Download - 39 SR1 Appl Ethics

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U.S. ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT CENTER AND SCHOOL SR WVBN-39BAMEDD NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS ACADEMY WYAN-29B

BASIC/ADVANCED NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICER COURSES 0397

APPLIED ETHICS

Supplementary Reading #1

In this class we will look at how we apply ethics in oureveryday life. We will examine values, because they have animpact on ethical behavior; discuss our responsibility to providean ethical environment; and talk about our responsibilities toour subordinates, peers and superiors.

Definition: Ethics

Ethics are principles or standards that guide professionals to dothemoral or right thing--what ought to be done.

Misconceptions About Ethics

If an action is legal isnt it ethical? Something we need to

understand is that legal and ethical behaviors are different.Yes, an action may be legal but unethical.

For example, the development of a software system to improve debtcollecting powers of a loan shark may be legal, but is it ethicalto help someone who profits from the misery of others? Being aprofessional is more than simply acting to the letter of the law.

Isn't military ethics about torturing prisoners of war for

information and other wartime situations? No, most problems in

military ethics are straight forward problems in plain, everydayethics. Most dilemmas have little to do with the "adventure" ofseizing hills and performing other "Rambo-like" feats. Mostproblems in the real world of military ethics deal with tellingthe truth, filling out reports honestly or condemning sexualharassment.

Ethics are fine and good in the classroom but they don't work inthe real world. For any of you who believe this statement, let's

simplify what the term means. Ethics means that honorable menand women do not lie, steal or cheat; rather they keep promises,do their reasonable best to carry out their responsibilities, tryto treat others as they would like to be treated; and theyattempt to set right their mistakes. You probably strive forthese goals everyday, so ethics isn't some weird study whichbelongs in university classrooms.


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Finally, ethics are so complicated; there don't seem to be any

"right" answers; We shouldn't waste our time. For sure, there

are many gray areas and often decisions are difficult. However,in a very practical sense we know that unethical behavior, nottechnical/tactical incompetence, is what ruins careers. Since we

make decisions every day that have ethical implications it isimportant to have an opportunity to think about these things.

VALUES

Definition: Values

Values are principles, standards or qualities consideredworthwhile or desirable. Values may lead to ethical or unethicalbehavior; they help define character. Examples: integrity,loyalty, courage, respect, faithfulness, freedom, self-reliance.

Family Values

Our values, a foundation for behavior, come from our family,institutions and peers. What are some value statements we mightlearn from our family?

It is not enough that I succeed; others must fail.Forgive your enemies but never forget their names.For the most part, people are good.Nice guys finish last.Forgiveness is important.It is possible to get all As and flunk life.

Words such as honor, duty and courage are either supported ordismissed, depending on how those words are defined and acted outwithin the family.

Peer Values

A second source of values is friends. Peer pressure is notlimited to children on a playground. Peer values remain alifelong blessing and curse for those who seek to adhere toethical principles

Peer pressure can cut both ways. Peers can hold a soldier tothe highest standards or lure that soldier into the gutter.Peers can coax one to honesty or derail one to dishonesty.


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Institutional Values

A third source of values is institutional. We claim theethical standards of an institution and make them our own, or atleast use them as a guideline. Some of the institutions whichinfluence us are school, church, social organizations, the Army,

or a political party.

The institutional values we are interested in are the Armyvalues. The Center for Army Leadership has revised leadershipdoctrine and have clarified the terms we use to express theArmy's enduring values for the 21st Century. The four Cs:commitment, courage, candor and competence remain usefulprinciples, but the new values are more precise.

Service before self signifies the proper ordering of

priorities. The welfare of the nation and the organization comebefore the individual.

If we discarded this value how could we expect people to bewilling to sacrifice life, as we do in the military? How couldwe ask soldiers to work in dangerous situations?

The combat scenario isn't really a problem; soldiers readilysacrifice self interest in combat. Where we see difficulty iswith the peacetime mission.

As soldiers, we are expected to put the welfare of the nationand the Army before ourselves, and this requirement can trulywear on us. But, there are good reason for this requirement.

Consider what would happen if soldiers could say:

"Nope, I don't want to go to Korea, I have a family and I don'twant to leave them.

"Sorry, I'm not moving until my son graduates from high school."

I don't care what you say, I don't do PT at 5 am and I don'twork after 5 pm.

Private, I'd really like to help you out with your problem, butI just don't have time.

Obviously, if we place self interest first, the Army would nolonger be able to defend the nation.

It's important to remember that while the focus is onservice to the nation, the idea also requires that soldiers


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properly take care of family and self. The Army does not andcannot expect you to sacrifice everything for service.

Courage is the military virtue that enables us to conquer

fear, danger, or adversity, no matter what the context happens tobe (physical or moral).

Courage also includes the notion of taking responsibility fordecisions and actions. Courage involves the ability to look atourselves, to confront new ideas, and to change.

The military offers awards for courage in combat, inlifesaving, and for taking dangerous physical risks above andbeyond the call of duty. These we call heroes and that they are.

Moral courage isn't as clearly rewarded.

What two factors often cause us problems when we want to exercisemoral courage, and how can we compare physical and moral courage?

1. The leader is required to stand against his or her peers.

2. The leader is required to risk career or advancement.

The soldier who jumps on a grenade to save a buddy willreceive a medal for that action, or the next-of-kin will receiveit.

The soldier who jumps on a moral grenade to save a buddy frombehaviors that can destroy the person or the career may bethanked or criticized. That person may be called a hero but thenagain he may be called holier-than-thou, a squealer, or uptight.

We can reward moral courage in the Army by standing bysoldiers who are determined to act ethically at the threat ofrejection by peers. The purpose of honor is not to play a gameof "gotcha with people. Ethical leadership that loses sight ofcompassion or common sense ceases to be either ethical orleadership.

Leaders should speak the truth, cultivate what is honest, butnot lose sight of the people he leads. The slogan "Take care ofyour people?" is as old as the nation and we need to think aboutwhat it truly means.

Leaders do not take care of their people either by coveringfor them or by hanging them out to dry. It is in the gray areabetween these two extremes that ethical leaders may exhibit moralcourage.


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Respect is the regard and recognition of the absolute dignity

that every human being possesses.

Respect also indicates compassion and consideration of others.We must be sensitive to, and consider the feelings and needs ofothers. We must also be aware of the effect of our own behavior

on them. Respect also involves the notion of fairness.

Loyalty, when correctly understood (in order, from the

Constitution, to the U.S. Army, to the unit, to family/friendsand finally to self), establishes the correct ordering of ourcommitments. We are faithful. We support lawful orders. Wedon't undermine decisions.

Example: If I disagree with a course of action I should speakout. But once the final decision is made, I should support thatdecision. In other words, I should be loyal.

Integrityis "soundness of moral principle; the character of

uncorrupted virtue, especially in relation to truth and fairdealing, uprightness, honesty, and sincerity.

Integrity is that quality which keeps us on the right coursewhen an action is unethical, but it seems "everyone is doing it.

First of all, not everyone is doing it." Not every drillinstructor at Aberdeen was involved in sexual misconduct. Notevery general officer lies to Congress. Unethical behavior isunethical behavior, whether or not it is done by one person or by

dozens.

Look at it this way. Do you really want to tell the JAG officerwho is defending you at your court martial that the reason youstole 14 hockey sticks from the PX is because every single personin your unit was doing the same thing? You can see howridiculous this line of reasoning is.

Duty concerns purpose, mission, and objective. Soldiers are

expected to achieve their mission; carry out orders, and toserve, but we must achieve our mission honorably. The end doesnot justify the means. We may not sacrifice our principles for

purpose.

Furthermore, if a soldier elevates personal well-being beyondthat of purpose, which is mission accomplishment, he or she isguilty of crass "careerism" that has no proper place in themilitary ethic.


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We often expect individuals to exceed their duty. After all, thenations highest award is the Medal of Honor, defined as anindividual action "above and beyond the call of duty."

Honor makes up the public code for the Army. Honor and moral

identity stand together. By moral identity we mean the soldier

identifies with the Army values.

We need to look more closely at Honor, so that it will not bejust an abstract term. Honor is the Army principle.

A principle is a basic truth, a rule or standard of goodbehavior, an essential quality. The soldier's firstresponsibility is to the Army principle which says that soldiersmust obey all legal orders and disobey all illegal orders.

The war crimes tribunals after World War II showed thatblindly following orders is not acceptable. German officialswere sentenced to life in prison for blindly following orders.

We presume that orders are legal and ethical and therefore,binding. If however, a soldier receives an order that fliesagainst all that soldier has learned to value, to take pride in,to believe in--the order is possibly wrong.

Soldiers must ask themselves if their behavior wouldwithstand the scrutiny of publicity. Would they feel comfortableand proud or feel guilt, shame or sorrow. In other words, whatis honorable? Principle comes first.

These values are called functional values. By this we meanvalues that work. They have been applied since the days ofGeorge Washington and they have proven that they are successfuland necessary. The Army could not be sustained without them.

Social/Trends Values Versus Army Values

Now let's look at social trends/values versus Army values.Today's Army is not the one your grandfather experienced. Intimes past soldiers were easily integrated into the service;there was little difference between their personal values andthose of the Army. Our culture changed during the 1960s whenracism, the Kennedy and King assassinations, Vietnam, and thewomen's movement became a part of our national consciousness.

We, in this class, have been affected by these events andmay struggle with social values versus Army values. Asprofessional soldiers, in a military career for some years, wehave embraced Army values to one extent or another. We are notnew recruits.


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Army Values Social Trends/values

Selfless Service Distrust of institutionsCourage Self-relianceRespect Less nationalistic

Loyalty Less personal accountabilityIntegrity Less self disciplineDuty More self fulfillmentHonor More self serving

More avoidance of long termcommitments

Works to liveSeeks leisure over workCandid if convenient and

self promotingAcceptance of alternative

views

As leaders we must know that integrating future recruits maybe more difficult than in the past. The future recruit's valuesystem will be formed in a society that is becoming permissive interms of right and wrong. His values may be fundamentallydifferent from the Army's.

It has been said that the Army is a mirror of Americansociety. The values a soldier possesses have been instilledsince birth. Consider this opinion:

"He (the soldier) is what his home, his religion, his schoolingand the moral code and ideals of his society have made him. TheArmy cannot unmake him."

Certainly, some soldiers cannot be unmade, and are notsuitable for military service. However, we know many who can beinfluenced; who care enough about the Army to reevaluate the"lessons from childhood" and embrace our requirements.

Ethical Decision Making Help

In order to help us make ethical decisions the U.S. MilitaryAcademy, West Point has developed 3 rules of thumb we shouldconsider when we face an ethical conflict?

1. Does this action attempt to deceive anyone or allow anyone to

be deceived?

2. Does this action gain or allow the gain of a privilege or

advantage to which I or someone else would not otherwise be

entitled?


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3. Would I be satisfied if I were on the receiving end of this

action?

Here are some additional guidelines:

1. What would the unit be like if everyone did this?

2. Can I do this and make the assumption that everyone can do

the same thing?

3. If I had an audience and put out my idea would the audience

say yes or no?

Ethical Dilemmas

Definition: Ethical dilemma

Any dilemma usually involves a predicament in which we mustmake a decision on a course of action. In most cases thisdecision involves equally undesirable choices in which anysolution appears to be unwanted (to the decision maker or to theperson on the receiving end).

There are easy and tough dilemmas. The tough dilemmas requireleaders who can think and act on a principled level. Often,these decisions are so difficult because values conflict. One'sloyalty may be tested in a given situation. Should I be loyal tomy boss, my subordinates, my principles, or the nation? Can I be

loyal to all at the same time?

Often, competing interests will test our courage. At what costis any leader willing to accomplish a mission? These questionspose terribly difficult dilemmas when applied to real life.

Practical Exercise: The Drug Test

You are a leader about to go to the National Training Center(NTC). Your chain of command has emphasized how critical therotation to the California desert is--the entire unit has trainedextremely hard to do well. You have one soldier who has been to

NTC three times and has led the way in the preparation of yoursquad/platoon. You consider his experience and leadership to bevital in the success of your unit in the upcoming training cycle.

After a random unit-sweep urinalysis, the soldier comes toyou and tells you that his marriage is under severe stress andthat, last week, after getting drunk for the first time in hislife, he used cocaine, also for the first time. He deeplyregrets it.


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The results of the urinalysis turn out negative.

What should you do about the soldier's confession?

Following are considerations:

1. No matter how good a performer the soldier is and howcritical he is to the upcoming training mission, the precedent oftolerating drug use is a bad one. If the soldier did use drugs,confessed it, and nothing happened, won't he be more likely to doit again when stress gets high?

2. You have no substantial evidence of actual drug use. Maybethe soldier wants to get out of the upcoming deployment becauseof his wife.

3. If your soldiers conclude that they cannot be open with youabout their problems, they may not open up at all. The unit may

suffer.

4. The Army's policy concerning drug use is zero tolerance.Can you justifiably violate Army policy?

5. Everyone makes mistakes. Maybe this will be enough of ascare that the soldier will never do drugs again. On the otherhand, perhaps this was not the first time he has used drugs.Maybe he is in danger of addiction and needs help.

THE COMMAND ENVIRONMENT

Now we will look at the command environment and discuss itsimpact on ethical behavior. Each of us has the capacity to actadmirably or lamentably. What brings out the best or the worstin us is often the organizational climate we work in.

Institutional Pressures

The Army defines an institutional pressure as a factorinherent in the organizational environment that influences moralreasoning and moral behavior. While there are legitimatepressures that produce positive results, there are also factorswhich can produce negative outcomes and unethical behavior.

Institutional pressures which can produce unethical behavior are:

Frequent change in policies, priorities, schedules, andprocedures

Failure to establish priorities


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Excessive demands (too much to do with given resources or time).

Conflicting requirements

Misassignment of personnel (assignments to positions for which aperson lacks qualification).

Failure to provide guidance

Reprisals for whistle blowers.

What this situation brings us down to is our need to build anenvironment in which soldiers are encouraged and enabled to liveup to the highest standards of professionalism.

Zero Defects

One of our problems today is what is called zero defects.Zero defects is an attitude or environment that means make nomistakes, don't question decisions and, at all costs, don't bethe bearer of bad news.

Zero defects has occurred after other drawdowns because whenthere are fewer positions competition for promotion becomesfierce. The current drawdown has been difficult for the Army.Since 1989 we have cut 450,000 people out of the force and thishas been hard on soldiers and their families.

Nevertheless, we remain trained and ready and have not repeatedthe mistakes of past drawdowns. After WWII the Secretary of theArmy noted that "the enormous turnover of personnel madeeffective unit training virtually impossible." This is certainlynot our situation today.

Now that the drawdown ends we must display positive, creativeleadership, stamp out the zero defects mentality and create anenvironment where all soldiers can reach their full potential.The Chief of Staff's position is that zero defects can only beovercome by positive leadership. He says:

"The fear of delegating authority to subordinates is not a newphenomenon. The zero defects mentality-where a commander feelshis command must be error free-is not new. But we must possessthe moral courage to deny this damaging philosophy that says itis worse to report a mistake than it is to make one. This lackof moral courage in peacetime can have disastrous results inbattle."


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Ethical Use of Authority

In addition to sorting out zero defects, there is a built ininstitutional pressure we have to contend with called ethical useof authority.

The structure of our profession, even though essential, isthe natural breeding ground for the unethical use of authority.The power and influence of a first sergeant is greater than thatof a staff sergeant. The influence of a general officer is trulyawesome. This fact requires a clear understanding of the meaningof rank.

In the Army hierarchy there are various levels ofresponsibility. Each level of responsibility is assigned adegree of authority. Rank is simply a badge of the authorityvested in a person to carry out a specific level ofresponsibility.

When authority is used to fulfill responsibility it is usedlegitimately and ethically. When authority is used for purposesnot directly associated with carrying out assignedresponsibilities, it is being used illegitimately andunethically.

As we go up in rank, those of lower grade tend more readily toassume that we are using our authority legitimately andethically, because of the high regard with which junior holdsenior leaders. Think about that.

Exploitation of Subordinates

MG Clay Buckingham (USA, Ret.) says that one of the mostwidespread abuses of authority is the exploitation ofsubordinates. In other words, the quote "successful leader"unquote is the one who doesn't get ulcers, but gives ulcers; asthe one who is hard, unfeeling. You may not agree with thegeneral, but here is his opinion about who some people admire:

"We admire the person with 'guts;, the person who drives hispeople hard, who has the reputation for firing subordinates, whogoes for the jugular, who works his people long hours a day. Weset these people up and idolize them.

Even in industry. We like the kind of guy who moves in as theCEO and fires three-fourths of the vice presidents the firstweek. He gets things done! He's got guts! Remember thetelevision show "Dallas" and how we enjoyed seeing J.R. wheel-and-deal?


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Here is who the general thinks we should admire: "But what aboutthe cool-headed leader who takes a group of misfits and moldsthem into an effective highly-spirited team? What about theleader who sees the potential of a young soldier who isperforming only marginally and through coaching and encouragingturns him into a first-rate performer?

We seldom hear about these people. We don't hold them up asexamples as much as we should. The higher we go, the moreimportant it is to be careful that our impact on the lives andcareers and families of our subordinates is positive and notnegative.

A final word about abuse of power. The higher we go, theeasier it is to misuse authority. The checks that we had asjunior leaders become less evident.

We gradually begin to believe that we really don't need to

seek the counsel of others. We begin to rationalize smallpersonal indiscretions that we would never accept in asubordinate.

What Can I Do?

Some of you may be thinking that you are helpless to doanything about the command environment. You may say, "What doyou mean, foster a positive command environment. I have a bosswho is zero defects and who works me 14 hours a day. What onearth do you think I can do?"

First, I'll challenge you not to be morally lazy and cop-out byconveniently blaming someone else. Remember that trite oldsaying, "If I'm not part of the solution I'm part of theproblem.

There are things we can do to enhance a climate ofprofessionalism. What are some of the important ones?

1. Set an example in personal and professional conduct bydemonstrating commitment to the highest standards and diligenteffort to live up to those standards.

2. Communicate to all subordinates what your standards are, andthat you expect them to live up to those standards as well. Besure they understand what you mean, and what you expect; helpthem appreciate how that translates into day-to-day behavior.

3. Ensure that the professional environment (to the extent wehave control over it) is supportive of ethical behavior and notsupportive of behavior that is ethically flawed.


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This means ensuring that in all aspects of our leadership(evaluation of subordinates, competition with other units,methods of motivating subordinates, etc.) we operate in a waythat encourages and rewards ethical behavior on the part of oursubordinates and discourages unethical behavior.

4. Recognize that we have more control over the professionalenvironment than we realize. If we communicate our commitment tohigh standards to our fellow soldiers they will be more likely torespect those high standards in dealing with us.

5. If we connect with like-minded peers, our joint commitmentto high standards can improve the organization's professionalism.If we find unethical practices, and devise other--moreacceptable-ways to get the mission accomplished we can changeundesirable patterns of behavior. If we are generous inrecognizing highly professional performance we can build new

bonds of shared commitment to high standards.

6. And if, when necessary, we stand up to be counted byrefusing to compromise our standards we set an example thatseniors, peers, and subordinates can learn from.

RELATIONSHIPS

Let's look at ethics another way. The central element inethical situations appears to involve human relationships. Inthis part of class we will explore ethics in terms of the variousrelationships typical in military units.

For our purposes, we will concentrate on relationships withsuperiors, peers and subordinates. We need to remember thatrelationships don't manage themselves. We must nurture anddevelop them.

Relationships with Subordinates

Be Candid

Candor means being straight and it is a two way street.Honesty is as important to a subordinate as it is to a superior.We must spend time with soldiers talking with them face-to-faceabout their performance. Everyone wants feedback. We need totell soldiers when they make mistakes and then coach them tosucceed.


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Listen

We must also listen to soldiers. We will always learn fromthem. Here is an example: A battalion commander had a problem inrecovery operations. It always took an excessively long time torefuel the vehicles after field operations. One day, the fuel

truck driver told the commander how it could be done in one-fourth the time. He suggested that instead of having the fueltruck go through the motor pool, the vehicles should drivethrough a refueling station before going to the motor pool. Thesoldier closest to the issue solved a major problem.

Be Predictable

Leaders must help reduce stress in units. Many of oursoldiers have back-to-back deployments and extended separationsfrom their families. on average, soldiers assigned to a TO&E nowspend 138 days a year away from home. Some soldiers say they

don't know what is going to happen two weeks out; they don't knowif they are going to work on weekends or not.

First, we must keep the training schedule in line with FM 25-100, "Training the Force." This FM allows us to plan in advance.We should lock in training events four weeks in advance, andsoldiers should know a month out if they are off on a weekend-andwe must honor that commitment to them. Improved predictabilitymust be a goal.

Discriminate

In unit after unit we find leaders who cannot or will notdiscriminate the more important tasks from those of lesserconsequence.

The average soldier knows what is or is not important, and thereis no quicker way for a leader to lose the respect and supportthan to demand of them unstinting efforts on an unimportant task.

The leader who does not use judgment and restraint in tasking histroops is acting in an exploitative, ethically flawed and unwisemanner.

Prioritize

Now that we know not to waste a soldiers time on unimportanttasks, what about the many, many important tasks that require ourattention. What do we do about those?

We realize the normal condition is that there is not enough ofanything--time, people, money, repair parts, whatever. Good


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leaders prioritize and accept responsibility for theconsequences.

This action takes moral courage because there will be someonehigher up who points out an area where the unit has not done

well, or has done nothing, on purpose, as a result of assigning a

low priority to that job.

Many leaders do OK in establishing priorities, the harderpart comes when we have to stand up and be counted in terms ofdefending the results of having done so. Weak leaders are thensometimes tempted to blame subordinates for the priorities theleader himself dictated.

Evaluate Fairly

We must evaluate subordinates fairly. This rule seemssimple, but in practice it is often ignored. What goes wrong,

and how can we set things right?

A leader sets standards, collects information on how wellthings are going and then evaluates people based on their units,performance. This notion is so flawed that it can lead toethical shortcomings.

Many things affect a unit beyond the leader's influence:strength of the unit; the experience and ability of the peopleassigned; the resources; the prior state of training before theleader took over; and so on.

Yes, every leader evaluates readiness in terms of theseoutside factors. The point is, that during evaluations, the

outside problemsmay be overlooked. We cannot just look at

performance.

Consequently, the ethical evaluation of subordinates should bebased not on how well they do the job but how well they do it

consideringwhat they were given to work with.

Be Careful with Promises

The next idea to consider is that we should never promiseanything we cannot deliver. Trust, and especially mutual trust,is at the heart of whatever it is that makes a unit more thanjust a collection of individuals located in the same spot. To beethical we must be reliable in word and deed.

Trust can break down quickly in a unit and it stays broken. Inaddition to simply keeping one's word on matters that we control,


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it is important not to make commitments on things that we cannotcontrol.

Cast Your Lot with the Unit

This idea means that to link our own success with the unit,we prosper when the unit prospers. The leader who shifts blame

for failure to protect his own future will quickly earn thedisrespect of his subordinates.

Casting our lot with the unit also means we are willing torecognize problems and accept them as our own, including theresponsibility for solving them, or not solving them if an answercannot be found.

Much of the bitterness in the Army a decade ago stemmed fromfeelings on the part of many leaders that their seniors did notwant to acknowledge, or be involved in trying to deal with somevery difficult problems, including drug abuse, racial tension,

even though they were holding junior leaders accountable forfailing to eliminate such problems. Such unwillingness torecognize and help deal with real problems is clearly unethical.

Keep the Focus on Soldiers

In closing the discussion on our responsibility tosubordinates, here is what General Reimer says: "Leaders shouldtake their guidance from the top but focus on their soldiers. Ifyour focus is on soldiers, then you are doing the right thing.Focusing on 'the boss' leads to the attitudes we are trying tostamp out today."

Relationships with Peers

The next area of ethical responsibility concerns ourrelationships with our peers. Relationships with peers are atthe heart of the satisfactions of service in any profession.Peers become life long friends, provide the bulk of support andencouragement. Their approval is, in many ways, the mostimportant reward of service.

For anyone aspiring to be a member of a profession, his mostprecious possession is his professional reputation and peerrelationships are the principal basis for professionalreputation.

Encourage and Acknowledge the Accomplishments of Fellow Soldiers

This rule focuses attention on the unproductive, destructivenature of too much competition. Every leader is expected to dohis best and to seek the highest level of responsibility he can


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attain. Ethical problems enter the picture when success isachieved by "beating out" the competition.

Be aware that the first problem after anyone is promoted isto find some help.

If, in the course of getting there, you have alienated yourpeers through destructive competition; and damaged your

reputation, help is going to be hard to find.

If you are generous in recognizing and acknowledging theachievements of peers you will find a far more rewarding stancethan those who have begrudged and envied the successes of theirpeers.

We must remember that the professional environment is not now,and never will be ideal. Some who do not deserve to do so willprosper, while others who have earned advancement will sometimesfind themselves disappointed. It is, however, the essence ofethical conduct to adhere to standards no matter the outcome.

Relationships with Superiors

The Army makes enormous demands on military leaders. But,there are also great opportunities for the follower to exertethical leadership in the relationship. What is the first pointwe should remember about dealing with a superior?

Give a superior every bit of loyalty to which he is entitled.

This point does not mean that only an able superior deservesthe loyalty of his subordinates. Probably an inept commanderneeds loyalty more (and will be more grateful for it).

We must assume that every leader is behaving ethically and isdoing the best job he can do. Loyalty from subordinates requiresthat they do not undercut him, either to their own subordinatesor to others inside or outside the organization.

It requires us to do all in our power to compensate for hisshortcomings and to teach him gracefully those things he needs toknow to be more effective in his job.

We must attempt to carry out his instructions, at the same timeworking diplomatically to help shape those instructions to ensurethat they will be as appropriate as possible.

It is easy and rewarding to be loyal to an outstanding leader whosets the example in every respect, but it is no less important togive loyalty to less able superiors entrusted with leadership.

Where the line is drawn, however, is at the bounds of ethicalconduct. This point was lost on many of those involved with the


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Watergate affair. They failed to realize that one never has anobligation, out of loyalty, to aid a superior in unethicalbehavior, or to cover up for him if he is unethical.

Actually, we are obliged, in such cases, to look to our ownethical conduct and do what is necessary and appropriate in the

situation.

Inform superiors when you do not or cannot carry out theirorders.

Superiors are entitled to assume obedience on the part oftheir subordinates. Most vigorous soldiers like to operate on along leash, getting mission-type orders rather than detailedinstructions and being left to get the job done without beingover-supervised.

The price of this privilege, and it has an essential ethical

element, is accountability to the superior who provides such anoperational climate.

Superiors keep aware of what is going on by a variety of means.One of the most important is what they are told by subordinates.

When a subordinate earns his leader's trust by showing that hecan be relied on to report fairly, completely and on time, hewill become the most valued source of information for thatleader.

Remember, the subordinate seeking to improve his appearance bywithholding bad news or reporting incompletely will find (usuallytoo late and to his regret) that he has lost something morevaluable--his leader's trust.

The best means of protecting ourselves against being pressured toperform dishonorable acts is to Establish our ethical stanceearly on in a new assignment.

This action may also inspire, and instruct a weak superiorwho might otherwise be tempted to compromise his own ethicalstandards.

Every superior can remember when some petty dishonesty wasexpected of him; a situation which would be to his (supposed )advantage if he cut a few corners in terms of his personalintegrity. Examples range through certifying the destruction ofclassified materials without witnessing it to signing forinventories that have not been conducted.


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Example: One officer assigned to inspect expended rounds on the

rifle range was told by his company commander to just sign thecertificates and get in the jeep, as he was in a hurry. Thelieutenant declined to make the certification without completingthe inspection which he proceeded to carry out. For his troublehe got to walk the 5 miles back to the company area.

But he was never again asked to do anything dishonest by thatcommander who, in fact, boosted the younger officer ahead ofothers to take over the command when the commander wasreassigned.

Most pressures to compromise our integrity are subtle butoccasionally we may receive an order to do something we believeto be dishonest or illegal. What do we do?

Deal directly with questionable orders. Some soldiers findthat an effective technique is to talk the matter over quietlyand privately with the person who issued the order, explainingwhy it would be improper to carry it out and requesting that itbe withdrawn. If possible, suggest an alternative solution thatis not ethically flawed.

If the superior persists it can be effective to ask for the orderin writing. In some cases, this request will be enough to getthe superior to change his mind, while, in other cases, thewritten order can be the basis for further discussion with higherlevel leaders or staff advisers.

Never bet the future where integrity is concerned?

Some leaders, unhappy with what they view as dishonest orunprofessional practices rationalize that they will not objectbecause it could jeopardize their own further progress.

They tell themselves, when they get to a high enough position toreally have some influence, then they will bring about reform.

This is an insidious approach, with the result nearly alwaysbeing that the person who takes it wakes up one day to find thathe can no longer remember the values he once sought to advance.

Do You Love Me?

Now we are going to revisit one of the thorniest ethicalproblems. How can I be loyal to the Army and also support myfellow soldiers? This conflict requires some guidelines.

Our fellow soldiers are living, breathing important parts of ourlives and we have feelings about them. Many of us also have


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feelings about the Army when we see the flag waving, but thenotion may be more vague than those we have about our fellowman.

In our personal relationships we must recognize the pressure togo along with what we know to be wrong and our fear ofdisapproval.

These pressures are typically subtle and the issues are sogarden-variety they don't get our attention.

We would be totally alert to an ethical dilemma if we were askedto lie to the commander. But, some things just don't jump outand flash, "ETHICS PROBLEM." We want to be well thought of, to bepleasant and helpful so what's a little bending of the rules (orbreaking a little rule)? I'll just do my buddy a favor.

There are a couple of problems here. First, there is areason for the rule (although we may not know it); the rule

serves a purpose. Second, when we break a rule, no matter howsmall, we send the message that it is acceptable to break rules.It is frequently so much easier to be the good guy, to give a pala break than to follow the book. Remember the question earlierin the lesson, "What if everyone did this?" We wouldn't have anyrules.

We must remember that if our actions are based on theaffection of peers we have a too desperate need to be loved.

And it also helps to remember what Vice Admiral JamesStockdale had to say about the relationship between the two:

"The man who needs to be loved is an extortionists dream.

That man will do anything to avoid face-to-face unpleasantness;

often he will sell his soul for praise. He can be had."

In closing, we need to remember that principles and notfeelings must guide our decisions. "Tough leadership decisions

do not always have happy endings..... You may not always be

rewarded for integrity and candor. The point is that you have tolive with yourself and before you can gain the respect of others,you must respect yourself.,,


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Answer to Practical Exercise: For RC students only

In this case the leader did not report the incident.However, the consensus of the ,ethical experts" is that he didthe wrong thing.

Leaders must support the Army's rules, for by not doing sothey send a message to each member of their unit that we candecided what rules to follow and what rules not to follow.

Further, the soldier probably needs help that the system canprovide. The leader can speak in defense of the soldier, but heshould report the incident.

Download - 39 SR1 Appl Ethics

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