Leadership - Utilitarianism: A Philosophy for Great Leadership

Leaders may follow many different philosophies of leadership to make ethical decisions. Utilitarianism is one of many different philosophies that help leaders make ethical decisions. It can be summarized as doing the most good for the greatest number.

What makes a leader ethical?

Created by English Philosopher and Economist Jeremy Bentham, utilitarianism argues that ethical leadership does what’s best for the majority. It means, as a leader, you have to act to produce the most value for the team.

Portrait of Jeremy Bentham by Henry William Pickersgill

“The principle of utility… approves or disapproves of every action according to the tendency it appears to have to increase or lessen—i.e. to promote or oppose—the happiness of the person or group whose interest is in question.”

- Jeremy Bentham

For instance, if you’re in charge of organizing a team recognition party and you want to order pizza, your teammates will probably tell you which kind of pizza they want. If four people want a cheese pizza while only one person a veggie pizza, you may order cheese pizza for everybody since the majority will be happy with this decision. 

In this scenario, your behavior is considered ethical by those practicing utilitarianism because the number of people satisfied is more significant than the number of people unsatisfied. 

What is unethical leadership? 

Unethical leaders choose to serve their own personal interests instead of what’s best for the majority. Unethical leaders not only lose the favor of the people they lead, but they also lose influence. Next time they have to make a crucial decision, their team will no longer trust their word. 

This scenario happens every day in decisions made by business, political or world leaders. There will always be some flaws in every decision, but it is up to the leader to ensure that as many people as possible are content. 

Imagine you are made the captain of a sports team. As the captain, you must lead your team to victory, but still ensure that the team members have fun and stay healthy. To be an ethical leader, you have to address everyone’s wants and needs, while making sure that your decisions create the most value and align with your goal of winning. 

If two people want to play the same position in the game, you need to choose who will play and who will sit out or play a different position. The ideal utilitarian decision is to have the most skilled player play in the first set and once your team is leading, let the other player have a chance at playing. This way, both players are mostly satisfied, and the team has a better shot at winning.

How to Practice Utilitarianism in Leadership

The next time you are made the leader of a school project, or a sports team, try to think about what would benefit the majority. An ethical leader knows how to produce the best consequences possible for the team or the project.

There are three steps to practicing ethical utilitarian leadership:

1. Understand everyone’s wants and needs. Only once you understand their point of view and individual goals can you identify the desires of the majority of your team. 

2. Set goals that align with the values of the majority. Make sure your vision is something that benefits as many people as possible in the group.

3. Create the most value for the project and the team. When a decision must be made, review steps one and two and follow the paths that benefit the majority, no matter your personal beliefs.

As a leader, your decisions impact everyone on your team. Practicing ethical leadership ensures progress towards your goals without sacrificing the needs of others. At LeadYouth, we teach our learners to be confident, ethical leaders by teaching them public speaking, emotional intelligence, and debate. 

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