“Everyone hold your fists out,” Col. Steven T. McGonagle, U.S. Army (ret.), instructed at the Distinguished Lecture Speaker Series hosted by the Saint Peter’s University School of Business and the Center for Leadership Studies. “Now, I am going to say a simple statement and you quickly make a thumbs up or thumbs down to show if you agree or disagree,” he continued. That statement was, “A good leader never lies.” The room went silent. No one expected the conversation to get serious so quickly.
McGonagle then encouraged the students to argue why they think a good leader would tell a lie.
The following questions proved just as challenging, “A good leader treats everyone the same,” “A good leader takes risks,” and lastly, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” Each question left the room divided and McGonagle encouraged students to respond and talk to each other. The conversation between the students referred to several characteristics of a leader they had named earlier including respect, compassion, integrity, etc.
McGonagle concluded by saying, “If you want to lead me, I need to know what’s in your heart.”
He went back to his initial questions, “Once you tell a lie it is a slippery slope,” said McGonagle, as he defended his point that a leader must have integrity and therefore not lie. “Of course we are not going to treat everyone the same, but what am I saying here in this question is that a good leader treats everyone with respect.” He concluded by saying a leader should have personal courage and take risks and that what happens in Vegas certainly does not stay in Vegas. A leader should never compromise his or her morals. Strong values such as integrity, personal courage, good morals, and respect make someone a good leader, he argued.
McGonagle has held numerous positions in his 23-year Army career. He is currently the professor of engineering leadership and industry relations director of the Gordon Engineering Leadership Program at Northeastern University in Boston. He is a graduate of Norwich University and earned a master’s degree from Florida Tech. He held many command and staff positions all at increasing levels of scope and responsibility in the Army; he served as a professor of military science at Providence College and director of operations at King Industries.
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