“Wealth tends to corrupt the mind and to nourish its love of power and to stimulate it to oppression. History proves this to be the spirit of opulence.”
—Gouveneur Morris, 1787
A personal note: This was a surprisingly difficult topic to write about. Its ubiquity means there are many examples to choose from — so many, in fact, that it becomes overwhelming.
I even considered abandoning it altogether. But ignoring reality doesn’t change reality. One of the principles of great leadership, as taught by former Ford CEO Alan Mulally is: “Expect the unexpected and expect to deal with it.”
The concern is that leaders are dumping empathy and humanity in exchange for riches. Principles are giving way to greed.
These are not new concepts to human nature, and in this essay, you’ll find the observations from the Old and New Testaments, Montaigne, Jefferson, Lincoln, Thoreau, Theodore Roosevelt, and a health…
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