The ethic of convenience and pragmatism is pervasive.
Convenience is a big problem in our world. Too often people find it convenient to act how they like. Acting how it just comes into their mind and finding delight in their decisions.
With social media and being “steadily” online now, we too often fall into the trap to change our opinion suddenly, when things don’t meet our imagination and our goals.
There are people who sometimes do it this way, and sometimes that way. They adapt the own actions to the situation, the own mood, and the own thinking. Despite knowing that there are certain norms or principles, we are seduced to do it in another way. With social media and being “steadily” online now, we too often fall into the trap to change our opinion suddenly, when things don’t meet our imagination and our goals. We tell ourselves, that we’ll get started once the conditions are right and excuse our non-willingness with a lack of trust. We excuse our non-willingness with having no time, being busy, or feeling suddenly not well. We have learned to invent “wonderful” excuses from not being “forced” to collaborate, to interact or to participate.
Excuses are normal for us. We have learned to seek “like a mouse a hole”, having learned to invent the best excuses. Fickleness becomes our character trait. We promise people “wonderful” things and afterward we are not able to deliver what we have said. We are not able to “walk our talk” and forget that good business is about integrity.
What happens when convenience becomes the standard by which leaders operate?
Today the accepted approach is to define our principles how we want. We define trust how we want, we define ethics how we want. Convenience has become more important than the rule of law or even moral absolutes.
Are we moving to a future in which laws and rules apply to everyone else but me?
Are rules and laws only to be followed if it is convenient and if they fit into the own imagination of life? If they fit into our scheme?
What will our world look like when every person does “what is right in his or her own eyes”?
However, pragmatism is a big problem, too.
Leading with pragmatism is a good way to not feeling responsible at the moment and to putting worries on the side.
A bit about history now: The father of pragmatism was Charles Peirce (1839-1914). Other famous pragmatists are William James (1842-1910), F.C.S Schiller (1864-1937), and one of the most popular theorists is John Dewey (1859-1952). Pragmatism is a kind of flexible leadership, where we do it in a way, that it works, that is the motto – nothing more. It means doing things in an uncomplicated way – seeking steadily what works.
Pragmatism is the notion that meaning or worth is determined by practical consequences.
To a pragmatist, if a technique or course of action has the desired effect, it is good. If it doesn’t seem to work, then it must be wrong. Pragmatists are not hindered by overmuch consideration of beauty or ugliness, respect or contempt, happiness or suffering — they see what works and do it. Pragmatists live by their own experience. Because of their dislike for impracticality, they rarely seek such experiences which are enjoyable for their own sake.
The bad with pragmatism is: It ultimately defines truth as that which is useful, meaningful, or helpful. And ideas that don’t seem workable or relevant are not important and rejected as false. Pragmatism not only lacks moral power, but it actually erodes it. Summarized, we can say: Pragmatists don’t care. They are only open to what fits the situation.
What practices do you have?
A convenient or pragmatic approach is not the way to success. Beware of acting in a convenient or pragmatic way and forgetting to lead with moral, ethics and firm principles. Our world needs a leader that stands firm in their values, and their promises. We need leaders with character and attitude. That are role models in behavior.
We need “Key People of Trust (KPT)”.