MORAL & VALUE IN LEADERSHIP

So far, we have been discussed about the psychology, sociology and ethics in leadership. All the elements are really important and influence the developing of leadership skill. Now, what about value and moral? Does it influence our skill in leadership? According to Susan M. Heathfield (About.com Guide), the best leaders exhibit both their values and their ethics in their leadership style and actions. Besides, the individuals that work in NGOs empower their institutions to play an important moral leadership role in the process of transformation towards a sustainable world civilization (Rio de Janeiro Brazil, 1992). The information tells us that both of the value and moral are important in leadership. So, if the moral and value are important in leadership, let us explore it in order to enhance our skills in leadership.

First and foremost, let us refer to the people’s general thoughts about it. Basically, people classified values and moral as a same thing that related to the classes of good habits. How about you? Let us explore it. According to the changing Mind.com (2002-2009), values are the rules by which we make decision about right and wrong, should and shouldn’t, good and bad. They also tell us which are more or less important, which is useful when we need to do something that needs us to involve it. On the other hand, moral explained as the greater social element to value and tend to have a very broad acceptance. Morals are far more about good and bad than other values. People always judge others more strongly on morals than values. People might classify others as immoral, yet no words for them who not following the value. On the other aspects, values are important because they are providing a basis for all decision and actions during life. Values play a central role in life. (Donna J. Habenicht, 2000). Besides, moral is defined as motivation based on the ideas of right and wrong. (Dictionary.com). From the definition above, we can simply say that both moral and value are nearly the same but they are actually composed from different aspects. Yet the moral tend to be greater than the value.
Now, what is the relationship between leadership, values and moral? Before we proceed, let us look at several issues that related to this aspect. The Global Forum in Rio de Janeiro Brazil on 3-14 June state that autocratic, paternalistic, manipulative and ‘know-it-all’ modes of leadership are found in all parts of the world. They also state that moral leadership is hard to identify because society presents too many conflicting messages about what is meant by leadership. Does it happen in our country? Referring to the Mstar Newspaper (19 December 2005), a tuition teacher was accused of abusing a student, Noradilah Shikin Abdul Halim, 9, at Taman Perlis Kangar, on 15 December 2005. The student was totally injured after the incident happen. Do you think that the teacher succeeded in leadership? Of course not. He failed to show the value and moral in his leadership skills. He chooses to abuse the child and of course the act hurt her and maybe affect her life especially her study. The leader should not do the same thing. Here we can see the importance of moral and value in leadership skills.

We know that to have a high moral value in our life is not as the piece of cake. It needs our effort and should begin from the childhood. Family organizations especially parents should know that every great value and moral started from HOME. Everything that family does with their child’s time gives powerful value massages to their children (Donna J. Habenicth, 2000). Parents really have only one chance to teach their child. Therefore, parents should begin to teach them about it. First and foremost, the child must understand that without God, moral and values die. It is because, when our moral and values begin with God, they begin inside us and we will start to be truly honest. Not wasting time by pretending to be honest. When we be honest, our values are truly qualities our soul. We will continue to be who we are regardless of how others act. We really cannot generate the qualities of our soul. They come from God. He put it inside us and it is up to everyone to use it. That’s the important of knowing God before having a great value and moral in leadership.
However, the great value and moral not only can be strengthening only in childhood. For those who are in adolescent, we still can improve our moral and value skills especially in leadership. The most important thing that everyone should know is value and moral in someone is just like growing a tree. What do we take to grow a healthy tree? Good genetic stock, the best soil for that tree, water, fertilizer, occasional pruning, sunshine and protection from storm.

With the Principe of growing a tree, we can simply use it in our step to growing a value and moral. Good genetic stock. From an anonymous research, some leader tends to influence people by their way to communicate but some of them cannot. Some of them are easy to mad but the others are patient. Actually all of it comes from their genetic makeup. Does it mean others cannot learn these basic values? Of course not. We must remember that everything needs practice. Even for those who mastered something needs to continue their practices. We just need to believe that every human created special by God. So, each of us tend to have an unlimited potential. The soil is the match between us and the person who encourage us to polish our value and moral. As we look into our temperaments, maybe sometime we need much courage to polish our confidence than the other moral value. So, we need to make a lot of adjustment with the person that close to us to prosper and grow. We also need the sunshine that always give us an encouragement to polish our moral and values, daily watering with several good comment from the person that support us and a gentle teaching of God’s words, the fertilizer of special life’s experiences, the pruning of discipline and protection from strong winds and storms which brings a bad things that influence a growing of our moral and value.

After the process of growing are finished, the tree will produce fruits. Either good or bad of the fruits is depends on how we manage the tree before. The same things happen to our process to polish or grow our values and moral. If we are success in our process of growing values and moral, we will experience a good fruit from it. We will be able to lead as good as the guard at the beginning of this writing. We also enable to capture people attention as in sociology and psychology aspects.
Let us explore the fruits of good values and moral grow in leadership. Firstly, a leader will always listen. That mean a leader will always care about his or her people needs. They not only sitting here and there to give unusual commands then blaming them for the unusual result. Secondly, they will think before speaking. They do not simply use the words to all kind of people. Be careful. The usual words that we used might hurt others. Then, they will use a calm and soft answer to all ways of communication. Other than that, they will be encouraging leader. As we know, not all people enable to do all things that we can do. However, they still can do it by keep practicing. So, as a good leader, we need to encourage the employees so they can do as better as they can.

Did you ever heard about a humble and peaceful leader? This is the climate of the good fruits in leadership moral and values. When the leader is cooperative, they will avoid fighting and resolve problem carefully. They try to react calmly, instead of become angry over things that they do not like. This kind of leader will be a good team player then working hard for their team. If someone is mean to them, they try to remember that it is really their problem and they try to understand it. If the other teams win, they will congratulate them instead of complained the result was unfair and that’s the reasons they’ve won. When they receive a special honor, they will accept the recognitions in a spirit of humility. They are not celebrating themselves but give a credit to those who helped them achieve the honor. The leader is not boastful but full of accomplishment. Last but not least, if someone in their team made mistakes, they will support him/her and still respect them instead of reject them in our time. The leader believes that they will do better next time.
Now, we can see that a great value and moral needs a lot of effort in order to get it in leadership. We must know that some people need to try harder than the others. Sometimes, the process of planting values and moral in our character hurts. However we must believe that we all have a potential to grow towards a better life. Although we may grow in different ways but we all can grow strongly and beautifully in God’s garden especially in our moral and values skills in leadership.



REFFERENCE
STATEMENT LIBRARY. (1992, June ). BAHA'I INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. Retrieved January 14, 2010, from http://statements.bahai.org/92-0608.htm
Carnegie, D. (1993). The Leader In You. U.S.A: Simon & Schuster Inc.
Heathfield, S. M. (n.d.). About.Com Guide. Retrieved January 14, 2010, from http://humanresources.about.com/od/leadership/a/leader_values.htm
J.Habenicht, D. (2000). 10 Christians Values. U.S.A: Review & Herald Publishing Association Hagerstown, MD 21740.
Kate Wilson (Director, A. S. (n.d.). Australia and Capital University. Retrieved January 14, 2010, from University of Canberra: http://www.canberra.edu.av/studyskills/writing/introducting