​LEADING WITH CHARACTER!
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​​​“Equal justice under law is not merely a caption on the façade of the Supreme Court building, it is perhaps the most inspiring ideal of our society. It is one of the ends for which our entire legal system exists; ... it is fundamental that justice should be the same, in substance and availability, without regard to economic status.”
Lewis Powell, Jr.

Listen to Story 1​

Introduction

There always seems to be a difference of opinion regarding the merit of the justice which is applied in a given situation. We all seem to be working with a sense of justice that centers around ourselves. We all want justice, but we start with what we perceive to be justice for us. Furthermore, we all consider ourselves to be fair, or people who practice justice, but again, we start with what we perceive justice to be. Everyone must decide his or her own philosophy of justice. 

The need for justice grows out of the conflict of human interests. If there is no conflict of interests among people, there is no need for the word justice, nor the concept for which it stands. But there is conflict in our society and the act of applying justice is necessary for attaining and maintaining a safe society, dedicated to the benefit of all people. Justice is necessary because every person will not choose to do that which is deemed right in society.

Justice

Justice Definition - Giving reward and punishment according to the merits of the case in question.  The ability to administer a system of rewards and punishments impartially and consistently. 

The quality of displaying fairness and impartiality is critical in order to gain the trust and respect of our team members, and maintain discipline and unit cohesion, particularly in the exercise of our leadership responsibility. 

Justice is also one key to discipline. According to the foregoing definition, justice is fair and impartial. Consequences, both positive and negative, done justly can actually boost morale. Our team members need to know that they work in a safe, fair environment where their rights are protected. They deserve to know that, when rules are violated, the offender will receive appropriate consequences, and that positive contributions, above and beyond the call of duty, will be rewarded. Rules actually give people freedom within the boundaries of a just system. 

Justice for the effective leader consists of three elements all of which are necessary, therefore, no one or two is/are sufficient alone. 

Just Desserts - Making sure that both those who do wrong and those who do right get what they deserve. 

Equality/Fairness - Ensuring that everyone is treated equally, or, at least, given equal opportunity. 

Moral Rightness - Simply doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do. 

Just Desserts - means punishing actions or words that are wrong and upholding things that are good. It means giving each person what he or she deserves or, in more traditional terms, giving each person his or her due. This helps ensure that wrongs will be ended and rights will be upheld, thereby leading to a safer and more gratifying society for everyone. 

Just Desserts also involves ensuring the punishment fits the crime. How serious was the infraction? Was it a repeat offense? Is there any remorse? Was there a lesson learned? Is it a training issue? 

As stated above, justice is not limited to the reaction to a negative action, it also includes reward. When our team members go above and beyond, we, as their leaders, should recognize that in some way. 

Many of us have probably felt, at times, like we went way above and beyond the call of duty, we knew that our superiors saw what we had accomplished, yet they never even said “thank you”, or “good job”.  There is little more disheartening and demoralizing than that. As effective leaders we should always strive to put ourselves in the shoes of our team members in our roles as judges. 

Rewards do not need to be lavish. Examples (make them public): A simple handshake or a pat on the back. A sincere compliment and a thank you. A mention in a team meeting. A blurb in a newsletter. A written note of commendation presented in the midst of that team member’s peers.

Equality/Fairness - Certainly, most would agree that fairness or equal treatment is part of justice, but a closer examination is required. For what if the equal treatment is equally poor treatment, is that justice? (For instance, if the whole team is sanctioned because of the infractions of only a few.) Or, does a career offender deserve the same consequences as a model citizen who has but that one blemish on an otherwise outstanding performance of duty. 

There may also be variables that influence giving some individuals things which others are denied. It may seem unfair to give some team members less food than others, but if some team members are overweight, it may be for their own good (as well as that of the entire team) to make less food available to the overweight individuals. 

We have to show that if you do good things, you get good things and if you do bad, you will be held accountable. The key is consistency and equality/fairness.  We don’t reward someone for an average performance. Additionally, we don’t skip over someone that has gone the extra mile.  Doing so will breed discontent and resentment. 

To have justice as our character trait means that we are just and treat everyone the same, or as they need to be treated. Justice is a concept involving fairness, equality, and equitable treatment. 

Moral Rightness - Justice is the morally fair and right state of everything. It has been said that “Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.” 

Legal justice does not always coincide with moral justice. They are synonymous only when the laws/rules of an organization do not contradict the laws of nature or of Nature's God. 

Morals are formed out of a person's values and values are the foundation of our ability to judge between right and wrong. Morals build on values to form specific, context-driven rules that govern our behavior. They are formed from our life experience and are subject to our opinions.

A reminder – One Marine’s Perspective is based upon a “Christian-like” value system and what is morally right is based on “Ten-Commandment-like” and “Golden-Rule-like” guidance.

Conclusion

Justice can be difficult to achieve and difficult to administer. It’s a challenging aspect of leadership that affects the spirit of team members and of the team itself. But we, as effective leaders, should know that if we administer both positive and negative consequences, act fairly, don’t play favorites, and avoid serving up justice with prejudice, we will be one step closer to keeping performance standards high and building morale. 

Justice often means that we must discipline a teammate for a violation that took place. People are just that - people, and people sometimes do dumb things. One of the hardest things we do as leaders is to apply justice to great teammates.

Justice is not just something that is “out there”, it is something that we can, and should, practice every day! How?

         
     Respect all people, even if they are different than us.
     Help others if they are being treated unfairly.
     Think what is best for everyone instead of just what is best for us.
     Always obey and play by God’s rules. 
     Be honest and fair in all that we do. 

Justice means that we all get what we need. And the only way to get what we need is to make it happen ourselves. So, when it comes to justice, don’t look around, look in the mirror! 

Listen to Story 2.

“Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn

of eternal peace.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower


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Justice

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