Sherrone Moore – Former University of Michigan head football coach (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
The most dangerous place you can be is if you think it couldn’t happen to you.
Last week’s firing of University of Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore is the latest reminder. He joins a long list of talented leaders who lost their way: Bobby Petrino at Arkansas, Steve Easterbrook at McDonald’s, Brian Krzanich at Intel, or this year’s “Kiss Cam” duo, Andy Byron and Kristen Kat from the company Astronomer.
Different fields, same pattern: people entrusted with influence making choices that violate the very trust that put them there.
Why does this happen so often?
Psychologists have been studying the effects of power for years, and the findings are sobering:
💠People who feel powerful judge others more strictly while becoming more lenient with themselves. Researchers call this moral hypocrisy.
💠Power also creates a kind of moral disinhibition—a focus on rewards, a sense of exceptionalism, and less empathy for how our actions impact others.
💠Studies even show that people of higher status are more likely to break basic social rules, like cutting off drivers or failing to yield to pedestrians.
💠And then there’s moral licensing: “I’ve done so much good…I’ve earned this.” Even ethical leaders aren’t immune.
Here’s the truth I keep returning to: Leadership is a sacred trust.
The moment we forget that truth, we start treating our role as a perk instead of a responsibility.
How do you and I protect ourselves from suffering the same fate?
⭐Clarify your lines before you’re tempted to cross them. Write down the boundaries you refuse to violate in relationships, money, and integrity.
⭐Keep clean, transparent relational boundaries. When you have the power to hire, fire, or promote, there’s no such thing as a “private” relationship. Full stop.
⭐Build an inner circle that can call you out. Give a few trusted people the permission to ask hard questions—and answer them honestly.
⭐Create rhythms of reflection. Regularly ask yourself: Where am I starting to believe the rules don’t apply to me?
⭐Strengthen organizational guardrails. Clear policies, psychological safety, and real accountability protect both people and leaders.
Moral failure isn’t inevitable. But it is predictable when we lose sight of our responsibilities and start treating them as privileges.
Guard your heart. Guard your influence. Guard the trust others place in you.
How do you stay grounded when the temptations present themselves?
I’d love to hear the practices, mentors, or guardrails that help you stay true to your values.
