We should all be working towards Nolandia
Movie buffs consistently rate the 1942 film Casablanca as one of the greatest films of all time. I certainly rank it in my top five and never tire of its sparkling wit. Claude Rains who plays Captain Louis Renault delivers a magnificently insightful line when at one point he describes himself thus; “I’m just a poor corrupt official”. The ethics of officialdom could easy prove a rich and near inexhaustible seem for scriptwriters and playwrights. We only need to look around us to see that the morality of some in both the public and private sector is not only dubious, but often the cause of considerable misery and despair. Whilst in Casablanca Captain Renault proves to have some redeeming features, the simple fact is there have always been and sadly probably always will be some in roles of considerable responsibility who have made it their life’s work to dupe, defraud and deceive. Those who aspire to leadership are often not helped by the environment in which they find themselves. Positive role models are often lacking and regulatory bodies or boards of directors appear to take their cue from a key line in Rudyard Kipling’s poem A Smuggler’s Song: “Them that ask no questions isn't told a lie.” In the book entitled: Developing the Ministerial Mindset – A Global View (2013) I explored a number of the challenges faced in seeking to help prepare government ministers for high office. The following gets to the heart of many of the problems faced by all in leadership roles; “The looser the framework, the greater the possibility that ministers and ministries will stray into areas that could be viewed as ethically suspect. Ministerial Codes are not there to be paid lip service to, but are a constant reminder of the responsibilities of high office. When we examine such a code we soon become aware just how challenging living by such as code is. In the United Kingdom, when it comes to Parliamentary conduct and that of those in Public Office the guiding principles are: The Seven Principles of Public Life, sometimes known as the Nolan principles: Selflessness; Integrity; Objectivity; Accountability; Openness; Honesty and Leadership. For what it is worth I believe that this Magnificent Seven should be embraced by the United Nations and all international bodies and have much to teach both public and private sector alike. Of all these principles Selflessness is one that sits somewhat at odds with the private sector, especially when it is relation to public life. The Nolan Principles speak of Selflessness thus; “Selflessness: Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other benefits for themselves, their family or their friends.” Whilst some might baulk at these principles and dismiss them as idealistic twaddle, it is important to remember that they were born out of an era of political sleaze and waning public trust and were in effect the brainchild of Lord Nolan (1928-2007), a judge who served as the first ever chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life from 1994-1997. In formulating a code of such universal relevance, Nolan drew on the values that had framed his upbringing, his personal faith and his deeply reverence for family and of the common good. One might say that what he formulated were the guiding principles of Nolandia, a
place we should all be endeavouring to build or emulate in our respective lives and spheres of responsibility. Tragically, in the years that have followed it would have appear that successive Parliamentarians have played lip-service to The Seven Principles of Public Life, a fact that appears to mirror a marked decline not only in public trust for MPs and Peers, but also in Civil Servants, the Police, the Judiciary, Teachers, Senior Health Professionals and elements of the Media. The banking and financial services sectors have also been in for trenchant criticism following a number of scandals. Genuine and deep seated misgivings exist that those with power use it to silence critics, cover up wrong doing and in extreme cases use and abuse the vulnerable. Cultures of secrecy, bullying and intimidation have ensured that many fall silent, choose to look the other way or head for the exit. The voter too rather than seeking to affect change often demonstrates their disgust by ignoring the electoral process altogether. Whilst there is no instant panacea to the current malaise and frustration, a strong case could be made for examining the very lexicon of leadership and seeking to change it. Invariably we hear talk of ‘the quest for power’, ‘achieving power’ and the ‘corridors of power’, sadly to date I have never heard anyone talk about the ‘corridors of responsibility’. Yet just as Nolan believed his principles act as aide-memoire, so surely the language we use if chosen with care can slowly begin to change perceptions and misconceptions. In recent decades the language around gender, race and sexuality has changed and possibly the same could be done with regards to leadership. Inevitably some will believe that this is a futile attempt to return to halcyon days of duty, service and noblesse oblige, well such negativity must not be permitted to triumph. All is not lost and whilst we can debate ethics and morality at length, there is much to gained from working towards Nolandia. Mark T Jones International Speaker & Leadership Specialist www.marktjones.com