To be an effective leader a public official must maintain the highest ethical and moral standards Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim In developing and supporting your position be sure to address

Currently, it is debatable whether an effective leader must maintain the highest ethical and moral standards. Some people hold a view that a public official must be ethical and moral since he or she should be the face of the nation. However, I personally argue that having the highest moral and ethical standards cannot be a crucial factor that qualifies an effective leader; his or her achievement should also be the factor that we should concentrate on.

Granted, in some cases, an effective leader does have highest ethical and moral standards. Take George Washington for example. As the first president of the United States, he has been highly lionized as one of the most effective and greatest leader in the country. As he served his first term of President, he denied accepting a salary so that he could maintain his image of selfless leader. Moreover, he did not decided to serve the third term of presidency so that he could establish a precedent for the future presidents. Because of his aspects of moral and ethnic, many American people still praise him as one of the most powerful and effective president of the United States. Therefore, maintaining the features of high moral and ethnic standard can be a prerequisite to become an effective leader.

However, there are some leaders who are regard as an effective leader despite of their low ethical and moral values. To illustrate, the Watergate Scandal is a famous political scandal, which President Richard Nixon involved in. To be re-elected, he and his supporters participated in illicit activities such as wiretapping, illegal break-ins and campaign fraud. Although this scandals revealed that President Nixon was not having the highest moral and ethical standards, he was an effective leader who had various experience in diplomacy and political position. Due to his wide array of knowledge in politics, he was able to end the Vietnam war, and could maintain the amicable relationship with the Soviet Union. Therefore, achievements of a public official can also be an important factor to measure the effectiveness of the leader.

In addition, a leader can be a pivotal force to save a country that is mired in adverse situation, despite of missing the highest ethical and moral standards. For example, Bill Clinton was involved in a sex scandal with the White House intern, and he was almost impeached from the congress. However, he was still considered as an effective leader because of his remarkable leadership. When President first became a president, the U.S. was experience an economic downturn. Because the Cold war was just ended, the unemployment was high, and many U.S. citizens were strapped for cash. However, with his remarkable leadership, President Clinton fostered the economic growth, and the U.S. economy had become stable at an exponential rate. Therefore, simply having the highest moral and ethical aspects cannot be enough to determine the effectiveness of a public official.

In conclusion, maintaining the highest ethical and moral standards should is not an indicator of an effective leader. Other aspects such as an achievement should be taken into consideration.