糖心Vlog building ethical skills in military leaders
糖心Vlog鈥檚 Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies recently partnered with key leaders of the U.S. Army鈥榮 188th Infantry Brigade from Fort Stewart for a Leadership and Professional Development session in Jenkins Hall Theater at the Armstrong Campus.
Professor Leisa Schwab, a part-time member of the department and former military judge advocate, presented 鈥淚ntroduction to Moral Theory鈥� to the unit鈥檚 officers and senior non-commissioned officers. The session focused on ethical leadership and communication techniques in the military.
鈥淢ilitary leaders are people entrusted with authority in a really broad range of areas and they have difficult decisions to make,鈥� Schwab said. 鈥淲hether in the heat of the moment or as an after-the- fact analysis, these ethical frameworks can be helpful for making sense of these decisions.鈥�
The members of the audience were introduced to three different ethical theories, which were then discussed in relation to difficult situations that leaders may encounter in the military.
Schwab鈥檚 session focused on how an understanding of philosophical ethics could help leaders both make better decisions and communicate more effectively. The military is made up of countless personalities and backgrounds. Just like any other group, company or society, the leadership must find ways for everyone to work together effectively.
鈥淵ou may have two soldiers who have wildly different cultural backgrounds and they have deep disagreements about what is right or wrong in a certain situation,” Schwab said. “Being able to help them communicate effectively about that can help maintain that kind of functional sense of community. That’s so important.鈥�
Schwab said this was a fun opportunity to mix her love of teaching philosophy with her military background.