Last year, a cheerleading coach posted a dilemma on a group page. One of her cheerleaders was found vaping in the bathroom, which directly violates the team’s rules. The coach has set a zero-tolerance policy regarding tobacco, drugs, and alcohol, but a similar event happened to a football player who received a lesser punishment. Responding to an incident like this should seem straight forward, but for many, the social repercussions make the decision harder.
The primary topic being questioned in this situation regards moral courage. Moral courage is discussed in almost all fields of leadership. It boils down to a leader’s ability to choose the ethically right decision, even if the decision may not be widely accepted. In this case, the cheerleading coach runs the risk of losing a crucial part of their team before a national competition. She also runs the risk of losing favor with the rest of the team since their peers on the football team received a lesser punishment for a similar situation.
As a leader, we face these types of situations regularly. Having the moral courage to stand by the decision that is most ethically right reinforces your ability for long-term leadership, even if you risk losing favor in the short-term.
I don’t think there is any other option in this situation than to release the cheerleader from the team. Here’s why:
- The coach set the rules of conduct in advance of the incident. That means the offending cheerleader knew she was breaking a zero-tolerance rule when she decided to vape in the bathroom. The rule was put in place for the benefit of the team members, and she violated the team’s trust.
- Comparing the cheer team to the football team is unfair because they are two different entities, led by two different leaders. If the coach for the football team decided to serve a less severe punishment or has set less strict rules, it has nothing to do with the standards set by the cheerleading coach. In the same vein, if the coach of the football team served a lesser punishment than the rules they set for their team, it says more about their leadership style than it says about how the cheerleading coach should lead.
Unfortunately, we have taken on this challenge as leaders. I’ve had to let some of my best employees go because they broke zero-tolerance policies. Having to make that decision is always hard, but letting it slide could do more damage to your team. It doesn’t make you a heartless leader; it makes you a leader guided by moral courage. And it also builds respect for you as a leader, instead of damaging your reputation.
When the rules are set for the benefit of the team, business, or organization, you are setting a moral precedent. Going against those rules later on, no matter what the social consequences, invalidates them. It brings your leadership, as well as the rest of your rules, into question. Having the moral courage to make the right decision is a hard, but necessary, trait of the best leaders.
