Why is it so easy for people in leadership positions to become corrupted/not do the right things?
Throughout history, there had been many leaders with some famous examples like Lee Kuan Yew and Adolf Hitler. There are also various examples in literature with Macbeth being a common example. While some, like Lee Kuan Yew (who played a prominent role in moulding Singapore into what it is today), are able to succeed, others have failed. An instance would be the ex-chief of the International Monetary Fund who stepped down after allegedly committing sexual assault. (At the time I wrote this essay, the air had not been cleared yet.) All humans will make mistakes but leaders are expected to be upright and righteous. Coupled with the constant scrutiny from the public, one mistake may mark the end of a leader.
One common reason for a leader's downfall is his overambitions. In the classic play Macbeth, Macbeth was told by three witches that he would be king. Thrilled, he believed that he should be king immediately. Despite his sense of conscience gnawing at him, he managed to kill King Duncan (the incumbent king at that time) after a great deal of coaxing from his wife. Subsequently, his ambition grew the better of him as he no longer hesitated when it came to killing those who stood in his way. This resulted in him being so ruthless it eventually resulted in his downfall to an oversight of the situation. This example illustrates how as a leader gains more power or success, his desire for more may start to overwhelm him. If left unchecked, he may be despised by people. By losing popularity, people would no longer listen to him. As such, he is unable to lead anymore.
Another reason why leaders fail is because of their failure to do what is right. Instead, they value the wrong things. An instance of this can be taken from the Bible. In the story of Solomon, Solomon, a well-educated person who played a vital role in the records of the Bible, was extremely successful as a leader for his nation flourished. As a spiritual person, he was told to not condone the idolatry of his women. Yet, he did not obey this command from God and married them and also allowed them to erect shrines and places of worship. As such, God disfavoured him and the kingdom was divided under Solomon's son and never had its former glory back. He died when he tried to kill the Philistines who captured him when he brought down the building he and the Philistines were in. As a leader, he must be able to separate good from bad so that people can follow. If he fails to do so, people would also be led astray. Eventually, people will stand up to rebel against him to prevent everyone from also falling. Sooner or later, all the immense pressure would be too much to cope with, and the leader would be forced to step down (if his vices had not led him to his downfall yet).
Incompetent leaders with poor foresight can also easily fail. Tony Hayward (previous CEO of British Petroleum) constantly cut pay, costs and introduced a range of efficiency and safety measures. This was not favoured by the staff of the company who felit that is was a on-way ticket to hell. This was proven true when an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico left him scrambling to ease the situation. He failed desperately and had to step down. As a leader, he failed to see how his decisions may have negative repurcussions in future. Thus, his blunder led to his fall.
In conclusion, great leaders are not easy to come by. A bad leader will also drag his people into the water. A good leader, however, can lead his people to great successes. As such, people should always choose a leader carefully for their own betterment.
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