Ethics, Morality, and Philosophical Beliefs

Ethics, Morality, and Philosophical Beliefs

Melissa Oliva

Prairie View A&M University

            Ethics, morals, and philosophical beliefs define who we are as individuals. They let people know what we represent, what we stand for, and what our non-negotiables are. As educational leaders who serve an entire community, it is our duty to represent ourselves, our profession and our community, with the highest degree of dignity and honor.

It has been said that educational leaders should protect their “testimony” since they are in public view at all times. My belief is that we do not have to protect anything if we are living moral lives. Our good moral character should be evident everywhere we go because we are a true representation of moral and ethical living. We must demonstrate that we are transparent and genuine. Abigail Landsbrook stated, “true morals are a priceless thing that possesses the highest value and can never be bought or sold at any cost.”  Ethical leaders represent integrity. Like Abigail Landsbrook said, they cannot be bought. They do not take shortcuts, cover-ups, or setbacks. Moral leaders also do not act out of emotion. They analyze situations to determine what is in the best interest of the situation at hand. Daniels (2012, p. 333) contends, “when people perceive a decision that is risky despite the facts, they are less willing to employ it.” Far too many people have fallen into the trap of their emotions although they know making certain decision may bring them temporary satisfaction and lifelong suffering.

Olivier (2011, p. 70) states, “right decision making is described as finding the golden mean between the extreme options at hand. The right decision characterizes a person, so it is important that a person makes sustainable decisions.” Moral leaders make decisions that are ethical and fair. They do not make decisions for their own good. When moral leaders make the right decisions, they are trusted. Trust is a bond that takes time to build yet seconds to destroy. As educational leaders, we must make decisions that will afford all stakeholders an opportunity to see firsthand the type of leader we are. Our actions will indeed speak louder than our words.

          We do have to understand though that people look up to us and we must be conscious that we are public servants. Often times, we cannot go to the store, a function, or even out of town, without being recognized by a student, parent, or colleague. Students will run across a store and leave their parents just to come and greet us. One can say that we are continuously under the microscope for we are endlessly monitored top-down and bottom-up. Therefore, our credibility, integrity, and work ethic should be unquestionable at all times. We serve as role models that transform lives and influence society. People in our community have entrusted that we will provide a safe and nurturing environment that communicates high expectations, and does everything to ensure students succeed. Moral educational leaders do not act in self-interest but make decisions for the “good” of the organization. That is why it is vital that ethics can be clearly seen within the educational community. One of my favorite Jesse Jackson quotes states, “Leadership cannot just go along to get along. Leadership must meet the moral challenge of the day.” Heslep (1997, p. 74) contends,

the direction provided by educational leadership is essentially related to the education of students. By its very concept, educational leadership is never primarily for the benefit of administrators, teachers, political groups, or economic interests; it is always mainly for the education of students, however that might be conceived.

Furthermore, in a discussion I had with my friend and colleague, Pastor Reuben Sampson, Jr. (2013), he shared that

morality should be present in the workplace. This ensures that the ‘anything goes’ mentality does not permeate the workplace. Those who work in education should not only teach morality but live morally before our colleagues and students. We must educate mind and manners by precept and example.

Unfortunately, many in our field have neglected to stand firm and defend our moral

obligation and responsibilities. Immanuel Kant stated, “In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so.”

The cliché of “common sense isn’t so common anymore” is not so much a cliché anymore but an inevitable truth. Dr. Brant Graham (2013), a dear friend and former colleague, described his view of the aforementioned as such: “It’s just like mama taught you, don’t lie, steal or cheat and, always remember, the difference between being human and being a criminal. Humans make mistakes, criminals hide them.”

Dr. Graham’s statement represents truth but his statement also raises the imponderable question of, “Why is it so difficult for many people to do the right thing?” I am sure many of us know of at least one person that has committed an illegal act. This was probably the person we would have “never imagined would do something like this!” I know I have even gone as far as saying, “How could he/she have been so stupid. What were they thinking?” Besides the obvious, they were not thinking, one other answer I pondered on was that not everyone shares our core beliefs. As educational leaders, we must have shared philosophical beliefs with all stakeholders in order to keep the environment ethically and morally sound. It has been said that a house divided cannot stand. Ethical leaders must obtain school wide buy-in in order to achieve the organization’s goals. If the team does not agree with the leader’s beliefs, then division will begin. Heslep (1997) asserts,

philosophers, then, do not count an answer as justified until all questions originated by that answer have been justifiably answered. To justify all those questions, philosophers ultimately have to offer fundamental ideas. It is by justifying their answers to their questions that philosophers fill in the gaps in their understanding and gain wisdom. (p.71)

          He also believes that “philosophical thought will enable those engaged in educational leadership to overcome the deficiencies of professional common sense in making judgments” (Heslep, 1997, p. 69).

          As educational leaders, we must represent what we want viewed in our organizations. We must do good at all times regardless of the situation, pressure, or consequence. We must hold our heads up high and stand for what we believe.

References

B. Graham, personal communication, October 11, 2013.

Daniels, T. L. (2012). Decision Making in Eurocentric and Afrocentric Organizations. Journal of

          Black Studies , 333.

Heslep, R. D. (1997). The Practical Value of Philosophical Thought for the Ethical Dimension of

          Educational Leadership. Educational Administration Quartely , 69-74.

Olivier, A. (2011). How ethical is leadership? Leadership , 70.

R. Sampson, personal communication, October 11, 2013.