Why Ethical Leadership is Critical During the Pandemic
Situation: The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of 317,000 Americans and hospitalized many more. In response, many political leaders and health experts have encouraged and implemented restrictions on activities in the hopes of slowing the spread. Millions of Americans have sacrificed their employment, education, and family ties to comply with the rules. Most people trusted the politicians’ warnings and were willing to deal with the inconvenience and personal losses if it ensured safety for them, their loved ones, and society at large. One problem lately has been multiple examples of politicians acting contrary to their own advice and regulations. California Governor Gavin Newsom was seen eating dinner with multiple households at the luxury restaurant The French Laundry, three days after scolding Californians for attending social gatherings. He stated that the increase of cases was due to people “letting their guard down,” and attending even small social meetings would lead to a dramatic rise in cases. Unfortunately, the problem is not just Newsom. Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, traveled to one of her vacation properties in Delaware with three generations of family. The incident occurred after she asked Americans to “be vigilant” and limit celebrations to “your immediate household.” The blatant disregard for adhering to safety protocols is no more evident than in the White House with Vice President Mike Pence refusing to wear a mask while touring the Mayo Clinic and with President Trump ignoring mask-wearing mandates in numerous situations.
Why it matters: Using the examples above, it is evident that political leaders are not following the safety protocols they are enforcing, but why does that matter? Did Dr. Brix infect a large number of people by visiting her family in Delaware? Was Gavin Newsom gathering a super spreader event? The answer is most likely no; neither of those examples probably led to a massive increase in cases. However, that doesn’t change the fact that politicians and health officials ignoring the very rules and regulations they put in place can be detrimental to society and indirectly lead to a massive increase of cases. This is due to their lack of ethical leadership, which diminishes the people’s trust and perception of them and inevitably leads to more rule-breaking. The University of Kentucky Community Toolbox suggests some reasons WHY ethical leadership is important. Some of the key elements that are important to consider during the pandemic are:
- Models behavior for the larger community
- Builds trust
- Brings credibility and respect for the leader
- Can lead to collaboration
- Provides basis for moral high ground to counter opposition
Citizens struggling to adhere to the straining restrictions will see politicians recklessly ignore them and come to the common conclusion that “if they are doing it, why shouldn’t I.” While this argument is an argumentum ad verecundiam or an appeal to authority fallacy, especially when the political leaders are not necessarily public health experts, it is particularly damaging in the case of Dr. Birx who does represent health authority in the county and who SHOULD be modeling the exact behavior she is asking Americans to do. Politicians being hypocritical and creating legislation they don’t follow is nothing new; however, during a pandemic where people’s lives are at risk, it is imperative that they follow the guidelines of ethical leadership and lead by example.
