Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia, on October 7, 1952. After graduating from Leningrad State University in 1975, he began his career in the KGB as an intelligence officer. He was stationed mainly in East Germany and held that position until 1989.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Putin retired from the KGB with the rank of colonel, and returned to Leningrad as a supporter of Anatoly Sobchak (1937-2000), a liberal politician. After Sobchak won the election for mayor of Leningrad (1991), Putin became the head of external relations for Sobchak in 1994, and after that he held the position of deputy mayor. In 1998, Putin was appointed deputy head of management under Boris Yeltsin's presidential administration. In that position, he was in charge of the Kremlin's relations with the regional governments. Vladimir Putin first appeared heavily under the spotlight in 1998 when former President Boris Yeltsen appointed Putin as the head of Federal Security Services (FSB), the FSB was the successor of the former KGB. Evgeni Primakov was appointed as a prime minister, Primakov later on appointed Yuri Skuratov as a general prosecutor. Skuratov first’s inquiry was within the Kremlin’s wall. His assignment was to investigate the renovation of the Kremlin. Yeltsin was directly involved with this unethical affair where millions of dollars were washed in the renovation of Kremlin. Vladimir Putin as a director of the FSB was asked to take care of the situation and soon enough Putin forced Skuratov to resign. “Skuratov immediately experienced the sudden withdrawal of power in all its forms. His official phone went dead. His team of 30 guards suddenly disappeared, replaced by strange faces. He was no longer welcome in his own office.” (Robyn Dixon, 1999). Putin became someone who the oligarchs and Yeltsen trusted, they felt as if he deserved a sort of reward. Shortly after, in 1999 Putin was appointed as a prime minister in Russia. This was his chance to prove his loyalty to the regime. Throughout his political career he had to change his political obligations several times in order to survive on the political scene. Putin has always been clever in choosing who he stood alongside with but he never forgot his obligation to the KGB and the friends he has made during his service as an agent for the FSB. He won the trust of Yeltsin and the oligarchs when he sent the general prosecutor to jail. The oligarchs and Boris Yeltsen thought that Putin would be the perfect “puppet” in their hands and follow their orders. This did not sit well with Putin and they found out that their original thoughts would be wrong.
Putin faced a serious ethical dilemma in 1998 when he served as a director of the FSB. In that year a new prosecutor Yuri Skuratov was appointed by Boris Yeltsin. Unfortunately for president Yeltsin and all the oligarchs, the new prosecutor had a mission to put everyone who was part of organized crime in jail. The first assignment the new general prosecutor was assigned to was the investigation into the renovation of the Kremlin and the astronomical 66 million dollars that was associated with the renovation. This is where Putin first shows his character. He showed that nothing will stop him as he climbs the political latter. Putin executes what was asked from him and made the prosecutor resign. Putin is presented with an opportunity to obey the unethical orders of a superior or do what is morally correct. While keeping in mind that as an ex- KGB and a person who has thrived in a communist environment disobeying orders from a superior ranking individual is not a frequent event. This does not diminish the moral obligation each individual has to do what is morally correct. Putin demonstrated his decisiveness and leadership qualities as he executed the orders he received.
Learning more about the character of Vladimir Putin, I have found that he shares many of the same characteristics with Okonkwo, the main character in Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”. “Okonkwo is driven, focused and talented-in other words, he is psychological and emotional counterpart of the strong, determined people who run most organizations”(Badaracco, 2006).Putin is very strong and his moral code is very similar with the aspects associated to Okonkwo. Putin is proud of everything the Soviet Union has accomplished and is set on bringing Russia back to the status of a dominant superpower.
Putin’s public approval sky rocketed when he launched a military operation against Chechnya. Putin started to build his image as a common man by exhibiting that he was someone the middle class was able to associate with. Putin showed that he was able to make a firm political stand and make difficult political decisions, which confirms him as an ideal political. Russia’s society is used to being ruled by a strong political mind with a top down hierarchy. This won Putin even more public support. Putin understands the power of the media very well. He was shown as a young leader, significantly younger and stronger than the previous president. Putin was shown flying a plane, traveling in a submarine, and participating in karate, this image was quickly adopted by the public and he became an idol to many. Russia has lost its sense of pride and identity after the fall of the U.S.S.R. and Putin was able to spark a sense of nationalism in the Russian people. He reminded everyone about the past “glory” and the people saw him as someone who would bring Russia back to its feet.
Putin is a man who has been nurtured with communistic ideals. He is a nationalist who is proud of what the country has accomplished especially during the time of the U.S.S.R. Being an ex-KGB agent he never lets go of the communist ideals he was brought up under. Deep down inside he blames Yeltsen and all of the oligarchs for the disruption of Russia as a global power. This again shows the similarities with Okonkwo. They are both not happy with the current rulers and want to bring back the ‘glory days’. Putin expands his moral compass which allows him to fully understand the complexities of situations he faces. However, he is also able to hide his ideas very well. He understands that people want change and are tired of communism. Vladimir Putin also understands that in order to reach the top he needs to work with the oligarchs. During his first term as president he speaks about managed democracy and vertical hierarchy. Vladimir Putin faces many ethical dilemmas throughout his life and it seems that he does what is best for the community and his country. I would identify his ethical perspective as Communitarianism. As someone who has grown and lived during the rise and fall of communism he likes the idea of equality, but he values and puts the goals of the state above everything else. Advantages of communitarianism are identified as: discouragement of selfish individualism encourages collaborative leadership strategies and promotes character development. Vladimir Putin does not encourage collaboration in decision making. As a president of Russia during his three terms he has made it clear that he is the only one who can make executive decisions, going along with this he has also made it very clear that if someone tries to stand on his way, they will end up in exile or thrown in jail. The disadvantages that this system offers are: promotions of exclusive communities may repress individual rights and freedoms, fails to resolve competing community standards. A lot of the disadvantages associated with this ethical perspective have been part of Putin’s regime.

There are several examples where he puts his personal interests and those of an exclusive community is the scheme with Gazprom. Anders Aslund in his article “Why Gazprom Resembles a Crime Syndicate”, explains the corruption schemes behind the natural resource giant, Gazprom. ” Since 2001, Gazprom's management has been dominated by three groups: CEO Alexei Miller's young St. Petersburg economists, a group of St. Petersburg KGB officers — both closely linked to Putin — and a third group of old Gazprom officials. Putin himself has arbitrated between these three factions, preventing any one of them from gaining the upper hand. Using a classic divide-and-rule strategy, Putin thus retains the ultimate responsibility for the company.” (Aslud, 2012).Putin continues to put his old friends into official positions at Gazprom. This way he secures his close grip and control of the company and also uses the monopoly of Gazprom as a tool in the creation of Russia’s foreign policy. He also uses Gazprom for personal gains which completely contradict with communitarianism.
After researching information about Vladimir Putin and watching several documentaries, I have learned that he is a goal oriented leader. He would rather act than talk which is illustrated very well when he decided to launch an attack against Chechnya. I learned that the environment that you grow up into has a huge impact on the man you become later on in life, your values and moral code. Vladimir Putin’s morals were influenced heavily since he was a little kid. Growing up in Soviet Russia, the state was always more important than anything else. He was a firm believer of a strong ruler and a stronger nation backed up by a very strong military. Joining the KGB from an early age taught him to make decisions that are accounted for and thought of well in advance. Putin has been able to use media in publicity to create a public image that appeals to the masses. People see him as a “regular” person, and as one of them. However, this has not been the case; he has used his political power for personal gains. Examples of huge money laundering schemes are Gazprom and the Sochi Olympics. Lessons that I have drawn from Putin’s leadership style is that moral compasses can adapt and transform. Putin changes over time and adjusts to the different situations he is in very well. He shows resilience and adaptability that every great leader should have. Putin is not a “good” leader by any stretch of the imagination. He has been involved in organized crime, corruption, money laundering, etc. and even with all this on his resume he manages to appeal to the masses. This part makes him a good leader because he understands how to send a message across that will appeal to the people.

In conclusion I do not see Russia prospering as a country under this style of leadership. Backed up by the incredible wealth of the oligarchs Putin appears to be on a solid ground right now. The Russian people are asleep they do not want to see what is happening around them, they ignore the facts because they are afraid. Putin has put the fear back in people’s minds, the fear of speaking against the state, the fear of freely expressing their thoughts. Vladimir Putin a man who once wanted to turn Russia into a world super power. Now it seems that personal greed and control have overcome the mission of helping Russia and the Russian people. Hosting the Olympic Games in Sochi was a great opportunity for president Putin to show the world that the country is taking a new course of action. However, the Winter Olympics in Sochi showed that corruption in Russia is still present. Vladimir Putin will continue to run the country and with him in charge the future of Russia does not look bright.

References:
Aslud, A. (2012, February 12). Why gazprom resembles a crime sydndicate. The Moscow Times. Retrieved from http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/why-gazprom-resembles-a-crime-syndicate/453762.html
Johnson, C. (2012). Meeting the ethical challenges of leadership. (4 ed.). Sage.
Robyn Dixon. (1999, April 03). Kremlin official suspended amid a sex scandal. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/1999/apr/03/news/mn-23855
Badaracco, J. (2006). Questions of character. Boston Massachusetts : Harvard Business School Publishing.