Articles on leadership and integrity by Edward Morler, MBA, Ph.D., author of multiple award-winning book, The Leadeship Integrity Challenge

Articles

The Enneagram - A Brief Overview
by Kathy Eckles, M.A., A. Hahn, Psy.D., and J. Beckett, MBA

Clearly, we appear to have inexplicable differences. Typically our
understanding is limited by our own frame of reference. The Enneagram, an ancient system of understanding personalities and their core motivations, is a tool that helps us release our limited points of view, in turn broadening our understanding and appreciation of our differences. As we create more receptive environments, we more fully access the gifts and abilities of each of us.

	Essence Values and Social Values by Edward Morler, M.B.A., Ph.D.

". . . Essence values are those energetic qualities foundational to our very being, characterized by: 1) a presence that contributes to a more positive, supportive environment; 2) inclusiveness versus exclusiveness; and 3) independence of—but responsibly considers—context, circumstance, social mores, or external sources of acceptance. Examples are: authenticity, honesty, empathy, compassion, allowance, generosity, love and forgiveness. . . ."
	Doing What's Right - Finding an Objective Measure by Edward Morler, M.B.A., Ph.D.
"What is the right thing? By whose standard? By whose interpretation? From what perspective? Judgments of right or wrong, good or bad, ugly or beautiful are subjective. They are opinions, not facts. To reiterate, at each emotional level, individuals have different subjective, but generally predictable, sets of associated attitudes and behaviors. By knowing these sets, we can assess a person’s corresponding level of emotional maturity. Similarly, by knowing the emotional level at which the person is functioning, we can reliably describe that person’s basic attitudes and perspectives as well as predict likely behavior. . . ."
	Integrity and Greatness by Edward Morler, M.B.A., Ph.D.
". . . Those readily acknowledged as great—Lincoln, Gandhi, and King—lived and acted from essence values; love, caring, compassion, authenticity, responsibility, allowance, inclusion, and so on. Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot violated them all, reacting instead out of self-centered fear and rage. For Lincoln, Gandhi, and King, essence values were their starting point; they responded from a position of caring and compassion. That foundation and perspective allowed them to stand tall against considerable social pressure as well as their own human foibles. Today’s and tomorrow’s leaders may want to bear this in mind when they find themselves reacting to momentary pressures such as stock prices and popularity polls rather than responding to fundamental needs. Doing so skews priorities, misallocates resources, and is always limiting and rationalized. . . ."
	What Makes Leadership Positive by Edward Morler, M.B.A., Ph.D.
"Leadership is a dynamic process of keeping others reaching and moving beyond where they are. Effective persuasion and motivation are about addressing and meeting perceived needs. Leadership styles vary, but effective motivators have one thing in common: they have learned to relate at a level that meets their audience’s need for and perception of something better. What that perception is depends largely on that audience’s emotional state. Part of that process involves the leader accurately assessing the constituent’s actual emotional level; communicating slightly above that level; and suggesting, offering, or modeling what that audience perceives as something better, thereby drawing them up. . . . The fact is that leadership can be positive or negative, constructive or destructive. The determining factor is the leader’s own emotional level. An individual is only capable of leading others to his or her level of emotional maturity and no further. Leadership stuck in the lower levels (disconnected from essence values) is inevitably destructive. . . . "
	A Call to Leadership by Edward Morler, M.B.A., Ph.D.
"The history of the human race contains a continuing pattern of self-centered, hurtful and destructive behavior. We have decimated environments, annihilated species, and destroyed cultures—due to the influence of immature people who lack integrity. The Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, the Congo, Liberia, Bosnia, Somalia, and Darfur are only some of the more recent and ongoing atrocities. By and large, most of us have been, and are continuing to be, complicit in such failures—choosing to rationalize turning a blind eye where courage and integrity are needed. Passive acceptance of such tragedies is itself a lack of integrity and contributes to feeling separated, alone, powerless and afraid. The impact of integrity’s lack is never isolated and rears its ugly head in many forms . . ."
	When Integrity Is Absent: Recognizing the Signs by Edward Morler, M.B.A., Ph.D.
"It is essential not to confuse the qualities of integrity with charisma, eloquence, charm, or even bottom-line performance. Those qualities and that performance may be very important, sometimes critical, but they are secondary to the fundamental importance of integrity. Without integrity, other qualities or achievements will be corrupted and abused. When integrity is not a primary standard for all behaviors, is not highly valued for its own sake, or is considered impractical or unimportant or made into a joke or a nonissue, we can observe the following well-rationalized manifestations: . . ."
	From Blame and Responsibility: The Key to Power and Empowerment by Edward Morler, M.B.A., Ph.D.
"A powerful exercise is to look at what and how we blame. The faults we find in others are often indicators of what we need to look at in ourselves. If we are willing, we can use what we are upset about as a reflection to help us identify and own some aspect of ourselves that we are denying or have not recognized before. We are responsible for our impact. Others are responsible for their impact. The more of our impact we recognize and take responsibility for, the more empowered we become. When we realize we are blaming and/or defending (symptoms of an unwillingness to confront something), we need to find and own what responsibility we’ve been avoiding and/or denying. If we are willing to use what upsets us as a mirror to look deeper and to take more responsibility for our impact, we open the door to expanded awareness, growth and empowerment. We need to recognize and own our piece of a situation—no more, no less. . . ."

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