"The Great Gatsby": what it takes to become a moral leader

  Introduction 

Moral leadership refers to a leadership style that aims at serving people through the implementation of moral values to persuade others to follow a particular course of action. The application of moral leadership focuses on ensuring that leaders have personal integrity with the aim of providing they can be trusted to lead other people in any given situation. Unlike different leadership styles, moral leadership concentrates on developing capacities for others other than showcasing their skills to persuade more people. The aspect of moral leadership maintains that any person can be a moral leader considering that the principles governing the leadership style focus on supporting a deep sense of ethics. Ethical leaders should have the ability to influence other people and lead by example through capitalizing moral values and portraying a deep understanding of ethics by ensuring that they are motivated towards serving people in the society. 

Another critical aspect concerning moral leadership entails the ability of the leaders to manage themselves by ensuring that they are in a position to temper their ego and present a noble character that can be emulated by other people. Moral leadership focuses on providing that leaders are visionary and can impact the personal change of people during the leadership process. To become a moral leader, an individual is entitled to an emphasis on the development of emotional intelligence that provides an avenue for enhancing their social skills. The development of the social skills provides the leaders with the ability to interact with other people in the society effectively with the aim of creating a positive impact. The aspect of moral leadership is governed by principles that define the approach and strategies implemented by ethical leaders. Such principles include managing by listening rather than dictating, being flexible, and following published rules of conduct. 

Description of a Situation Demonstrating Moral Leadership 

The topic text selected for this report is The Great Gatsby, which is a novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. In the story, it is evident that indeed readers would be able to learn a wide array of moral lessons. Most of these lessons reflect on the importance of having to ensure that one advances his or her position towards becoming a key leader from a societal perspective. Through this text, one would be able to learn several key lessons on what it takes to become a moral leader. Additionally, the text also seeks to reflect on the general understanding that morality is one of the key expectations for any given leader considering that leaders are meant to serve the society within their respective positions. Lack of moral leadership becomes a key challenge for the society in trying to build the expected platforms from which to maintain an element of enhanced performance. 

The story depicts the life of Nick Carraway in the summer of 1922, who is a Yale graduate and serves as the narrator. After Carraway gets a job in New York, he rents a small house within Long Island, which is next to the mansion of Jay Gatsby. One key aspect to note from the story is that Jay Gatsby is a multimillionaire and has the habit of holding a wide array of parties that he does not involve himself. The depiction of both Carraway and Gatsby within the story reflects on the aspect of morality in leadership from multiple perspectives. The story reflects more on trying to build a better understanding of what it means to become a moral leader. 

The Great Gatsby is considered as one of the notable novels of its time attributed to the impacts that it has on its readers especially in shaping the understanding on what it means to maintain overall morality. Scott (1925) builds on the understanding that having highest moral standards is essential, as it helps build on a progressive avenue from which to ensure that one can achieve some of his or her set goals and objectives. That can be seen from the character of Gatsby, who is depicted as a millionaire but is also shown as being very lonely. His engagement in the life of holding parties only seeks to ensure that he can reconnect with a girl that he had met and fell in love with sometime back. The novel depicts the life of Gatsby from multiple perspectives to help in highlighting the value of having to uphold morality in one’s position as a leader. 

Readers of the novel find themselves in a somewhat contradictory position considering that one aspect of the novel reflects on the actions of a multimillionaire touching on areas such as engaging in wild parties. On the other hand, readers can reveal much of their attention on the fact that the story creates that basic understanding of what it means to maintain moral leadership. In other words, the story reflects on Gatsby as a moral leader attributed to his fundamental understanding of what it means to become a leader. In overall, this means that indeed readers of the novel find themselves in that primary position from which to project the idea of morality in leadership based on the lessons learned. That creates the need for having to engage in an in-depth evaluation of some of the critical lessons that one would learn from the novel as it relates to becoming a moral leader. 

Analysis of Moral Leadership 

After an in-depth analysis of the situation, touching on the novel The Great Gatsby as describe above, it is clear that the assumption has been based on a wide array of factors and actions associated with the protagonist. Understanding these factors and effects is essential, as it seeks to elevate the understanding of what it means for a leader to project the highest levels of morality as part of the leadership approaches. Additionally, this also builds on the knowledge that a leader, intending to be considered as a moral leader, must take up specific actions or steps towards ensuring that others would appreciate his or her leadership. 

Some of the critical decisions and actions that define the protagonist as a moral leader include: 

Optimism 

One of the essential lessons to learn from the novel is that ethical leaders tend to have the highest levels of confidence in everything that they do regardless of the challenges that they may face or encounter. Gatsby is characterized as an authentic hopeful even though he meets a wide array of adversities and is continuously engaged in telling lies. Specifically, Scott (1925) indicates that "This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of the “creative temperament” — it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again” (p.1). From this quote, it is clear that indeed the novel reflects on the idea of having to maintain the highest levels of optimism and positivity as part of the general expectations of leadership. 

Money is not the solution to everything 

Another critical lesson to learn from the novel that reflects on the fact that money is not always the solution to everything. Instead, it means that leaders are always expected to work towards finding solutions to some of the problems that they face considering that each of the problems is unique to some extent. From the story, it is clear that Gatsby seeks to use his money and lavish life to lure Daisy with the view that this would be of great value towards attracting her. However, he fails due to the fact that Daisy learns of the truth concerning Gatsby's approaches toward luring her. The lesson can also be seen from the fact that none of the people attending the parties that Gatsby held participated in her funeral, which was a clear indication of the fact that they only sought him due to his money, not his friendship. 

Learner 

One of the notable aspects that would describe a moral leader is his or her ability to learn with the focus being towards gaining more knowledge on what would be expected in defining quality leadership. In the novel, it is evident that indeed one ought to learn from the mistakes that he or she makes in the past considering that they remain as a considerable part of them and may hamper one’s ability to become a moral leader. Scott (1925) builds on the understanding that one’s past acts as a critical determinant of who they are considering that it reflects more on the fact that this would seek to project that overall avenue for personal abilities. Gatsby is shown from the perspective that he fails to learn from his mistakes in the past, which becomes a vital issue of concern for the readers. 

Unifier 

A moral leader is considered as an individual with the ability to unify the community or society regardless of the existing diversities or challenges, which may affect the general expectations on what defines quality leadership. In the story, Gatsby is shown as a person, who unifies others although he is using this as a tool from which to lure Daisy. The moral lesson shown from this perspective is that indeed one must always have the influence that would allow him or her to achieve what would be expected as part of promoting social unity. In overall, Gatsby can be seen as being a person that others in the society tend to emulate attributed to the roles that he plays as a unifier. 

Servant 

A moral leader is expected to act as a servant rather than a master considering that this would help bring to the floor the concept of servant leadership. Scott (1925) builds on the understanding that moral leadership reflects more on the understanding that one must always learn to serve others rather than having to expect others to help him or her. Carraway, who is a graduate of Yale, is portrayed as a moral leader attributed to his understanding of the fact that his leadership would depend wholly on whether he can provide service to others. Generally, this means that Carraway can project what it means to become a moral leader, as he seeks to portray leadership as a critical tool from which to improve overall capacities for the society to achieve its set out goals and objectives. The story expounds on the element of servant leadership, as it builds on the character of Gatsby, who is shown as a humble individual regardless of the wealth that he has accumulated. 

Ethical 

Lastly, the story also projects on the importance of having to ensure that one remains ethical in everything that he or she does consider that this would act as a critical element in describing one's leadership qualities. Being ethical reflects more on the fact that one must learn how to discern what is right from what is wrong in a bid to ensuring that indeed one engages in actions that only reflect on what is right. Gatsby is seen as a multimillionaire, who has acquired his wealth illegally, which only exposes him as an unethical leader. That can be reflected from the fact that the majority of the people in the society view him negatively attributed to his engagement in adverse actions. In overall, this means that Gatsby acts as a clear example of what is not expected in leadership focusing on the area of being ethical. 

Reflections and Lessons 

From my analysis of the protagonist, Jay Gatsby, and the course, it is clear that my understanding and definition of moral leadership has been influenced to a great extent. This has come about due to the overall shift in agreement on what an ethical leader is expected to do or actions that he or she is expected to take. The protagonist shaped my understanding of moral leadership from the perspective that an ethical leader is always scheduled to adopt the concept of justice for all. In the story, Gatsby is portrayed as a non-ethical leader, who faces notable adversities resulting in the fact that none of the people in the society want to attend his funeral. That acts as a clear indication of the fact that one's moral leadership serves as a vital determinant of the connection that one with others within the society. In my understanding, this is one of the indispensable expectation of any individual that expects to operate as a moral leader in any given circumstance or environment. 

The second implication from the protagonist and the course entails the aspect of respect to others. During his interactions with other people in the society, Gatsby showed respect to all people despite being in a top leadership position. Gatsby focused on listening and valuing the contribution of all people in the society. During his leadership, he believed in the virtue of respect for all people in the society and being compassionate to people to engage in positive interactions. From my understanding, respect to all people in the society is a primary expectation for the moral leaders to capitalize on positive interactions. In my view, respect helps a leader to engage in leadership through listening rather than dictating. Managing through looking to the opinion and contributions of other people in the society is an indicator that the leaders respect others and value the different inputs. 

Another major lesson learned from the protagonist and within the course is the aspect of honesty among the leaders. The concept of morality is significant is as it helps in building trust towards a leader thus enhancing the leadership style applied by the leader in any given situation. In his life, Gatsby capitalized on the aspect of honesty on matters relating to political and social elements in the society thus earning trust from other people. During his leadership, Gatsby ensured that he conveyed facts and information transparently to the public as part of portraying the concept of honesty. In my understanding from the course, morality is a paramount element that helps in enhancing the leadership techniques implemented by a leader. I believe that engaging in honesty measures allow leaders to become more dependable, which is an aspect that helps in promoting positive engagement during the leadership process. 

Leadership by example is a significant implication obtained from the protagonist and the course. Moral leaders engage in the direction that capitalizes on leading by example to show people what is expected of them. In his life, Gatsby focused on leading by example by ensuring that people would emulate his character and behavior concerning a given aspect in the society. For example in his fight for social justice, Gatsby provided that he engaged in the struggle for justice despite being in an elevated position in the society. From my understanding from the course, leaders should always be at the forefront to describe their expectations of different aspects in the society to ensure they offer guidance to the people looking up to them. I believe that leaders should focus on serving the people and not necessarily attracting followers. 

The protagonist teaches that for an individual to be considered as a moral leader, he or she must understand the importance of self-sacrifice. In other words, an individual ought to focus on leading others through his example. Selflessness means that the individual is ready and willing to educate others on what to do or what not to do depending on the expected lessons to be learned from a given experience. The individual must always be ready to create a front from which to build a connection with other taking into account that the connection created will help towards creating a better society. In every given outcome, the protagonist sought to make the society a better place rather than having to create a society where some people viewed themselves as being better when compared to others. The idea of having to make the society better acts as a critical front towards improving the overall capacities for one to maintain his or her expectations towards becoming a moral leader. 

The final implication obtained from the protagonist and the course entails the aspect of ethical leadership. Moral leaders engage in ethical practices as part of their leadership techniques to lead others as expected. During his administration, Gatsby ensured that he made all ethical considerations to ensure that no ethical dilemma and situations affected his moral leadership. In that case, he provided that all people focused on doing what is right at all times and capitalized on punitive measures that would deal with other leaders that engage in ethical violations. In my understanding, leaders should have no tolerance for ethical abuses to capitalize on implementing moral leadership, which is an aspect that helps in creating a positive leadership experience in the society. 

Conclusion 

In summary, Moral leadership refers to a leadership style that aims at serving people through the implementation of moral values to persuade others to follow a particular course of action. Moral leadership focuses on ensuring that leaders are visionary and can impact the personal change of people during the leadership process. Moral leadership concentrates on developing capacities for others other than showcasing their skills to persuade more people. The concept of morality is significant is as it helps in building trust towards a leader thus enhancing the leadership style applied by the leader in any given situation. One specific leader that is considered as showing high standards of leadership morals is Jay Gatsby. Moral leadership can be seen from the fact that Jay Gatsby sought to lead by example with the focus being towards ensuring that he positioned himself as one of the notable leaders. Some of the lessons that can be learned from the protagonist, Jay Gatsby, and the course on the definition of moral leadership include the fact that a moral leader must be, respect others, honest, must always lead by example and must be ethical. 

References 

Scott, F. F. (1925).  The Great Gatsby . New York, NY: Aegitas.