or ethical judgment.”9 That's not too painful. The definition pulls us from our passions and biases toward weighing our actions with a cool and clinical look at doing the right thing.
This has a particular focus on how we relate to humans. In this consideration, as we'll later see, there is nearly universal agreement.
If the number “one” customarily represents something at its best, why, in Tier 4 GPS Tool, does Tier 1 describe us at our worst? It's because courage is a progressive competence. We're working on Step One to reach Step Five. In discerning the best actions, we begin at Tier 1's malignant selfishness to progress through better options to reach the heroic moral ideal of Tier 4.
I said that we can start using the Tier 4 Tool by asking: What are my fears in this situation?
Gary fears that Aiden will sink a key project. Deep down, he fears he'll be seen as ineffective, which could harm his career. Bella's afraid of failing her patients, her staff, and her boss, and of losing her job. Deep down, she fears her children will go hungry.
What do you fear?
Our answers give us our first look at what we call the River of Fear. More on that later.
We then ask ourselves four questions—one in each Tier.
Tier 1: Malignant drive for power. What's the very worst reactive thing I could do? Attila the Hun might say: Destroy every human being in my path. The tyrannical individual does the worst things imaginable to exert power over others and get their way. It's fear controlling our lowest, most inferior, self‐serving, narcissistic hungers. Scarlett O'Hara, a slave‐owner with a Civil War–ruined plantation in Gone with The Wind, fiercely vows with a clenched fist, “I'm going to live through this, and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again—no, nor any of my folks! If I have to lie, steal, cheat, or kill!” This is the Tier 1 manifesto and we see this in violent parents and criminals and cheating executives.
In Tier 1, people say, “I'll crush anyone to get my way,” to include lawbreaking, sexual crimes and harassment, racism, extortion, discrimination, bribery, threats, fraud, theft, abuse, domestic violence, and murder. They then deny responsibility and take vengeance against those who don't cave in to their will. Tier 1 people reward a few blindly obedient people of similarly deficient character with money and position. When they punish, they are often brutal.
Tier 1 social groups operate on fear and power. Spouses have little independence and children are commonly disrespected, tyrannically controlled, and abusively neglected.
Tier 2: Compelling self‐interest. What's the worst thing I can do without breaking a law? The hated, toxic, controlling manager threatens a rival; coerces employees using unwarranted criticism and bullies, intimidates, deceives, manipulates, steals credit, and micromanages for control, status, money, and personal gain. This person does everything short of criminal activity to get their way.
In Tier 2, people say, “I'll do whatever it takes and I'll do what I want when I feel like it,” from being biased, breaching ethics, lying, backstabbing, and disrespecting to faking data and inflating stats. Tier 2 is Tier 1 with lip gloss or a bow tie. In Tier 2, people deny responsibility, blame others, and justify their ditching of ethical and organizational standards by saying, “Everyone else does it.” Many Tier 2 people, often using rationalizations and justifications, believe that these are right choices.
Tier 2 family groups are often overly controlled. Spouses can become unduly compliant. Children can be forgotten or driven to overachieve to satisfy parental expectations. Appearing to be normal, happy, and content is more important than the inner reality of their lives.
Tier 3: Benign self‐interest: success via results. What do I have to do to not fail? This person tries to survive in a harshly competitive world. Tier 3 people struggle for results and success. They try to please those in power, are often yes‐people, quickly take credit, make no waves, avoid controversies and conflicts, look away when others are being harmed, curry approval and seek comfort, and are perpetually worried and stressed. A minority of them work hard; most just try to get by. Individuals in Tier 3 see themselves as “good people” who won't do wrong. But neither will they stand for principles, choosing to be “nice” in moral situations instead of courageously and respectfully doing the right thing, face‐to‐face.
In Tier 3, bending to their fears, people say, “What can you do? It'll never change.” “Don't fight City Hall.” “He doesn't want to hear that.” “People don't change.” “Really, it's none of my business.” “Let them take care of it.” “He was asking for it, anyway.” “Thankfully, I don't have to take responsibility.” “It's not the right time to bring it up.” “We're not covering things up—we're protecting the integrity of our [family or organization].” “I'm not being dishonest—I'm just discreet.” “I'm not a coward; I'm just conflict avoidant.”
In families, children are usually not taught skills to discern the highest right action. Nor are they routinely guided to unconditionally respect all persons. Worse, they routinely overhear harsh and vicious language—not from screens—but from parents who angrily criticize people who hold different opinions. This can cultivate in children a persona of extreme intolerance. Further, they're seldom trained in practical behavioral problem solving or taught how to cope and persevere in the face of disappointment.
Most of us have pitched our tents in the center of Tier 3 country, which is compelling proof of our Age of Fear.
Tier 4: The heroic moral ideal. After consciously eliminating the lower‐tier options, what's the absolute best, ideal thing that I can do? In Tier 4, one courageously discerns that action, boldly does it despite risks to self‐interest, generously trains others to do the same, and does the Five Steps to Courage to improve in everything one does.
In Tier 4, people say to others, “I admire you the most for doing the right thing.” “How are you doing with that? Can I help you?” “I'm not understanding this decision. Could you tell us more?” “You may be right, but I need to understand your reasoning before I support it.” “Thank you for seeing me in private. I was disappointed by what you said to Biff in our meeting.” “You're blaming her but it was my fault.”
Tier 4's right action can at times include not taking immediate action because we need more time to discern, to gather more critical information, or because the greater good requires withdrawal. When I was in law enforcement, a man had witnessed a criminal gang member, who lived in his neighborhood, murder a rival. The witness received a message that his family would be killed if he merely went to court. Unable to provide round‐the‐clock protection for him and his family, I chose not to subpoena him. That decision still bothers me, but I discerned that it wouldn't have been the highest right action to compel him to risk the lives of his family.
“What percentage of people,” asked Bella Cruz, “live in Tier 4?”
“Sadly, not many,” I said. “Some in the leader development guild believe it's less than 5 percent. We've lost the language and the skills of doing the right thing. It's a terrible loss.”
“I agree,” said Gary. “I've gotten decades of training and I still struggle to solve basic relationship challenges. But which Tier produces the best results?”
I showed them the table in Figure 1.5:
“Fifteen‐hundred percent greater profits?”
