Humanise: Why Human-Centred Leadership is the Key to the 21st Century

CHAPTER 13 Navigating life with a moral compass

‘But we do not have to think that human nature is perfect for us to still believe that the human condition can be perfected. We do not have to live in an idealized world to still reach for those ideals that will make it a better place. The non-violence practiced by men like Gandhi and King may not have been practical or possible in every circumstance, but the love that they preached — their faith in human progress — must always be the North Star that guides us on our journey.

‘For if we lose that faith — if we dismiss it as silly or naïve; if we divorce it from the decisions that we make on issues of war and peace — then we lose what is best about humanity. We lose our sense of possibility. We lose our moral compass.'

BARACK OBAMA

A moral compass

‘I was given a moral compass second to none,' said Marty Holleran, former President and CEO of Electrolux Home Care and Thomson Consumer Electronics (RCA).¹ He attributed this to the example of his parents and the strong community environment in which he was raised.

Just as the ship's compass pointed to magnetic north and so enabled me to take a bearing and follow a course with confidence, you can rely on your moral compass to point toward ‘north' and guide your journey. When you find yourself in a fog of uncertainty, when you have no map for the voyage and the path is unclear, your compass will provide a reliable bearing that you can follow with confidence.

A moral compass (see figure ...