Thursday, September 26, 2013

Ethical Leadership


This is a brief essay of what I believe ethical leadership is and why it is important for any leader to posses this leadership style.  I will show why demonstrating ethical behavior is imperative to achieving success in the business world as well as familial life.  In addition, I will attempt to share with the reader clear examples of this leadership trait and how I have attempted to possess and demonstrate ethical leadership in my own life on a daily basis.  A short video will also be included which will offer ideas on how to change the cooperate culture of an unethical company.

Ethical leadership is a leadership style in which the leader of a company or organization possesses quality leadership traits and implements policies and directives that are fair and beneficial to everyone involved.  Ethical leadership is not based on a company’s “bottom line.”  It is based on setting clear and undisputed examples of how a leader makes decisions based on morals and doing the “right” thing no matter the fallout. 

It is my belief that subordinates take on the personality of their leader.  The behavior displayed by one’s leader can trickle down and have a positive or adverse effect on his or her staff.  A staff that believes their leader is fair and ethical is more likely to follow that person and support their decisions.  They will fall in line if they feel that their leader is fair, competent, knowledgeable, but equally important, ethical.  The leader-subordinate relationship is crucial to the success of any educational system or company. Rubin (2012) stated, “Perceptions of fairness can have a significant effect on a business’ reputation and thereby impact the company’s bottom line.”  This delicate relationship magnifies the need for an established value system.  

 A value system that places a priority on the leader treating his or her staff with respect and honesty can go a long way in establishing and fostering a positive workplace atmosphere. This will in turn aid in overall productivity.  I am of the belief that there are many leadership styles one can use besides the authoritative approach to foster success.  Ethical leadership is contagious.  A hard working honest staff that truly cares for and respects one another is always beneficial.  This value system also holds true when dealing with the dynamics of a family.

When dealing with one’s own family, having a value system in place that not only requires, but also expects all of its members to be ethical in their dealings with one another, in my opinion is an absolute necessity.  In a “traditional” family makeup, the parents are the leaders of the household.  The ethics they display or do not display can have a profound and long lasting effect on their children and family members.  Children are impressionable and they often model what they see and hear.  It is up to the parents, as in the case of a CEO, to display ethical leadership themselves if that is what they expect from their children and subordinates respectively.  “Mistrust, cynicism or indifference from topmost leaders can erode others’ loyalty to the organization, to its mission, to employees and to shareholders.” (Krause & Voss, 2007) 

In the on-line video titled “Ethics in the Workplace,” Debra Shapiro of the Robert H. Smith School of Business believes that offering incentives, having “whistleblowers, and incorporating ethics training would go a long way in preventing a company from becoming unethical as well as changing the culture of one that has already become unethical.  youtu.be/IFJvO0UtcFQ.weblocIn conclusion, ethical leadership is when the leader of any business or company promotes ideas and directives that are fair and in the “common good” to the majority of those he or she leads.  John Rawls, a contemporary ethicist defined “common good” as “certain general conditions that are…equally to everyone’s advantage (Velasquez, et al., 1996).  As a parent and educator myself, I have strived to become this type of leader.  I try to lead by example though thoughtful insight, firm but fair decision-making, and an overall sensitivity to the students I am privileged to care for and serve.


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