Abs 415: Leadership And Ethics In A Changing World
Power and Morality
Joyce Wainwright
ABS 415: Leadership & Ethics in a Changing World
Instructor: Thomas MacCarty
November 10, 2014
British historian Lord Action said “power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Henderson, D., 2013). Simply put this statement states that all great men are corrupted. However, this is not a belief of this writer. There are many great men, who were indeed great men. Thus, leaders should try to increase their power, as doing so will likely make them more efficient leaders of more empowered groups.
Countless people believe that power corrupts. Many times this belief comes from the numerous stories of powerful men behaving badly. Several of these stories are of those in power being unfaithful …show more content…
Being empowered increases the individuals sense of power and in some cases, one study showed that those who felt empowered were better workers who had fewer errors while on the job (Pickert, K., 2008). However, the question is; does power corrupt all leaders, or is it that leaders often have to make choices, which seem corrupted, in the best interest of society as a whole? President Lincoln was a prime example of this.
President Lincoln was born in 1809 to poor parents, married in 1842, and had four sons, all of whom all passed away at an early age, but one (WhiteHouse.gov., n.d). He fought strong and hard in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, wrote the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation, he preserved and saved the Union. While some people thought some of Lincoln’s tactics were corrupt, he made those decisions in order to preserve our Nation, and Lincoln needed to make those …show more content…
This writer does not feel power corrupts. Leaders, as well as group members, should have empowerment. Empowerment makes one fit for a job and make fewer mistakes. Being empowered does not mean that a person will not make mistakes, even at times have to go back on their word. Being empowered means to have enough confidence in oneself to do the job, to do that job fairly, and to the best of that individual’s ability. Being corrupted does not mean making less popular decisions, it simply means keeping the individuals or the group’s best interest at heart. At times, this means making decisions an individual would say he would never
Joyce Wainwright
ABS 415: Leadership & Ethics in a Changing World
Instructor: Thomas MacCarty
November 10, 2014
British historian Lord Action said “power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Henderson, D., 2013). Simply put this statement states that all great men are corrupted. However, this is not a belief of this writer. There are many great men, who were indeed great men. Thus, leaders should try to increase their power, as doing so will likely make them more efficient leaders of more empowered groups.
Countless people believe that power corrupts. Many times this belief comes from the numerous stories of powerful men behaving badly. Several of these stories are of those in power being unfaithful …show more content…
Being empowered increases the individuals sense of power and in some cases, one study showed that those who felt empowered were better workers who had fewer errors while on the job (Pickert, K., 2008). However, the question is; does power corrupt all leaders, or is it that leaders often have to make choices, which seem corrupted, in the best interest of society as a whole? President Lincoln was a prime example of this.
President Lincoln was born in 1809 to poor parents, married in 1842, and had four sons, all of whom all passed away at an early age, but one (WhiteHouse.gov., n.d). He fought strong and hard in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, wrote the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation, he preserved and saved the Union. While some people thought some of Lincoln’s tactics were corrupt, he made those decisions in order to preserve our Nation, and Lincoln needed to make those …show more content…
This writer does not feel power corrupts. Leaders, as well as group members, should have empowerment. Empowerment makes one fit for a job and make fewer mistakes. Being empowered does not mean that a person will not make mistakes, even at times have to go back on their word. Being empowered means to have enough confidence in oneself to do the job, to do that job fairly, and to the best of that individual’s ability. Being corrupted does not mean making less popular decisions, it simply means keeping the individuals or the group’s best interest at heart. At times, this means making decisions an individual would say he would never