Schedule

Panel 1: Character and the Rule of Law

A defining feature of democratic governance is for the state to be a “government of law, not of men,” in the words of John Adams. Respect for the rule of law, however, is more than a structural feature of our democracy; it is a personal attitude, or stance, towards the law.  What precisely does respect for the rule of law involve when conceived in this way? Is there such a thing as a distinctive rule-of-law virtue, and if so does it work in harmony with the other virtues, or does it conflict with them in fundamental ways? How can respect for the rule of law be cultivated in our future leaders, and how can our institutional cultures help promote that cultivation?

MODERATOR:
Prof. Claire Finkelstein, Algernon Biddle Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy; Director, Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law

Participants:
Prof. Mitch Berman, University of Pennsylvania Law School
Ms. Mary McDaniel, Chief Ethics Officer for Philadelphia City Council
Prof. Tulia Falleti, Latin American Studies and Political Science Dept., University of Pennsylvania
Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, ret., former chief of staff to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell

Panel 2: Inculcating Virtue: Education and Modern Leadership

What are the implications of recent theoretical work in the literature on character in moral philosophy and moral psychology for the question of what constitutes ethical leadership? What can ancient and contemporary accounts of character tell us about which dispositions and habits typify virtuous ethical leaders?  What environmental conditions and organizational structures encourage the optimal manifestation of those dispositions? According to the Greeks, courage was the highest virtue.  This perspective dovetails with recent thinking about military leadership.  Is the emphasis on courage applicable to today’s society?  What are the virtues we wish to cultivate and how has human nature changed since the writings of Plato and the dialogues with Socrates?  Do current prominent leaders who are admired fit the ancient Greek model?

MODERATOR:
Prof. Mark Doorley, Director of the Ethics Program, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Villanova University

Participants:
Prof. Nancy Sherman, Professor of Philosophy, Georgetown University
Prof. Dwight Jaggard, University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering
Dr. Arthur J. Schwartz, Director of the Oskin Leadership Institute, Widener University
Dr. Lonnie Morris, Leadership and Management consultant

Panel 3: Military Leadership and Character Development

Those in charge of training military leaders have thought increasingly about how to cultivate character and instill respect for the rule of law. Officer training programs have turned to training methods that enhance positive character traits and set standards for ethical as well as legally compliant conduct.  How successful have programs seeking to cultivate character been?  Can the military model serve as a kind of test case for exploring both the promise and the perils of leadership cultivation, combining as it does an emphasis on the character traits of courage, selfless service, and loyalty with an emphasis on rule-following and adherence to hierarchy and protocol?  Are the virtues we seek to cultivate in military leaders the same or different from the virtues we should encourage in the rest of society?

MODERATOR:
Professor Mark Wilson, Assistant Professor, Ethics Program, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Villanova University

PARTICPANTS:
Rear Adm. James McPherson, 39th Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Navy
Col. Jeffrey Peterson, Chair for Study of Officership, Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethics, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY
Lt. Gen Dirk Jameson, former Deputy Commander in Chief and Chief of Staff of U.S. Strategic Command U.S. Air Force
Gen. Carol Eggert, Vice President, Military and Veteran Affairs Comcast, former Assistant Adjutant General, Battalion Commander and Chief of Staff
Dr. Jaye Goosby Smith, Assoc. Professor of Management and Director of Graduate Programs in Leadership, The Citadel

Panel 4: The Dark Side of Leadership

Paul Babiak and Robert D. Hare famously argue that certain central features of corporate culture—for example, the value placed on “high risk, high reward” thinking—create a hospitable environment for psychopaths to flourish. In a similar vein, Adam Grant argues that extroverted leaders can be dangerous, and encourages us to identify the unethical slippery slope of charismatic leaders.  Does this suggest that corporate and political virtues are moral vices, and vice versa? Or does it prompt a re-examination of how to distinguish faux leadership from real leadership, where the latter includes virtuous character as an essential constituent?

MODERATOR:
Prof. Amy Sepinwall, Assistant Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, Wharton

Participants
Prof. Kevin Govern, Ave Maria Law School, former Army Judge Advocate.
Prof. Robert Rotberg, John F. Kennedy School of Govt., Harvard University
Dr. Stephen Xenakis, Brigadier General (ret.) and Army medical corps officer, US Army
Prof. Michael Horowitz, Department of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania

Panel 5: Dilemmas in Corporate and Political Leadership

We are used to conceiving of leadership as synonymous with getting ahead, and not surprisingly, “leadership” literature has erupted in business schools. As the concept of leadership has migrated from the business to the political context, however, the business model has been called into question.  Is self and corporate promotion, which may be positive in the context of business leadership, antithetical to the nature of ethical government leadership?  Is civic virtue a distinctive character trait, one that imposes special duties on government leaders to cultivate altruism and public mindedness? Or do government leaders have a special dispensation to act unethically when faced with vital national security interests, such as lying when doing so is important for national defense?  Relatedly, are personal failings relevant in assessing ethical civic or political leadership? Do ethical norms contradict and weaken norms of political authority and governance?  More broadly, is there a fundamental tension between effective and ethical leadership, or can the two be reconciled?

MODERATOR:

Professor Michael Useem, Director, Center for Leadership and Change Management, William and Jacalyn Egan Professor of Management

Participants:
Mr. Osagie Imasogie, Founder Phoenix IP Ventures, Adjunct Professor University
Mr. Jeffrey Klein, Executive Director, Wharton Leadership program
Mr. Nicholas Lovegrove, Managing Partner, Brunswick Group
Mr. Robert Mundheim, Sherman and Sterling, Former Dean University of Pennsylvania Law School

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Judge Sergio Moro, Brazil

Welcome Remarks by Prof. Claire Finkelstein, CERL Director and Mr. Tulio Albuquerque, InitBridge

Brazilian federal judge Sergio Moro has risen to great prominence as a leader in the fight against corruption in Latin America. His judicial stewardship of “Operation Car Wash” has uncovered a Brazilian money laundering and graft scheme involving the movement of nearly $3 billion, reaching the upper echelons of Brazil’s national oil company, Petrobras, and implicating business and political leaders at the highest levels. Named as one of the most influential people in the world by Time and Fortune magazines, Moro has emerged as a central leader in the emergence of rule of law governance in Brazil.

Conversation between Judge Moro and Prof. Claire Finkelstein