Cas leadership

REICHMUTH Anne-Charlotte

Leadership and Management Skills

Assignment Individual n°1 (09/03/2011)
Write an essay on how useful could be applying concepts derived from these authors (Categorical Imperative, Utilitarianism, The Prince, The art of the war, The seven deadly sins) to develop some leadership strategies in your future project. My future project could be viewed as a professionalproject. After my Master in Human Resources for the two next years, I would like to do a HR profession in a company. In the long term; I would like build my own company of Consulting in the Human Resources.

To start; the concept of the Categorical Imperative: 1. The first premise is that a person acts morally if her conduct would, without condition, be the "right" conduct for any person insimilar circumstances (the "First Maxim"). 2. The second premise is that conduct is "right" if it treats others as ends in themselves and not as means to an end (the "Second Maxim"). 3. The conclusion is that a person acts morally when she acts as if her conduct was establishing a universal law governing others in similar circumstances (the "Third Maxim").

My future professional project in relationwith the concept of Categorical Imperative is quiet difficult. I do not know if I would capable to follow the moral without interest. As we see just before, in the first and second maxims, we need to follow the moral and have a “right conduct”: so no interest. I think that, if I build my own company, I want that my employees, colleagues, clients were happy, and to feel good to work with me. 1So if I follow the first maxim: I will act morally, without condition. But if I go more deeply, we arrive to the second maxim; “right conduct” without interest. And with this, I can say that I won not act in the right way because if I would like that everybody was happy is with some interests. Why my employees need to be happy? Because I want that they stay in the company, why my clients need to behappy? Because I need to have a reputation in this field, and of course, I also need to have revenue. So I think that I won not act totally morally when I will have my company, in fact as today… We can summarize the heart of the doctrine “Utilitarianism” by the sentence: “always act in a way that the result from it, was the biggest quantity of happiness (Maximum happiness)”. Insist on the factthat it is necessary to consider the well-being of all and not the well-being of the only agent actor. The concept of Utilitarianism could be applied to my future professional project because with the consulting I will consider also the well-being of my clients, and my colleagues in the company. Of course, I will very happy, when in some years, I will have my own company. But I think be happy is notthe lonely utility. I also need that my colleagues feel good to work with me. And I think that if my clients are happy I will be happy in return, because I did a good job, gave good advice and methods, a real good service. And it will be a “maximum happiness and welfare” for everyone.

The question ask by « the Prince » is not how to use the power with the moral? But how use the power andconserve it? In this concept, the moral is in the second plan. In politic, the conflict between the men needs to be regulated. The prince needs to use the fear. He needs to have all the military means, to increase him power. But Machiavello recommend to not giving up the moral, to have the support of the population. Like the concept “Utilitarianism”, in “the Prince” the moral is not the principalsubject. Like I said, I would like to have my consulting company in the Human Resources. And another part of my interest to have my own company, it is to 2

have my own property, “win my own money”, and conduct the people in the company… But I am not agree to “use the fear, to be respected”, but as Nicolas Machiavello said in this book the concepts which he wrote must be taken with caution, the...