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Positive Ethics and Courageous Leadership

While most people think of ethics in negative terms - don't steal, don't lie, etc. there is also a positive aspect to ethics. Compassion is one such example. We need ethics to create the rules for our system - everyone gets the same number of days off, because that is only fair. Yet, when someone has a family member who is seriously ill, we bend the rules for that person. We don't give checks early because it increases the chances of people stealing from the organization by not working the hours for which they were paid - but when someone has a family crisis - divorce, death, a child leaving for college - we may make an exception.

Ethical leaders are courageous. They have the courage to stand up for fair rules, such as everyone having the same number of paid days off. They also have the courage to show compassion, making an exception to the rules when, and only when, it is truly warranted by exceptional circumstances.

Why is courageous leadership training important? More importantly, why is courageous leadership training specific to the reservations important? The answer to both questions is this: if everyone who was in a leadership position on reservations acquired the leadership characteristics and practiced the skills taught in a leadership training program, many of the problems that exist on Indian reservations would disappear.

How would an individual lead who possess all the leadership characteristics of our ancestors, courage, and fortitude, honesty, and generosity, lead? The next few pages apply these positive ethics to different roles, tribal council, board members, supervisors and tribal workers.