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Ethics is a crucial aspect of effective leadership
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Ethics is a crucial aspect of effective leadership
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“In the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding on the back of the tiger ended up inside.”
- John F. Kennedy
When individuals come into a position of power, where the definition of control becomes a new one according to their own point of view, they usually open a feeling in their minds that what ever decision they make that directly conflicts the lives of other people, that they shouldn’t feel responsible at all. That’s when power corrupts the minds of these people.
Corruption is something that is motivated by greed and fraud. It’s a very threatening personality that controls and destroys people’s lives and makes them the kind of person other people don’t want to associate with.
When a person is in power, situations arouse where they can acquire anything by lying, bribing, conning, or stealing. With these in mind anybody in power could easily become a powerful foe.
The reason why corruption has become a global problem is because it’s rational to be greedy or wanting for more but soon after it gets out of control and then there is a corrupted person who in order to change would have to step down from power and become a person who doesn’t control.
Nothing can really be done to prolong it or avoid it, if you take a corrupt person in power and replace with a fair and just person, sooner or
later they also will become swallowed in corruption.
In the Shakespearean tragedy, "Macbeth", there are many examples of corruption. When Macbeth became Thane of Cordor, his wife, Lady Macbeth, was very delighted to hear of such news. And upon hearing that Macbeth had been visited by witches who saw Macbeth as king, she used every last resort to thrust her husband into power, by use of murder (of the king), blackmail and fraud. This is a perfect example of corruption, because as soon as she felt the tingle of power, she was lusting for more.
As the play carries on the corruption becomes greater with the murder of Banquo. Banquo who was a companion of Macbeth, is betrayed when Macbeth, the new king, orders for Banquo to be killed for the sole reason that Banquo had a son named Fleance, who Macbeth believed would take the throne away from him,
“To make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings!" This of course arouses suspicions in the realm, but it spirals out of hand as Macbeth had gone crazy from the guilt of murder as had Lady Macbeth.
Political corruption can lead to the downfall of societies because when citizens find out, they won’t have any respect for their government/leaders because of the bad things they do. Lack of respect can cause riots/outbreaks in cities.
The runaway corruption in the country harms the business environment and causes collapse of various established institutions and industries.
Macbeth’s ambition is to remain king for as long as possible and he will kill anybody who stops this from happening. Macbeth feels as if he was given a childless rule, and that his legacy will not continue on in fears his rule will be taken away by someone outside his family. Macbeth states, “For Banquo’s issue, I have filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murder 'd, put rancors in the vessel of my peace only for them, and mine eternal jewel given to the common enemy of man. to make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings”(Shakspeare 3.1.64-69). Macbeth had committed murder, poisoned his own mind, and destroyed his soul only to end up benefiting Banquo’s heirs. Macbeth, being the paranoid character that he is, feels threatened by this and orders both Banquo and Fleance to be killed. In Act 3, Macbeth says that, “and mine eternal jewel, given to the common enemy of man, to make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!” (Shakspeare 3.1.67-9). Seeing this choice of act, leads Macbeth’s blind ambition doing all he can, in order to remain where he is, even if he is ‘blind’ to what it going on and fails to truly understand the concept of his choices in killing Banquo, which only further deteriorates his mind because of his thirst for power, causing
He provides factual evidence from Peter Unger that states that just $200 in donations can ensure a child’s survival, which extends his argument by leading to a position in which choosing anything other than using excess money to save a child would characterize one’s actions as immoral. Singer openly weighs the value of the spending of $200 on dinner against saving a child, forcing the readers to agree with his claim because choosing any alternative to saving the child would be wrong. By comparing the value of the $200 used for a child versus dinner at a restaurant, Singer continues to emotionally appeal to his audience by inducing reflection and guilt for not helping overseas children. Additionally, it can be expected that the readers of the New York Times Magazine are those who are considered wealthy enough to donate their restaurant funds to overseas charities, thus directly targeting the emotions of those who have been previously turning their back on the needy children. Supporting his claim with this monetary evidence from Peter Unger, a New York University philosopher, also adds credibility to his belief, since the reader sees that his call to donate is shared by
Later in the play Banquo starts to have a bad feeling about Macbeth. "Thou hast it now: King, Cowdor, Glamis, all,/ as the weird women promised, and I fear/ thou play'dst most foully for `t." III i 1-3, this is a quote from Banquo explaining how he feels about Macbeth's predictions coming true. Macbeth realizes this about Banquo and he starts to have feelings about killing Banquo. This isn't the only reason he feels this way, the witches had also made predictions for Banquo. "Thou shall get kings, though thou be none." I iii 67, Macbeth doesn't want any of Banquo's family to rule Scotland; he wants his own family to continue to rule. Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his on Fleance. The murderers end up killing Banquo, but Fleance gets away.
"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it" [Lord Acton, British Historian]. It is human nature that the more power one desires, the more corrupt actions they have to commit to attain power. Power is the ability to have control over people and/or things. People who are powerful can, and in most cases will, create an illusion of anything they want you to see about them. This illusion can make people blind to their true intentions.
The spiritual leadership theory was developed during an evolution and progression of modern leadership theories. Research suggests that the spiritual leadership theory is the solution for addressing work overload and increased stress due to globalization, culturally diverse environments, robust technology, and competitive markets (Fry & Cohen, 2009). The theory’s purpose is to motivate others through values, attitudes, and behaviors; incorporating basic human needs: vision, hope, faith, love, work spirituality, and spiritual well-being (Fry & Cohen, 2009). As a result, several changes occurred such as, team empowerment, increased levels of organizational dedication, and increased organizational productivity and performance. The purpose of this
It is in human nature that the more power one desires the more corrupt actions one must do to attain it. In Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth, a Scottish noble's craving for power leads him to do terrible deeds that leads to his demise. Shakespeare shows that power corrupts by using Macbeth who corrupts under the thought of have power over others. Macbeth becomes corrupt under the thought of becoming king and gaining almost complete control over the people that he rules. Macbeth wants the power badly enough to do horrible deeds such as commit regicide. Lady Macbeth becomes very ambitious and allows herself to become seduced to the idea of becoming Queen. Her ruthlessness urges Macbeth to commit regicide by questioning his love for her and his own manhood.
Firstly, the corruption from power can affect people instantly. A real world example of this is dictatorships in countries such as Russia. Joseph Stalin was corrupted by the power and authority of
To become powerful, is to become corrupt, and The Tragedy of Macbeth is a prime example. In William Shakespeare's tragic tale, a young nobleman soon becomes corrupt when he is given the opportunity to become king. His need for power and safety drives him to corruption, ultimately killing off anyone who stands in his path: innocent or not. Throughout the play, many characters portray the impact power has on a relationship: Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, Banquo and Macbeth, Macduff and Macbeth and many more. While all these characters were affected by power in the play, Banquo and Macbeth's relationship best demonstrates the effect of power.
Yusof, J. M., & Tahir, I. M. (2011). Spiritual leadership and job satisfaction: A proposed
The corruption of power is one of the world’s undeniable truths, throughout history power has corrupted many famous leaders such as Hitler and Henry VIII. Power corruption can happen in many ways, but there are three main sources. The sources would be character, how you use power, and the outlook on power. However other leaders did very well with power, so the real question would be what type of power corrupts and why? To answer what type of power corrupts I’ll have to go back to a quote from John Dalberg-Acton, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
When given, or exposed to power, people may become corrupt. In J. J. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring it is shown that when people are tempted or given power they may become corrupt. We can see this through the characters Frodo Baggins; the bearer of a powerful ring, Gollum, the previous bearer, and lastly it is shown through Bilbo Baggins another bearer.
Yusof, J. M., & Tahir, I. M. (2011). Spiritual leadership and job satisfaction: A proposed
Montesh, M. (n.d.). Conceptualizing Corruption: Forms, Causes, Types and Consequences. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from