Leadership Corruption: Two true stories

Nighttime in Nairobi. The policeman who had pulled me over let his rifle barrel drift through my rolled-down window. He casually let it wander in my direction, “Do you think that, perhaps, you might have a gift for me?”

Obvious Corruption

Broad daylight, anywhere USA. The CEO of ACME Co. signs a contract to receive services from a respected director on the board. Neither the CEO nor the director disclosed the conflict of interest to the board. The board chair finds out about it but doesn’t want to rock the boat. Doesn’t mention it.

Still corrupt. But not obvious.

What does corrupt mean? What does it mean to be corrupt?

According to dictionary.com, corruption means:

• Guilty of dishonest practices, as bribery; lacking integrity; crooked: a corrupt judge.
• Debased in character; depraved; perverted; wicked; evil: a corrupt society.
• To destroy the integrity of; cause to be dishonest, disloyal, etc., especially by bribery.
• To lower morally; pervert: to corrupt youth.
• To alter (a language, text, etc.) for the worse; debase.

Basically, corrupt means to take something good and:

• Misuse it for your own benefit or
• Make it bad
• Damage its credibility

When people think of corruption, they think of something like my first vignette above: The abuse of power through bribery and “favors” and so on.

But when a leader “destroys the integrity of” institutions or their roles, that is also corrupt. Consider the second vignette. The three leaders all undermined the credibility of their roles and organization.

Maybe, at the end of the day, there was nothing inappropriate going on. But maybe there was. Either way, the integrity of the process was damaged. The precedent was set. A future conflict of interest will be that much more likely to be tolerated or ignored.

What Causes Leaders to Act Corruptly?

Leaders will damage or pervert the integrity of their positions for a range of reasons. These include – but are not limited to:

• The need for affirmation
• Impatience
• Laziness
• Embarrassment
• Cowardice
• Ambition
• Pride
• Greed
• Power

The most insidious corruption isn’t the overtness of slipping someone a $50 bill in a handshake. Nor donating several million dollars to the college you’d like to send your kids to.  Nor presidential children accepting diamonds from Chinese tycoons, or attracting billions of dollars of investments from Saudi Princes.

That’s everyday news corruption. 

It’s the less overt corruption that is the more insidious:

– Nice leaders who are afraid to ask a direct question.

– Leaders who don’t insist on due process.

– Impatient leaders who cut corners.

– Lazy leaders who don’t do their homework.

– Ambitious leaders who neglect stewardship.

Not to forget: The self-righteous, pragmatic corruption of leaders who feel like their cause, person, or issue is so uniquely special that the ends justify whatever means necessary.

Insidious corruption is simply this:

Leaders who don’t ensure that the right things are done the right way.

Why it Matters

Corruption destroys credibility. When leaders and institutions aren’t credible, people lose hope. People without hope either give up or take matters into their own hands.

Take a look at the news.

How to Fix It

I can’t clean someone else’s house. (At least not without their invitation.) But I can clean mine.

Leaders restore integrity and trust by focusing on what they control. By ensuring that our actions and decisions have integrity.

Simple. Not always easy.

It means choosing to do the right things in the right ways and the best that we can. As we do this, we teach those watching (someone is always watching) to do this as well.

Take good care,

Christian

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