Boyd speaks of moral conflict.
I would speak of moral leadership.
What do I/we mean?
To take responsibility for the courage, confidence, and esprit of those in your care. That is moral leadership.
Without it, we cannot triumph over the fear, anxiety, alienation that arises when confronted with menace, uncertainty, mistrust.
To neglect this responsibility as a leader is a grave error.
Especially now, as organizations burn (figuratively or not).
Those fires started long ago, when moral legitimacy was lost to corruption, injustice, and incompetence. Today, in so many companies, I fear I see smoke creeping out from under office doors.
Some leaders (my ideal clients) see it, too.
They calmly restore integrity and competence.
They serve the needs of those in their care.
They bear the weight of moral leadership.
They know it’s better to do this now than to wait.
Waiting is passivity in the unfolding crisis.
The time to act is now.
// Patterns of Conflict, John Boyd