..."Real leaders concentrate on doing the right thing, not on doing things right." As defined by Rushworth Kidder (1995), an "ethical dilemma" is not a choice between right and wrong, but a choice between two rights. For example, considering a bribe would be a "moral temptation"; deciding whether scarce resources should go to a gifted curriculum or a dropout-prevention program would constitute a dilemma. Dilemmas arise when cherished values conflict. A principal who values both teacher autonomy and student achievement will face a dilemma when teachers want to enact a policy that lowers expectations. This kind of conflict is heightened because school leaders are public officials with obligations to many people who often have competing values or interests.Leaders' moral duty expresses itself not only in the obvious day-to-day ethical dilemmas, but in the mundane policies and structures that may have hidden ethical implications. Robert Starratt (1991) notes that every social arrangement benefits some people at the expense of others; simply to assume that schools embody desirable standards is "ethically naive, if not culpable." Thus, the principal must not only behave responsibly as an individual, but must create an ethical institution. As leaders, principals have a special responsibility to exercise authority in an ethical way. Greenfield points out that much of a principal's authority is moral; that is, teachers must be convinced that the principal's point of view reflects values...
Words: 605 - Pages: 3
...Ethical Leadership: the Call of the Times The recent global economic crisis and the various political changes that challenged existing governments show the need to change our concept of leadership. Leadership challenges in the present times are reflective of the ever changing needs of our society. Leaders must be able to respond and address the needs of its constituents. Our society is ever changing and the people’s consciousness is also changing. And we continually face these challenges in our work place as well. Ethical leadership seeks to address the gap in the current leadership context. What is Ethical Leadership? Ethical signifies it is based on some moral ethics. What would be the basis of this ethics? There has to be some form of standard or expected outcome from the type of leadership. According to Freeman and Stewart, many executives and business thinkers believe that it is a matter of leaders having good character and the right values. Brown and Trevino define ethical leadership as “the demonstration of normatively appropriate conduct through personal actions and interpersonal relationships, and the promotion of such conduct to followers through two-way communication, reinforcement, and decision-making” (Brown et al., 2005: 120). Another definition is that ethical leadership is a stewardship that preserves the aspirations and culture of the organization. Whatever the definition is, this type of leadership gives emphasis to the impact of the type of leadership...
Words: 1200 - Pages: 5
...ARTICLE REVIEW Title : Ethical Leadership: The Effect on Employees Author : Atiya Alshammari, Naser N. Almutairi & Shebaib Fahad Thuwaini Year of Publication: February 27th, 2015 Source: International Journal of Business and Management, Vol.10, No.3;2015 The article, Ethical Leadership : The Effect on Employees focuses on the impact of this style of leadership and also its contribution to the performance, efficiency and productivity of employees of an organization that adapts ethical leadership in their business environment. The author believes ethical leadership is the key ingredients in ensuring the success of an organization. In recent years, a few companies has collapsed such as Lehman Brothers as a result of unethical behavior which caused harm to thousands of employees, forced the government to apply new strict regulations as well as losing customers confidence investing in financial industry. Cases like these proves that without ethical leadership, the tendency of negative influences to appear within the employees of the organization will generate trust issues among peers and lack of faith in the leadership of the leaders of the organization which will result in unproductive and inefficiency in the organization. Ethical leadership is defined as the process of influencing people through principles, values and beliefs of something that we believe as the right behavior. The practice of ethical leadership is increasingly popular in every modern organizations...
Words: 1200 - Pages: 5
...years, there are many corporate ethics scandals, which raised significant enquires about the roles of leadership in shaping ethical conduct (Brown, Trevino & Harrison 2005). Leaders by nature are responsible for motivating their subordinates to carry out a task or to behave in a certain manner. According to Starratt (2005), ethical leadership requires ethical leaders, as it is believed that how the leaders conduct themselves have direct impact to the organization in terms of organizational culture and employee values. Also mentioned by Resick et al. (2006), ethical leadership focuses on how leaders use their social power in decision-making, influencing others as well as the actions they engage in. Therefore, if leaders are ethical, they can maintain high level of ethical awareness and ensure that ethical practices are carried out throughout the organization. Often, ethical leaders display a high level of integrity that is important to stimulate a sense of leadership trustworthiness. These factors provide the foundation for personal characteristics, which directly impact a leader’s ethical beliefs, values, and decisions. However, studies also show that leadership integrity only accounts for one minor portion of a person’s trait. In this essay, we attempt to provide insights and discuss ethical leadership and also attempt to prove that ethical leader is mostly about leadership integrity. Moral Person and Moral Manager While production and profitability goals are often...
Words: 913 - Pages: 4
...observations. He stimulates change in subordinates’ attitudes and values and also tries to augment followers’ self-efficacy. He fulfills his duties and responsibilities stated by the organization at the same time compromising it with what is dictated by the situation. DOING WHAT IS RIGHT The ethical leader does what is right. He leads the way and inculcates fairness, pluralism and inclusion in the organization. No one is left behind. He articulates a vision that connects to the shared experiences of the members of the organization. He live with integrity and fosters the values it espouses. The leader also invests wisely. He trains future leaders and help those who have the potentials. He is not confined with the norms of nepotism and favoritism. Everyone is treated equally. The ethical leader also guards his heart. He does not allow his emotions to cloud his judgment and thinking. He also exercises humility. Fame, power and fortune does not hinder him from mingling with fellow workers and developing harmonious relationship with them. Despite his position, he maintains camaraderie with everyone in the organization. An organization led by leaders who are ethical and...
Words: 312 - Pages: 2
...There were several key insights from this week’s reading being an effective ethical leader and values of work: The first key insight was about being an effective ethical leader. Being an effective leader is using skills learned and acquired to motive and engage employees. Leadership is a combination of personal characteristics, attributes, and traits that sets the tone on how business is conducted and having others follow suit. Listening to others, being open to feedback, and being open to new ideas, and developing leadership skills is a start to becoming an effective leader. However, being a good an effective leader doesn’t always mean that the leader is an ethical leader. Ethical leaders demonstrate traits of integrity, honesty and trustworthiness, but they also demonstrate these traits when making decisions for a corporation. Leaders of the organization are to set the example, and use ethical principles as guidelines to the decision making process. As DesJardins mentions in his book, An Introduction to Business Ethics, “One key difference lies with the means used to motivate others and achieve one’s goals.” (DesJardins, 2011) Motivating employees by empowering them to be creative and successful is an ethical mean of becoming an ethical and effective leader. An effective ethical leader is one who possesses the qualities of both transformational and transitional leadership styles. One who involves exchanges that are necessary for achieving routine performance and...
Words: 570 - Pages: 3
...Introduction This document covers the ethical leadership traits and self-evaluation of ethical leadership based on ethical leadership inventory. A1. Ethical leadership traits In following section, I have covered some of the ethical leadership traits of Mr. Kenneth Chennault, Chairman and CEO of American Express. Kenneth began his career in American Express as a consultant and promoted to the top position in corporate ladder as CEO and Chairman, with his constant ethical leadership practices. According to interview published by Collis, C (2014), Kenneth articulated below key career incidences which really shaped his career as ethical leader and helped him promoted to the top position in American Express. Integrity and Trust: Integrity is the fundamental and key principle of ethical leadership. As per Kenneth, integrity means consistency of words and action and to build the trust in people leader needs to exhibit consistency of word and action. Kenneth was able to build the trust in 150 year old, bureaucratic organization by consistently delivering on what he promised and able to motivate people for bigger vision in the interest of the company. Vison: After assuming CEO position, Kenneth articulated clear and galvanizing vision for American Express. In 1980, he turned around the merchandize business process by supplying and distributing it through mails. He expressed and convinced his vision for more flexible and sustainable delivery process to key departments in American...
Words: 3014 - Pages: 13
...An ethical leader will display certain habits, characteristics, traits, and virtues, which reflect what is right. Leaders are “involved in leading in a manner that respects the rights and dignity of others,” (Watts 22), while maintaining justice and remaining humane in their actions and decisions. When a situation arises, an ethical leader will know the right course of action, “even if it is unpopular, unprofitable, or inconvenient,” (10 Ethical Leadership Characteristics, Attributes & Traits), and in doing so, they remain honest and fair. Trust is a two way street in all situations, especially in a supervisor, employee relationship. Trust begets trust and “ethical leaders understand that the first step to engendering trust is to extend it, not to inspect for it,” (Seidman), otherwise the rapport may be strained. By establishing this trust, employees will feel encouraged to work as a team. When working as a team, members are “rewarded for coming up with innovative ideas, and are encouraged to do what it takes to improve the way things are done,” (10 Ethical Leadership Characteristics, Attributes & Traits), which allows them to thrive in the workplace and empower them to do more in building their career....
Words: 488 - Pages: 2
...Ethical Leadership •What are the components of a comprehensive framework for ethical decision making in business? Ethical Issue Intensity Business Ethics Ethical or Individual Factors Evaluations and Unethical Organizational factors Intentions Behavior Opportunity Ethical-Issue Intensity The first step in ethical decision making is to recognize that an ethical issue requires an individual or work group to choose among several actions that various stakeholders inside or outside the firm will ultimately evaluate as right or wrong. The intensity of an ethical issue relates to its perceived importance to the decision maker. Ethical issue intensity, then, can be defined as the relevance or importance of an ethical issue in the eyes of the individual, work group, and/or organization. It is personal and temporal in character to accommodate values, beliefs, needs, perceptions, the special characteristics of the situation, and the personal pressures prevailing at a particular place and time. Senior employees and those with administrative authority contribute significantly to intensity because they typically dictate an organization’s stance on ethical issues. In fact, under current law, managers can be held liable for the unethical and illegal Moral intensity relates to a person’s perception...
Words: 1618 - Pages: 7
...In order for an organization to be sustainable long term it must maintain organizational ethics through its leaders. Dr. Bill Grace, founder of The Center for Ethical Leadership, defined as ethical leadership as, “knowing your core values and having the courage to live them in all parts of your life in service of the common good” by ethicalleadership.org (2014). Ethical leadership reaches beyond the direct followers and beyond the organization. The ethics of an organization and its leaders affect the communities it serves and all stakeholders within and outside of the organization. Ben-Hur and Jonsen (2012) outline in their scholarly journal a four-style leadership model based upon Moses and his attainment of the ten items on the ethical leadership scale (ELS): visionary, shepherd, teacher and servant. This paper will evaluate an ethical issue within an organization and will discuss the various traits and skills apparent and lacking in the situation based upon Ben-Hur’s and Jonsen’s model as well as several other approaches to ethical leadership. Ethical issues come up in all levels of management in all organizations. In my previous position at EDMC an ethical issue surfaced with one of my employees. One of the managers who worked for me, who I will call Sally, bumped into one of my peers who was in charge of the training department, Bob. Sally proceeded to tell Bob a story about one of his trainers, Tom, forging coaching documents to fake coaching with Sally’s employees;...
Words: 1411 - Pages: 6
...Running Header: ETHICAL LEADERSHIP 1 Ethical Leadership Kendra D. Nord PHL 3354- Management Ethics The College of St. Scholastica May 6th, 2016 ETHICAL LEADERSHIP 2 Introduction Our society depends on the abilities of our leaders and how well they can do their jobs. To me, a leader is someone that many people look to for direction, guidance, and inspiration. It is important for our leaders to have the aptitude to make difficult decisions, to know and do what is right for the people. A higher authority is crucial for supervising and regulating others as well as being an example of a hard and dedicated worker. Ciulla (2004) believes ethics is the heart of leadership and a good leader is ethical and effective. In this paper I analyze the importance of personal ethics in leadership and how ethics produce effective leaders. The traits’ I believe an effective leader has is; character, competence, compassion, courage, and to be open to change. Throughout this paper the reader will develop an understanding of what is personally required to become an ethical and effective leader. Ethical Leader Traits Leadership is a relationship between people. Therefore, the ability to ethically influence others is a major determination of effective leadership (Waggoner, 2010). Strong Personal Character is possibly the most important characteristic of a leader. A person’s true character is who they...
Words: 1703 - Pages: 7
...| | | | | | | The Ethical Principles: How it impacts on Life in General and in Business Based on some of the recent history ethical failures committed by executives from huge organizations like Enron, Arthur Andersen, PricewaterHouseCoopers, so on and so forth, if history teaches us anything is that ethics and character count a whole lot, especially in the business world. These executives, by their failures of ethics, all because for their personal benefits, had destroyed and tarnished not only the organizations reputation but, in many cases, its financial impacts resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars as damage and tarnish their reputation and their prospective career, not to mention damaging their prospective families financial security and, in some cases, serving many years in prison as the ultimate consequences. In today’s volatile, high tech, interdependent business world, charisma leadership style without conscience and being clever without character are a recipe for economic and personal failure of epic proportions. As quote from President Roosevelt –“To educate the mind without the morals is to educate a menace to society. The following core ethical principles, if one chose to follow rigorously, can play a vital role to success to leadership: Honesty, Integrity, Promise-Keeping, Loyalty, Fairness, Caring, Respect For Others, Law Abiding, Commitment To Excellence, Leadership (Exemplify honor & ethics), Reputation &...
Words: 2162 - Pages: 9
...Ethical Leadership Abstract This paper will work to address ethical breakdowns by current leaders, looking at why the breakdowns occurred, and whether or not this was due to using a particular style that did not work. It will discuss the concepts of the traits and behaviors in terms of what it takes to be a great leader, and look at the question of whether or not an individual may behave in an unethical manner in their personal lives but still remain a great leader. Keywords: ethical leadership, leader, unethical behavior, ethical breakdowns, current leaders, reasoning Ethical Leadership It is believed that ethical breakdowns in leadership occur as a result of three distinct issues; that leaders are not stopping to check to see whether they are acting in the best interests of the company or themselves, that they are not treating complex situations in the appropriate manner, and that they are not looking at decisions in terms of their far reaching consequences (O’Brien, 2012). The volume of ethical breakdowns in leaders seem to have increased in recent years, and by reviewing the contexts of those breakdowns it will be possible to determine the reason the breakdown occurred; once several of these situations have been explored, it will be possible to see whether or not it is still possible for an individual to be a great leader following an ethical breakdown. Looking first to Wall Street, it is clear that abuse of public trust has run rampant, but it is not the CEOs...
Words: 919 - Pages: 4
...Gloryanna Diaz Professor Sailer Ethical Leadership Assignment In today’s society people are becoming more accepting and welcoming. As a young business women going into the field of Marketing and Advertising, I have noticed that business leaders are being faced with much ethical dilemmas. For example, Nike and their decision to drop their endorsement deal with Manny Pacquiao. Mr. Pacquiao publicly announced his position against gay activity and compared homosexuals to animals, Nike came to the conclusion to stop all endorsements. Even after Mr. Pacquiao apologized for his words on Twitter, Nike stood behind their decision. This is a big deal for Nike because they do not have the best record of handling athletes who are involved with scandals. After Tiger Woods scandal Nike released an ad campaign featuring Woods comeback. Also, Kobe Bryan kept his deal with Nike even after his sexual assault charge in 2003. Nike was valuing money, and making lots of it of off their negative endorsers scandals. They had one goal and one goal only, and that was to make money. They used their referent and legitimate power to convince people that promoting the scandals of their athletes was a money making marketing strategy. Being the top dogs in their industry and having one of the best marketing tactics there are, Nike took full advantage and got away with this negative endorsements. They were trusted and respected as leaders and gained referent power through out the years, making it difficult...
Words: 894 - Pages: 4
...Ethical Leadership: Right Relationships and the Emotional Bottom Line The Gold Standard for Success by Desmond Berghofer and Geraldine Schwartz Fraud and falsification are highly destructive to market capitalism and, more broadly, to the underpinnings of our society…Our market system depends critically on trust. Trust in the word of our colleagues and trust in the word of those with whom we do business. Alan Greenspan (1) Former Federal Reserve Chairman Wisdom traditions that encompass the history of human civilization have right relationships as their core value. Each of these traditions enjoins their leaders and citizens to act with compassion and thoughtful tenderness towards others, which is the hallmark of the noblest spirit of our humanity. Trillions of acts of decency, respect and fair play have allowed societies to evolve from their primitive beginnings to conditions where the rule of law and a constitution of rights and privileges protect men and women in modern diverse democracies. Unfortunately, it is when hard won improvements to the common good go terribly wrong that we most notice them. This does not mean, however, that we should take rare incidents of wrong doing to be the description of society. Rather, we need to mine human wisdom for the gold standard across time in order to establish “best practices” for the future. In so doing we come to understand that we are social creatures, driven by our emotions whose life force flows into the spaces between...
Words: 2360 - Pages: 10
