Asakura Clan House Code - Law #17 | Part 17 of 17 Article Series
ORIGINAL TEXT:
When a suit is brought to you for your direct decision, do not bend an iota between reason and unreason. If you hear that an official has acted arbitrarily [for private gain], and that fact is well established, you must impose the same penalty on the offending official which was originally meted out to the losing party by him. If you can govern your own domain judiciously and compassionately, there is no need to fear whatever mischief may be committed by the lawless bands of warriors from other domains. If a rumor is spread that there exists in your domain favoritism and unfair discrimination and that rules and behavior codes are violated, other domains may intervene in your affairs.
MODERN INTERPRETATION:
Develop a reputation for treating your people with compassion and justice. Put hard controls in place to prevent & punish favouritism and abuse of power.
Build a Reputation of Righteousness and Compassion
Believe in the power of reason. What’s right is right. Don’t make decisions based on any form of irrationality. This is the 17th, and Final, Law of the Asakura Clan.
An Interesting Samurai Organizational Enforcement Policy
Asakura Toshikage mandates holding people accountable through the following policy:
If it’s proven that a person with official power (ie. a “governor” or “judge” or “leader” or “manager” or “supervisor”) has wrongly punished someone for personal gain, then that person in power should be subject to the same punishment the person in power dished out!
So, if your manager found out that your supervisor gave you a formal written warning because of a personal reason, for example your supervisor is jealous of how cool you are, then the 17th Asakura House Law requires that your manager gives the supervisor a similar written warning, and then take back the warning given to you.
As a stricter example, should the supervisor have terminated your employment for the same reason, then the 17th Law stipulates that the supervisor should be fired too, and you given your job back.
Although a balance of justice and compassion must apply here.
Modern Day Adaptation in Abuse of Power Cases?
The Asakura Code #17 was not an “eye for an eye,” law, instead it required a mix of fairness with tolerance with deterrence for abuse of power.
It would be interesting to see a world where high level politicians and leaders are faced with these conditions!
In modern society judges are appointed to make similar delicate decisions. Should we allow our judges to be infected with a strong desire for personal gain above fair and reasonable judgement, then society is at risk of a culture of unethical and disloyal conduct.
Are Modern People in Positions of Power held to the same Ethical Standard?
In modern society, each company / clan / business has their own judges - supervisors and managers dole out “insubordinations” and “verbal warnings” and “written warnings” for everything under the sun! Do they administer these fairly? Can you trust that your 23 year old supervisor will lead the team without any favouritism? If you have a manager from a different culture, can you expect to be treated without any discrimination? How trained and educated are these people in TRUE leadership?
The Role of Compassion in Upholding the Rule of Law
The Asakura Clan believed it was important to uphold the ethical rule of law with compassion. Following the law strictly without any compassion will paint you as a cold leader, and will not inspire anyone to be loyal to you. Conversely, being overly compassionate and bending the law too far will give the impression of favouritism, which will completely crush the values of loyalty and ethical behaviour.
The Role of the Leader
A leader should be concerned with knowing the essential facts, and acting based on established values and policies, yet display compassion and tolerance for the “human factor” of mistake-making, errors in judgement, and imperfection of character.
Some boundaries, however, if crossed, cannot be tolerated. There must exist barriers and strict enforcement for severe and extreme violations of law.
Final Message to Leadership from the Whispers of the Asakura Clan
Don’t play around. If you want to thrive, you NEED an organization with a POWERFUL, LOYAL culture with many capable, committed people willing to stand for it.
Leadership is responsible to act FAST and DILIGENTLY to ensure that the people in positions of power who are responsible for passing judgement are qualified, capable, monitored, and their decisions are reviewed and double checked. These people have have the appropriate oversight to ensure they’re acting fairly, compassionately, ethically, and in line with the organization's values, culture, and rules.
To accomplish this, leaders must actually be ABLE TO LEAD, and LEAD EXCELLENTLY!