To recognize a great leader, we don’t have to look for Nelson Mandela. (Photo by © Louise Gubb/CORBIS SABA/Corbis via Getty Images)
me spent some time over the holidays delving into the nature of the two highly conscious and most diabolic leaders over the centuries. The quality of exemplary leadership is the litmus test for the performance of a country or company.
Significant epochs in the history of organizations or nations are made legendary by conscious leaders who have understood the powerful propensities of action and work with purpose and decide to prioritize people.
My research took me to the heights and depths of leadership behavior. From the steadfast Marcus Aurelius to Genghis Khan, one of the most brutal military conquerors of all time, from the strong, fearless and often cruel but also only Akbar the Great to Alexander the Great, whose narcissistic leadership style served his own passions even as one of the commanders most successful in history. From Hitler to Jacob Zuma, Mandela to Booker T Washington, and business leaders such as Bernie Madoff, Elon Musk, Tim Cook and John Mackay, there are traits that distinguish conscious leaders from self-interested rogues.
No human being is perfect, but that glaring difference – where humanity is at the polar opposite of glib villainy – is why we have a global leadership crisis. This is an age of malevolence where good has no chance to win. Millions would rather follow an expressive psychopathic leader, whose controversial tumult ultimately leads to destruction, than an inspired, gentle and humane one.
In 1934, Time magazine named Hitler “Man of the Year”. In 2016, America elected Donald Trump as president. Hitler seized the world stage and cut off his countrymen. So did Idi Amin and Muammar Gaddafi.
A deeper lesson of history is read in modern business, when leaders are driven by a facade of grandeur, considering personal gain and material gain as important considerations.
Morally mature, conscious, ethical leaders, whose actions are better for all, are not born exceptional or extraordinary, nor are they perfect. He has learned the skills to manage his own existence, by knowing who he is. It is evident that when men and women who can be great leaders appear on the stage, they will have an influence commensurate with their greatness.
To recognize a great leader, we don’t have to look for Nelson Mandela. Although imperfect, history is littered with great leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King and George Washington. The incomparable leader of the 16th century as a man for all seasons was Sir Thomas More, who refused to compromise his morals, ethics and principals for anything, even death. He chose to die rather than compromise who he was.
We live in extraordinary times of uncertainty and pressure. But there is an opportunity to change the course of a nation or business by changing the shape, character and consciousness of its leaders. This leads us to the Conscious Leadership and Ethics Summit on May 11, where the spotlight will be on business leaders, ethical and unethical, as the context of this intersection in the evolution of our company.
The nature of the business cycle demands that we do many things, so we strive for conscious leadership in the midst of the complexity of the company’s activities, compliance, pressure, performance, productivity and the economic needs of the flow chart, fundamentals and delivery. It is easy in the chaos of this corporate machine for organizations to lose their meaning and purpose beyond profiteering.
Consider the social context that most leaders and employees face in the world of work where power struggles, self-interest and fear are the motivating forces behind some of the unconscious actions that scream at us from media headlines. In a society where need, not achievement, is the source of rights and entitlements, it provides fertile ground for moochers, looters and cheaters.
A conscious leader leads by example, while an insecure and incompetent leader hides unscrupulous followers. In business, Apple chief executive Tim Cook is far from Tom Hayward, the former head of BP. I know a chief executive who, in less than a year, destroyed the shareholder value of the company he was entrusted to lead by approximately 75%. This did not stop him. His egocentric leadership style was a toxic challenge to his executives. He continued to sit in several places.
A culture of excessive materialism, dishonest transactions and disregard for corporate governance, we still expect leaders to display courage and vision. When a company’s culture takes its cues from its leaders, it affects the company’s reputation, performance, profitability and brand perception. The tone, demeanor, attitude and character of an ethical leader are inseparable from the company they represent. Found in the hidden layers of his being, is his irreverent view of “doing the right thing” and building the strongest foundation for the organization.
In developing awareness and ethical behavior, conscious leaders guide companies to prosper while placing a premium on people, society, culture and the environment beyond the bottom line. It is the essential understanding of values and ethics, reason and justice, meaning and purpose and reason for being that differentiates an organization.
This is a conscious leader, who refuses to compromise on morals and principles, fostering a culture of help and service to others in harmony and cooperation. This gives depth and breadth to the company’s own ideas more than anything else can achieve. It is firstly occupied for people to be part of a company aware of ethics, based on values-leadership. Customers and stakeholders feel valued and served and employees feel safe and have a sense of belonging beyond their paycheck.
In the absence of this consciousness, the leadership of a company or country that is not socially responsible and destroys the environment, leads to an unpleasant chaos, where insecurity creeps into the soul of the nation or corporate culture. We have a choice. Operating in awareness is a choice for leaders and given the ethical and moral agitations of our age and country, it is a critical time to choose.
Brenda Kali is the Founder of Conscious Enterprises and chief executive of the Conscious Leadership and Ethics Institute. At Mail & Guardians is a partner of the Conscious Leadership and Ethics Summit on May 11 at the Venue at Melrose Arch.