Stockdale on Leadership

Adm. Stockdale feels the next discipline to draw from is philosophy, but that the current trend of "relativism" causes problems. The belief that each value judgment is as good as the next is not valid. He feels as Socrates—that there is such a thing as a central objective truth and that what is "just" transcends self-interest. Taekwondo leaders must have definitive promotion standards and strictly enforce them. By making exceptions to these standards, they weaken the value of promotions. From these beliefs and the course he developed, the Admiral formulated ten basic "Principles of Leadership."

Principle 1: You are your brother’s keeper

To be an effective leader, you must suppress your individual instinct for self-preservation for the common good of your students. Instructors should help students to help themselves by giving guidance and information, and only give direct aid as a last resort. Students must bear the responsibility for their actions and be held accountable for their actions. Fixing students' problems does not teach them how to prevent the problems from reoccurring.

Principle 2: Life is not fair

There is no moral economy in which virtue is rewarded and evil is punished. If you want justice in life, you will have to find another world to live in. Sometimes a student, for whatever reason, is physically or mentally incapable performing to the standards of the next belt level not matter how hard they try. This is regrettable, but sometimes life is not fair.

Defy the system only as an exception; only when you are positive it is evil. You must work within the system for change, until it becomes evident that the system is corrupt. Taekwondo leaders must work within their organization for changes they feel are necessary. Only as a last resort should they defy the organization.