R. Brayton Bowen is a member of Church of the Epiphany.

The business world has barely recovered from the financial atrocities of Enron and WorldCom and the likes of their CEOs, Kenneth Lay and Bernie Ebbers. Now comes Bernie Madoff, former hedge fund manager of Ascot Partners, who ensnared well-known investors, institutions and not-for-profit organizations in his estimated $50 billion Ponzi scheme.

All this has arrived in the midst of a quasi-meltdown of our U.S. economy, where government regulators, Fed chairs, Treasury secretaries, political leaders and investment advisors, in general, claim to be at a loss as to how and why the meltdown occurred.

But one thing is clearly evident. We cannot separate the situation — with all its ramifications — from the leaders who have been entrusted to lead and their followers who have responsibility for the welfare of others.

Certainly, the financial landscape is bestrewn with leaders who have violated the trust of their key stakeholders. But business institutions are not alone. So need we rely only on whistle-blowers such as Cynthia Cooper (WorldCom), Sherron Watkins (Enron) or Coleen Rowley (FBI) to remind us of values we are expected to have and commitments that are expected to be honored?

Can we not demand that leaders who are placed in responsible positions exercise their stewardship obligation to do the right thing? Should we not demand such authenticity of ourselves?

Perhaps one of the most powerful moments for me was hearing the CEO of a research hospital, who acknowledged that his hospital had made a mistake and a life had been lost as a result. He took personal responsibility, publicly, for the error and called for the entire staff to pull together to do a better job in the future.

He knew no one had deliberately set out to imperil the life of the patient. He reminded them of their mission as caregivers and health-care professionals to “do no harm” but rather provide hope and healthier outcomes. He acknowledged the sadness both he and his staff felt, as well as the grief of the family members. And he apologized for the error.

The press had a field day, and the attorneys had heartburn. But in the end he did the right thing and was applauded for his honesty and authenticity. In today’s world, being “authentic” is very hard. But there are those among us who are, and their behavior should be treasured and emulated.

In a complex and conflicted universe, honest people struggle to find their way in life, while being bombarded with examples of inappropriate behavior. The temptation to take an easier, albeit sometimes illicit, path can be enormous. Truly, the allure of success is seductive, but the consequences of excess can be catastrophic.

Now more than ever, individually and collectively, we are called to live authentically, guided by values and beliefs that benefit the greater welfare of our society and the lives of those who depend on us to do the right thing.