You may be wondering why I would highlight such a dichotomy with just eight days until the General Presidential Election of 2024. You may further wonder what the famous poem by Shelly or this election cycle has to do with business. Well, Servant Leader, I'm glad you asked.
For those who don't know, I spent more than five years managing and leading at different levels on US Government contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. I remember my first job in Iraq: I was the Site Administrator in Fallujah for a translation services contract. Despite the long days and constant threat of danger, I remember that position very fondly for the interaction I had with the local workforce. The lessons I learned in those countries were foundational for me as a servant leader. As a sheltered, pampered American, I had seen poverty (I grew up in West Virginia, folks), but I had never experienced the tangible nexus of poverty and corruption on the sliding scale of life until then. Prior to that deployment, my view of corruption was black-and-white. Corruption - bad. (gorilla thumps chest)
But you see, Servant Leader, the cunning people of Iraq and Afghanistan taught me that corruption does in fact exist on a scale. It resides on a spectrum that finds on one side, survival, and on the other, exploitation. Everyone I met in Iraq and Afghanistan was corrupt. Read that again. Not a single local national I met or employed in either Iraq or Afghanistan was innocent of theft, deceit, or for some, murder. Most of the locals' mantra was a modification of "The Golden Rule," which implores us to "Do unto others as we would have them do unto us." Theirs, I learned, was:
Do unto others before they do unto you.
There is an entire Middle Eastern proverb situated around that modification, and it assumes that the only way to advance, to get ahead, to prevent someone else from stealing from you or hurting you or yours is to beat them to the punch. But you see, Servant Leader, their corruption was borne mostly from survival. For a generation that knew only war, dictatorship, or strict theocracy, corruption was all about taking enough food to feed the children, stealing enough money to buy gas for the generator, or lying about anything enough to turn it into an advantage that furthered their ability to survive. So, while legally wrong, their survival level of corruption carried a modicum of ethical righteousness. Theirs is the reason the story of Robin Hood or the entreaties of Social Democrats resonate with low-income American voters:
"They" don't really need everything they have, and they probably won't even miss it if I only take a little. After all, I need it to survive. I can use a little of what they earned to get ahead.
The problem with this ethical dilemma is that it's still morally wrong and represents a slippery slope to the other side of the spectrum: Exploitation.
And that's the other story of Iraq and Afghanistan. While the mainstream media constantly barrages us with stories of the ultra-rich vs. the impoverished, the have's vs. the have-not's, even Republicans vs. Democrats, the fact is few places in our One Nation Under God can rival the vast gulf of corruption I witnessed in Iraq and Afghanistan. While the everyman fought for scraps to feed their family and stole what they couldn't earn, the ruling elite hoarded billions in cash, established laws that lined their pockets, and severed the hands of those caught stealing from their vast coffers (even if the theft was bread to feed a family). These were the masters of "Do unto others before they do unto you."
So, what does scripture say about corruption?
"For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death." (Romans 7:5, NKJV)
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." (Galatians 6:7-8, NKJV)
Corruption is the base state of all life. Devoid of the Holy Spirit's leading, we revert to our base state: Corruption. Therefore, every single person I have met in my life who has achieved a state of moral relativity is corrupt. Read that again. Since corruption is our base state, we are all at risk of corruption.
Thanks for sticking with me this far, Servant Leader, because this information is foundational to our discussion. Once we agree that all life is careening towards corruption (whether physically or morally) and we must be proactive in defending life, then we can have an honest discussion about corruption in business.
But you may ask, aren't cunning and strength prized qualities in leaders?
To an extent, yes. Servant Leaders should empower our people to outthink, outmaneuver, and outlast our competitors. We should build in them the strength to be morally courageous even in the face of career danger. The role of servant leader is to create an environment that is safe for growth but also just risky enough and with just enough pressure to avoid complacency, convenience, or comfort - three C's that stifle competitive advantage.
But as servant leaders we must also shield our people from those whose cunning and strength fall more on the exploitation side of the corruption spectrum. We must stand in the gap and deflect the corrupt arrows of those who wield their position as a tool of self-empowerment and self-promotion, or whose modus operandi is to tear down others as a means of elevating themselves. Servant leaders must sacrifice the low ground and operate only on the high ground - because corruption is our base state too.
**One final thought on cunning and strength. As we approach the General Election, consider which candidate rightly uses their cunning and strength to shield the American people from harm, to stand in the gap for America on the international stage, and to deflect the arrows of equally damaging internal and external influences whose only goals are self-empowerment and self-promotion. If you can't answer that simple question, maybe do a little more research before exercising your God-given right to vote as a United States citizen.
