BBC 2 recently screened a reality TV show called 'The Monastery' in which the host was Father Christopher Jamison – Abbot of Worth Abbey in Sussex – which is home to 22 other Benedictine monks.

The contestants were five men who were hoping that by spending time with these monks, their questions about the meaning of life would be answered. They were searching for some kind of moral guidance which would help them make sense of their worlds – which varied from that of a retired teacher to a pornography promoter!

The 3 main Benedictine principles that they had to learn to live by were:

• Silence
• Obedience
• Humility

These tenants and a number of the lessons exemplified in the program echoed the concept of 'Moral Intelligence' – a principle which is being promoted as a necessary ingredient for leadership success.

Have the theorists responsible for the concept (Lennick and Kiel, Wharton School Publishing 2005) developed this concept because there is a belief that people have a desire for their organisations to become more moral? Or is there a desire for leaders to have higher moral standards? Or are we all searching for someone who will give us some guidance on morality – in a world where the boundaries of morality have become blurred?

Is it possible that these 3 Benedictine principles could assist us as leaders in establishing 'moral intelligence'? Could we guide ourselves, our organisations and our people towards moral intelligence by expressing these principles in the way we lead?

• What would we learn more if we increased the use of silence more in our conversations with clients, colleagues, bosses, and those that we lead? What value could we add to ourselves, the organisation and others if we took more time out to reflect and be silent? This is a great time of year to take a walk in the park, sit on a bench and give our minds, hearts and souls time to rest. Given this space – who knows what inspiration might arise which could effect the impact we have as leaders.

• What about the principle of obedience? The requirement to be compliant with laws and commands. Is this a component of 'moral intelligence'? Our ability to make decisions and behave in ways which are within the laws and commands of our country and organisation? How many leaders have fallen because they have acted out of the boundaries of the principle of obedience? How many of us claim that we would not break the law but find ways of working around it or bending it to suit our own interests? We so often hear the words – "but it was for the good of the company," as though this rationalises the lack of obedience.

Perhaps our people are looking for leaders who will be obedient. Leaders who are willing to establish some rules and regulations which have some moral standards and leaders who are willing to stick to those standards. Perhaps there is a call for less flexible leadership and more obedient leadership.

• The third principle, humility, has been written about extensively in leadership literature. The concept of 'servant leadership' is not new – just difficult to apply in a world where competencies such as high impact, quick decision making and promoting one's own abilities are so valued in the organisations in which we work. However, what kind of impact might we have if we sometimes openly admitted our mistakes? Of if we were willing to make apologies for wrong decisions we have made? What would the organisation culture look like if leaders only promoted other's abilities and let their own success speak for itself?

Whilst each of us may define what is 'moral' differently, it appears people still place a premium on seeing it exemplified within leadership. The questions therefore remains "When the above principles are applied, how much difference does that make to our ability to connect with and lead people?'

Perhaps it would be wise to think about how we would like to define our own 'moral intelligence' and whether or not it would be worthwhile applying the three Benedictine principles to help us in our journey of life and leadership.

"For the journey before us let us set ourselves high standards by which to lead our lives." (Rules of St Benedict)

Jani Rubery