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Although a few may deny it, leaders in both public and private organizations are deeply concerned about their legacies and stewardship. How will they be remembered? Have they been good stewards of their organizations and the people? Is either better or worse because of their leadership?

Unfortunately, legacies can be irrevocably tainted and stewardship undermined by dumb -- I use this prejudicial term because top leaders have the experience to know better -- actions and flawed perspectives.

The most recent episode: Gov. Mark Sanford, whose disappearance from South Carolina, his wife, children and staff turned out to be a romantic rendezvous with another woman in Argentina.

Sanford has not wised up yet, saying he intends to complete the remaining 18 months of his term.

"I remain committed to rebuilding the trust that has been committed to me over the next 18 months," he said, "and it is my hope that I am able to follow the example set by David in the Bible -- who after his fall from grace humbly refocused on the work at hand."

Sanford is hardly alone, in either the degree of his dumbness or his stubborn denial.

Here are four categories of dumb, along with examples from our state and region:

An artificial sense of entitlement

Former Gov. Mike Easley is the poster child for this delusional, flawed perspective. British Baron Acton's 1887 dictum, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," is painfully relevant. An investigation into whether Easley, a former state attorney general, illegally accepted a variety of favors is still unresolved. What is resolved is the "dumbness" and flawed perspective to think that, by virtue of his position, he was entitled to influence N.C. State University officials to provide a highly paid job for his wife.

Whatever good things Mike Easley did for North Carolina, his legacy will be diminished by these actions.

Noncourageous collusion

Again, the N.C. State-Mary Easley saga is instructive. All four of the principals in this melodrama were guilty of "dumbness" by association and none -- including Mary Easley -- had the courage and fortitude to do what people of their experience should have known was the right thing. Former Board of Trustees Chairman McQueen Campbell should have not put himself in the compromising position of facilitating the hiring of the wife of his benefactor; ex-Chancellor James Oblinger and former Provost Larry Nielsen lacked the fortitude to "just say no"; and, finally, Mary Easley has too much experience and education to not know that she got the job because of her husband. She could have taken the high road and simply declined. The result of this non-courageous collusion to do the wrong thing is that the legacy of all four is permanently stained.

Adding fuel to this fire, Mary Easley is appealing her recent firing by N.C. State

To further undermine any vestige of true stewardship, outrageous severance payments and inappropriate contractual obligations continue to empty the wallets of taxpayers. For example, Nielsen will go on a leave until January and keep his annual salary of $298,700. He will then become a faculty member at a salary of $156,000.

And that's after interim Chancellor Jim Woodward reduced the deal originally offered by former Chancellor Oblinger which, over three years, would have paid Nielsen $310,255 more than what his faculty peers are making.

According to a survey by the American Association of University Professors, the average salary for a full professor at N.C. State is $114,300.

Career-limiting episodes of dumbness

Years of stewardship and carefully crafted career and image management can be undermined by a very short period of recklessness or lack of control. These often take place in public gatherings and involve alcohol.

Consider the case of former state Rep. Cary Allred of Alamance County. I don't know what psychological or chemical demons were affecting his behavior, but whatever good he did during his years of public service was eroded by his behavior on April 27 when, after being ticketed for driving 102 mph, he inappropriately "hugged" a teenage page and engaged in overly "combative" debate. He resigned shortly after this episode with a tainted legacy.

Then, there is the classic example of John Edwards, whose political career was permanently derailed by his well-publicized affair. His credibility, his promised advocacy for the poor, and his legacy were terminal victims of his career-limiting dumbness.

Failure to engage or deliver

In an example close to home, former N.C. A&T Chancellor Stanley Battle abruptly resigned after serving less than two years. The promises of improved graduation rates, admission standards and creative partnerships such as a "Cosby Kids" that would have prepared public school students for college, languish -- undelivered and unfulfilled.

Assuming (there has been no clear explanation) that the reason for Battle's resignation was his inability to change the culture at his preferred speed and depth, his "dumbness" is grounded in his inaccurate assessment of the magnitude of the challenge and of his own inability to stand the heat in the Aggie kitchen.

Regardless, there has been no true stewardship of either the institution or its people, and Battle's legacy as a change agent and an administrator is tainted.

Again, however, flawed perspective is not without financial incentive. Battle's salary of $273,156 continues for six months when he will be given tenure and a faculty position. Not bad for two years of non-delivery.

Of course, no one is perfect. We are all susceptible to flawed perspectives and dumb actions. However, through being open to feedback from others we can revise, temper or alter our perspectives. We can develop the capacity for reflection and the discipline for self-regulation before taking self-defeating actions. This is central to responsible adulthood.

Leaders also should surround themselves with advisers who are comfortable telling them what they need to hear, not what they always want to hear. Someone they trust to help protect them from themselves.

As taxpayers and stakeholders in the future of our state and region we need to hold our public leaders to the same standards. Although they sometimes seem to forget it, they work for us and are accountable for the wise spending of our money, the careful stewardship of our public institutions, and the role-modeling of responsible, ethical behavior. Through feedback, advocacy, and our ballots, we must help them avoid the poor judgment and flawed perspectives that stain their legacies and undermine their leadership. Above all, we must not collude with their unacceptable behavior.

In the case of Gov. Sanford, that means the citizens of South Carolina must insist he resign.

David Noer (dnoer@elon.edu) is a professor emeritus at Elon University. He writes a monthly column on leadership and organizational behavior.