There are two types of egoism: psychological and ethical egoism. According to LaFollette, psychological egoism is the “theory that everyone’s actions are always and completely self-interested” (LaFollette, 2007). Whereas ethical egoism is the “claim that people ought to always and only act to promote their own self-interest” (LaFollette, 2007).
Psychological egoism is an interesting topic when applied to people like Mother Theresa who spent their lives caring for others (LaFollette, 2007). It is hard for me to believe that a person like that can be egotistical in any way. So, really resonated when LaFollette describes when he says “we encourage individuals to be moral…[but] we do denigrate self-interest that when an individual is satisfied by acting morally, she assumes her behavior is morally suspect” (LaFollette, 2007). While it is not all of the time with every single person, I believe that some people can be satisfied by acting morally.
On the other hand, ethical egoism is the belief that “morality cannot require that we sacrifice our self-interest for others” (LaFollette, 2007). This view to me is incredibly disheartening. To believe that we should never sacrifice anything for others, would lead to a very sad world.
That ego does get in the way in the workplace. If our only priority is ourselves, then we cannot make decisions or interact with people in a way that is best for the organization or the department. This is especially important in Leadership positions. In my opinion, Leaders are in their position to serve the people that report to them. “Servant leaders first will persistently meet the needs of other while constantly trying to determine exactly what those needs are” (Sullivan, 2019).
When speaking of benefits that Leaders receive, I, selfishly, do believe that Leaders should get paid more because of their added responsibility, time, energy and effort that has to go into being a great leader. However, I think there is a moral obligation to be a kind of leader that is worth following as well. This required character, integrity and serving the people that are being lead. So, while maybe the pay is a bit higher, I believe it also requires more effort as well.
I believe that if Leaders were held to the standards set by the organization in regard to culture and behavior, then the reward would come more naturally. However, in my experience, there are many leaders who are not held to that standard and therefore, it takes the reward away from the other people who are trying to act morally and do the right thing.
References:
LaFollette, H. (2007). The practice of ethics. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
Sullivan, G. (2019). Servant Leadership in Sport Theory and Practice (1st ed. 2019.). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11248-6
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