Much is written about loyalty in blogs, newspapers and books. Most of the time the concept of loyalty is misused or misunderstood. First, let's start by defining the word. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines loyalty as follows:
Translation: you can be loyal to a government, a spouse because of faithfulness and most frequently to an ideal, principle or institution. In other words, loyalty is to principles or institutions and not to a person unless that person represents the government of a country (such as the Sultan of Brunei). Obviously, the case of sovereigns does not affect most of us. Note: loyalty would be to the Office of the President and not the President as an individual.
This U.S. Army poster may help. Loyalty to ideals-the Constitution, institutions--the Army/unit and other soldiers (also an ideal). Notice no mention of commanding officer.
Now let's take an example. You find out that your boss is cheating in preparing the income tax returns of the company. Are you disloyal to the boss if you quit or call the IRS. Answer: No! In fact, you are being loyal to your beliefs of honesty, paying taxes to the government and transparency in company management. (Before you call the IRS, review your employment agreement for confidentiality clauses and then call your lawyer.)
In my experience whenever a CEO or senior executive demands "loyalty" from their subordinates, they almost always have few, if any, principles (trustworthiness, honesty, fairness, etc). Usually "loyalty" is the tactic to get subordinates to suborn their principles. Be wary of such bosses.
Note: this post was inspired by a post on Feld.com
