▶ Topic :The author claims that to be an effective leader, they have to
maintain the highest moral and ethics standard. Some people may agree with the
author because they are representative men of a group. However, the following
essay will argue that why this may not always be the case. Admittedly, the author’s assertion that an effective leader must
maintain the highest moral and ethical standards might hold true under certain
circumstances. For instance, in the case of Aristotle, an ideal leader must be
equipped with intelligence and the highest level of ethics. Without absolute
morality, Aristotle’s ideal word supported by democracy cannot be achieved, On
the basis of Aristotle’s virtue-based ethics, he highlighted the need for
ethical leadership and the resulting solid construction of democracy. Also,
Mussolini who never maintained the highest moral and ethical standards was one
of the key figures in the creation of fascism. While he was prime minister of
Italy, he committed immoral crimes under the pretext of censoring subversive
and state propaganda. His immorality culminated during World War 2, when he
announced his intention to wage war as one of the main figures of the Axis
Powers. Consequently, after his execution, the policies he promoted were
repealed by the Italian public, which was fed up with his immoral agenda and
policies. Thus, based on above reasons and examples, the author’s claim can be
agreed to a certain degree.
However, the author’s conclusion may not always be warranted in all
aspects. For instance, former president of The Philippines was an unethical
person who caused massive authoritarian corruption, and human right violations.
Ultimately removed from power and finding exile in Hawaii, he was not a leader
who was praised as ethical. However, he showed his effectiveness in areas of
the Philippine infrastructure and development, as well as international
diplomacy, seeking free trade and national independence. Moreover, In this case
of Salvador Allende, even though he was an ethical figure as the first elected
president of Chile, Allende’s ineffective economic policy resulted in
inflation, which harassed Chilean people. His policies of nationalizing
industries and collectivization led to the seizure of land and declining crop
production. Despite demonstrating a high level of morality, Allende was not
effective in showing strong leadership to the Chilean people, who lived amid
long-standing poverty. Therefore, the author’s claim does not stand true all
the time. Therefore, contrary to the author’s claim, effectively crisis
management is also necessary.
Furthermore, a disagreeing stance seems more favorable considering
the extreme nature of the given statement. For instance, Machiavelli’s The
Prince can be a guidebook for defining a great leader. A great leader must take
every measure to achieve a goal. That is, under that motto “the end justifies
the means,” the great leader, in Machiavelli’s view, must seek unification in
order to bring comfort and well-being to people. Given this, being ethical cannot
be the only standard to judge an effective leader. Hence, it is plausible to
disagree that a leader might need to have the qualities of discernment, good
judgment, and strong determination is always required in order to produce the
desired outcome in any case.
In conclusion, while the author’s claim
might seem beneficial in certain conditions, in light of above counter points
that the leaders only should need some of abilities for being an effective
leader in crisis, the author’s claim cannot be agreed in full. |