United States Military Academy: Leadership Lessons for America

The cadet honor code of the United States Military Academy at West Point is engraved on marble in the center of campus,

"A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do."

Complimenting this honor code is the mission of the United States Military Academy:

"To educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army."

Scandalous headlines highlighting a deterioration of values and a crisis of leadership in both the public and private sector within American society have been rampant over the past few years. Public corruption is of such concern that the Director of the FBI, Robert S. Mueller III, in Congressional Testimony before the Senate Committee on Intelligence of the United States Senate on February 16, 2005, stated:

"Public Corruption continues to pose the greatest threat to all levels of government...over the last two years alone, the FBI has convicted more then 1,050 corrupt government employees, including 177 federal officials, 158 state officials, 360 local officials and more than 365 police officers."

The ethical deficiencies in the corporate sector smack of decayed underpinnings of dysfunction and the lack of a moral compass. Enron, once an admired company, has become the icon of corporate greed with executives having enriched themselves at the expense of thousands who lost their jobs and their retirement savings. Legions of corrupt and dishonest officials from other companies, including Worldcom, represent this deviance. Professional sports teams share in this pandemic of scandal. And I am sure each of us has numerous other examples that come to mind.

The leadership principles from the United States Military Academy stand as solid counter cultural wisdom to this crisis. These ideals demand review, reflection and resolve for all Americans. America must learn from the motto of West Point, "Duty, Honor, Country" and let it serve as a starting point for a national transformation. The lessons learned from this profound motto are stepping stones for renewal:

Duty – perseverance to living out morally based obligations as the heart of personal responsibility.

Honor – living and speaking truthfully and standing as a moral force against a culture of lies.

Country – living with profound admiration and devotion to the ideals of America and its providential destiny to stand as an example of moral leadership, unwavering vigilance and generous collaboration.

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FBI Director Congressional Testimony	Click here to visit site
United States Military Academy	Click here to visit site
National Conference on Ethics in America	Click here to visit site