Interview with a CEO - moral courage is a hallmark of excellent leadership 

Patrick is HM Lord-Lieutenant for Sutherland and former officer in the British Army, with roles including Commandant at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, commander of the 7th Armoured Brigade and commander of British forces in Southern Iraq. He is a self-effacing person, exuding wisdom and experience with humility and generosity.

Phil, Kareena and Nicole took a few moments to interview Patrick to explore what we can learn in Guernsey that will help us, in any setting, to lead with courage.  

Kareena: It is said that moral courage is a hallmark of excellent leadership, do you agree?  

Patrick: Moral courage is fundamental to what it means to lead well.  The willingness to make a clear decision that’s for the good of others and implement that decision with compassion is essential.   

Nicole: What does moral courage look like in practice?  

Patrick: Some examples will include speaking truth to power; speaking up and challenging ’the boss’ when needed. Ideally, the leader will also receive this challenge and adapt their decision accordingly.

Moral courage is facing fear and pressing forward with what someone knows to be the right thing - morally. Upholding justice, especially when the powers seek to act unjustly, takes moral fibre.

Moral courage is the mental power to overcome wrong, whether the temptation to do wrong, or overcome the wrong observed within the company. It’s upholding the truth, especially when people would rather hear a glossy version of the truth rather than the warts-and-all version.  

Phil: Why do we need to spend the next two days exploring moral courage?  

Patrick: Indeed the idea sounds straightforward, but sadly moral courage is seemingly in short supply.  There are a plethora of high-profile examples of leaders who’ve acted without courage and in some cases with dubious or self-serving morals. This in turn undermines the people’s trust. Why follow someone who is apparently in it for their own benefit? 

There is an adage attributed to Lord Acton that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is often borne out. The best leaders continually check themselves to ensure that hubris has not taken hold and instead, that they are leading from a place of healthy morals.  

Nicole: What makes the courage become ‘moral’ courage?   

Patrick: There are universally accepted objective ideas about what is right and what is wrong at a fundamental level. This moral law sits about all others.

Whilst there are nuances, what we regard as morality is pretty consistent. That is to be of good character, ethically virtuous, upholding truth and justice, acting with honour and integrity and defending the weak and the powerless. If we could all align our lives around these qualities, the world would be a much better place! But it’s rarely as easy as that, we are continually tempted towards quick fixes, self-centred actions and disguising our mistakes.  

Phil: How can we develop moral courage in our organisations? 

Patrick: Like any training, it can be designed for. It’s about creating consistent small steps rather than dumping people into it. 

1.  First, leaders must lay the foundation and teach those core values that we’ve been discussing already. 

2. Second, give a few phrases that impress on the memory. For example, “do as you ought, not as you want”. 

3. Third, study examples of where people have got it right and where they have got it wrong and learn from other people’s experiences. 

4. Fourth is to practice. Provide the stretching, uncountable experiential training that might lead to failure but will help the people to experience what it feels like to make tough decisions under pressure. The merits of a good, trusted mentor cannot be understated - someone who can provide feedback and challenge, underpinning the individual’s development.  

Kareena: Is there one analogy you can leave us with that helps us understand the importance of making morally courageous choices?  

Patrick:  There are many! I particularly like C.S. Lewis’ example of the man who hears a cry for help from someone who’s in danger in the sea. He will feel two instincts, an impulse to help and a desire to keep out of danger. And in addition, a third thing - moral courage - that tells him that he ought to follow the instinct to help and suppress the desire to run away.

Excellent leaders don’t run away; these are the people that people choose to follow.