What Makes a Great Leader
The importance of ethical leadership—and what America's leaders owe us.
“I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” — George Washington
Americans consistently regard our first president, George Washington, and our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln, as among the greatest leaders to ever serve the United States. Both men rank in the top three best presidents across numerous surveys. Notably, both Mr. Washington and Mr. Lincoln score particularly highly for the attribute of “moral authority.” While our opinions of political figures certainly depend on many factors, ethical behavior has nearly always been at the forefront.
President Lincoln in particular was so regarded for his integrity and commitment to ethics that he earned the nickname “Honest Abe.” Pulitzer-prize winning author Daniel Walker Howe describes Mr. Lincoln’s morality as having many dimensions, from financial integrity—including working hard to pay off the debts of a business partner who had passed away, along with his own debts—to keeping his word in every scenario, to intellectual honesty while campaigning. He refused to flatter or pander, even in campaign speeches (truly incredible). Famously, Mr. Lincoln also exhorted his fellow lawyers—not a profession known to have the highest integrity—to be fully honest:
“Resolve to be honest at all events; and if, in your own judgment, you can not be an honest lawyer, resolve to be honest without being a lawyer. Choose some other occupation.” (David Herbert Donald, Lincoln, 159)
Such strong commitment to ethical principles is admirable. Ethics are also requisite for great leadership.
Power, integrity, and accountability
Good leadership requires both competency and integrity. Whether in business, government, or church, we value leaders who have the ability not only to do their stated jobs well, but who demonstrate a strong commitment to integrity. Great leaders put the needs of their country above their own interests. Upstanding leaders also avoid conflicts of interest—avoid, as much as possible, even the appearance of dishonest or unethical behavior. This doesn’t mean being perfect: their good-faith attempts to avoid corruption are enough.
Integrity and demonstrated commitment to principles is especially true for the individuals we vest with the most power. The president of the United States is the most powerful person in my nation, possibly in the world. With additional power comes increased scrutiny.
Having higher expectations for our president is how it should be. Anyone who chooses to run for the highest office—to hold the most power, from state secrets to military might to presidential pardons—should be held by the people, the courts, and even their own party, to the highest standards. America’s founders were particularly concerned that our president should be held accountable for serious missteps, and we should be equally committed to this today.
To me, ethics are far more important than partisanship. That’s why I’m so disappointed by the results of the recent US election (national and down-ballot). We need our leaders to demonstrate their commitment to fulfilling their oath of office with fidelity, whether they are Democrats or Republicans.
How good leaders show integrity
Candidates for higher office demonstrate their integrity primarily by being transparent. Serious contenders for the presidency almost always voluntarily disclose private information about any potential conflicts of interests, and meet the required legal disclosures. Then, if elected by the people, they divest from said conflicts to remain above the board.
This level of transparency provides the American public the opportunity to scrutinize each candidate or leader’s record. Trust is built through actions like releasing tax returns, criminal records (if any), foreign investments, etc.
Because we want to make sure foreign influences aren’t financially controlling our nation's top leaders. Right?
I personally remain suspicious about any candidate who refuses to follow these laws and norms, regardless of party. Why not let the American public see the full picture? What are they trying to hide? Perhaps most importantly: why is anyone above the law?
The importance of accountability
Being consistent, rather than partisan, in holding our leaders to ethical standards—sticking to our principles—is important. We should take well-corroborated reports about unethical behavior seriously, no matter who they’re about. Even, maybe especially, when they’re from “our side.”
Earlier in 2024, Senator Bob Menendez, the former chair of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, was convicted of corruption for taking foreign bribes. (This wasn’t even his first trial! It was his second time facing federal corruption charges). Investigators literally found over $100,000 dollars worth in gold bars in his home, among the other bribes he accepted. After months of investigation and pressure, Mr. Menendez resigned this past summer. (Read the indictment)
Rooting out corruption is good for Americans. I’m genuinely glad that Mr. Menendez, a Democrat, is longer in power—no longer thwarting the best interests of our country for his own gain. I’m similarly relieved that former Representative George Santos, a Republican, was expelled from Congress after being found guilty of fraud.
We don’t want our leaders taking bribes or committing crimes, whether there’s a “D” or an “R” next to their names. Let’s hold them all accountable. The principle of ethical leadership is far more important than any party allegiance.
What makes a great leader
Our nation is best served when we have upstanding public servants striving to build a better America, no matter their ideology. When we honor and reward integrity over partisanship. In every public office, but especially in roles with lots of power, we should want candidates who demonstrate the following:
Discipline. We need someone with demonstrated self-mastery in our highest office. Our president gets unrestricted access to America’s national secrets; we need someone who takes that trust seriously. Loose lips sink ships.
High moral sensibility. While no one is perfect (certainly no high-level politician) true leadership often requires sacrifices to remain above the law. For instance, my local school board member doesn’t let constituents buy her lunch—or anything else—to make absolutely sure she is never seen as being swayed by monetary incentives. Even though she only makes a small monthly stipend for often long board-related work! She works hard to keep herself free from all conflicts of interest, real or perceived. That is the kind of above-the-board integrity we need in this country.
Intelligence. Great leaders grasp complex and often nuanced issues, and are able both to dive into details and to see the larger picture. This may require seeing beyond the moment to make decisions for the future.
Humility. No one person knows everything. A great leader brings and listens to experts of all backgrounds, whether or not they agree with them. Great leaders have enough humility to admit they were wrong and pivot when necessary.
Compassion. Demonstrated concern for the American people is an essential quality of great leadership. We want our leaders to have real people’s stories etched in their hearts, to know and care about the plight of ordinary Americans—especially those who are struggling. This requires deep compassion and understanding.
More important than any single policy position, these are qualities I try to find in who I vote for—regardless of office. (The information is often harder to find for local candidates, but can be found)
It’s not just me…
Back in 2023, the leaders of my church released a statement about voting for ethical candidates which reads in part:
“Citizens of the United States have the privilege and duty of electing office holders and influencing public policy… study candidates carefully and vote for those who have demonstrated integrity, compassion, and service to others, regardless of party affiliation. Merely voting a straight ticket or voting based on “tradition” without careful study of candidates and their positions on important issues is a threat to democracy and inconsistent with revealed standards.”
Integrity, compassion, and serving others. Principles we can all get behind. Sure: we understand that few politicians, particularly at the top echelons of politics, perfectly meet all the strict moral standards I hope to personally live by. We know that getting things done in politics requires compromises—but those can be policy compromises, not ethical compromises.
Don’t we all want leaders who accept responsibility for their actions and put the best interests of the people they serve above their own finances and ego? I want leaders who keep their promises, pay their debts, and avoid even the appearance of corruption.
When ethics is ignored
This is why I am so concerned about the recent re-election of the only president within my (admittedly, not particularly long) lifetime to:
Not sign the legally required ethics pledge for all US presidents. This pledge was due for all candidates by October 1, 2024. As of this writing, Mr. Trump still has not fully signed an agreement to avoid conflicts of interest in office.1 Within the past 2 weeks, he recently signed a partial agreement; his earlier refusal to sign anything delayed the security clearances needed for the presidential transition process. These delays compromise US national security. Seriously: delays in the 2000 election transition due to ballot counting in Florida may have contributed to successful 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Not release his tax returns. Every president from Jimmy Carter until Donald Trump voluntarily released their tax returns to assure the public they were paying their fair taxes. Mr. Nixon started this trend to assauge concerns over tax cheating. (Read that again: former president Nixon was committed to transparency over ethical concerns). Mr. Trump repeatedly promised to release the returns before his first term in office. Eight years later, he never has—both dishonest and opaque. Incidentally, his taxes were of concern even before he launched his political career: he could personally owe America over $100 million from fradulent accounting practices.
Failing to divest from his businesses. Ethical leaders divest from potential financial conflicts of interest. Mr. Trump did not during his first term, breaking both precedent and the Constitution; he seems even less likely to now. In fact, among other things, foreign leaders and dignitaries patronized his businesses for political gain. Citizens for Ethics (CREW) reports: “The Constitution requires that, before taking office, Trump fully divest himself from any businesses receiving profits, gains or advantages, beyond his official compensation… [and] from foreign governments as well.” They list specific conflicts of interest, from Truth Social, to Trump Towers, to the Saudi LIV golf league. Mr. Trump has done little, if anything, to alleviate these concerns.
Try to waive background checks for key political appointees. For nearly a month post-election, it seemed like the president-elect would push to confirm nominees who hadn’t undergone rigorous background checks and security clearances. Luckily, within the past two weeks, the Trump-Vance transition team finally signed the agreement to allow FBI-conducted background checks for the people who will be given the top levels of classified information. (That’s good.) Trying to promote questionable cabinet members without thorough vetting? Less good.
Illegally keeping documents with national secrets. Speaking of classified information—after leaving office, Mr. Trump (then a private citizen) purposefully retained, showed off, and refused to return classified documents containing highly important state secrets. Instead, he kept them in boxes in his bathroom, among other locations, and had his lawyers lie about them. While this case was not heard before the election, the allegations are serious: read the indictment.
Refusing to concede when losing an election. Mr. Trump remains the only candidate in United States history not to concede after a loss. He hinted at this even before his first election—refusing for months to publicly confirm that he would concede. In 2020, as president, he attacked the election process without taking actions to create additional security.2 Mr. Trump looked to be gearing up to do the same this year, spreading false information meant to undermine trust in results. Claiming, for instance, that he could only lose if it was rigged. These actions are neither honorable nor ethical.
If we Americans care about good leadership and ethical government—and we should—how can we ignore, brush away, and in some cases praise these serious ethical breaches of conduct? Integrity is an integral part of great leadership. No matter who is in charge.
Recapture the vision
I’ve said it before and will say it again: America’s founders would have been aghast at the blind partisanship that drives our politics today. Voting for those in our party, even when they display unwillingness to adhere to the laws and democratic norms that have guided American society successfully for hundreds of years, is the antithesis of their hopes for this new nation they’d created.
Excessive partisanship eats at the very foundations of representative democracy, an imperfect yet important blueprint that I, as a Christian, believe was inspired of God. Scripture clearly shows the importance of character in leadership, particularly for my fellow Latter-day Saints.
And ethical leadership is more important than any policy or partisan goal.
In the United States, the sacred duties of the presidency are primarily to protect and defend the laws of the land. Not the policy issues we sometimes get mired down in. And I say that as someone who really likes talking about the pros and cons of specific policies (hopefully in future posts). I hope to be morally consistent about supporting ethical leadership, regardless of the specific policy positions candidates take that I agree or disagree with.
Ultimately, we want our leaders to put the best interests of ordinary Americans at the center of all they do.
My fellow Americans, we must reconsider our priorities. Ethical leadership is not just some “nice-to-have” after whatever policy you like. Rather, transparency and accountability are critical for all positions of power—especially our chief executive office. If we want to be lead someday by another Lincoln, another Washington, or another iteration of the many good leaders of our past, we need to prioritize honesty, integrity, and a demonstrated commitment to ethics: the very qualities that made these presidents so great.
May God help us to do so.
Incidentally, Mr. Trump personally signed the uncontroversial Presidential Transition Act in 2020 while he was president, although he now declines to follow it.
The US president is well set-up to address real election security issues by actions such as making funds available to local elections offices for additional staff and equipment, publicly calling for more poll workers, etc. I have little faith in leaders who choose to sow doubt instead of taking action to improve security.