commander who leads a regiment and any failure on the part of the regiment actually represents the poor leadership skills and lack of moral courage of the commander. If a leader can differentiate between right and wrong accurately and can raise a voice against the injustice going on regarding the policies, procedures, and structures within an organization, only then he can bring about positive change in the culture as well as in the mindset of people. But it is really essential for a leader practicing moral courage that he must think and act within the ethical boundaries laid down by the organization.

Sometimes the actions made by leaders in the name of moral courage allow those working under them to emulate them thereby setting a trend. This trend could be positive or negative. For instance, in the case study, ‘Darker Shades of Blue’, Lt. Col. Holland gave a great flying performance for his 1993 Fairchild air show where he exceeded the technical order guidance thrice. The juniors who have seen Holland flying the way he likes by ignoring the defined guidance orders, tried to do the same because they regarded him as intelligent and smart and also because such actions have never received warnings. Sadly, doing so made one junior face serious disciplinary consequences. So before actually doing an action, the leader must realize that there are subordinates who regard and value him and follow his footsteps and failure to practice moral courage correctly could disturb the organizational culture severely.

A leader has the power to carry out leadership within the domains of the specified rules and regulations. He must never use bend leadership to his will in the name of moral courage. For instance, when Lt. Col. Holland was commanding the Global Power Mission, he flew close to another B-52 so that he could take close-up photographs that were against the commands of Air Combat. Not only this but he also asked one of his crewmembers to make a live video of the munitions being released from the aircraft. This kind of action was considered prohibited. When asked, he told the crewmember that he has been instructed by a senior to do so which wasn’t the case-he asked for the live video making of his own will. Using moral courage in a negative manner can make another lost trust in the leader as well as question his integrity.