In analyzing the term
“ethical leadership,” I have to dissect the term in order to provide a clear
understanding of what ethical leadership means to me. The term “ethical” is
part of my daily living and vernacular. “Ethical”, in my personal opinion, is
having integrity, honor, good moral character, and accountability. It involves
doing the right thing even when no one is looking.Unfortunately, doing the right thing is not always seen as a
positive characteristic. As a leader, one must influence others in order to
achieve a common goal, hence, doing the right things for the organization.
An “ethical leader” has the ability to influence others to
do what is honorable. Ethical leadership involves the leader serving as a
positive role model and mentor to the people in the organization, community,
and society as a whole. It is maintaining unquestionable credibility and
integrity. An ethical leader has good intentions and a defined purpose. The
ethical leader leads with the purpose of helping the organization succeed and
creates a culture of excellence and honor in order to accomplish the organization’s
realistic goals, vision, and mission. Ethical leadership involves making
decisions that are not in the leader’s best interest but in the best interest
of the organization. Ethical leaders have a vision and can foresee potential
obstacles that may prevent the organization from moving forward. Ethical
leadership involves setting goals, abiding by laws, policies, and procedures in
order to set the expectations and prevent the organization from detracting from
the mission at hand. Ethical leadership also involves the leader being
reflective and accountable for the organization’s successes or failures. An
ethical leader does not create excuses or places blame on people, situations,
or circumstances. Ethical leadership involves continuously communicating with
all stakeholders in order to ensure everyone is informed and understands what
their role is in the organization. The ethical leader also serves as a mode of
communication. It is the responsibility of the ethical leader to train everyone
in the organization on what is expected and communicate the expectations
through various means on a continuous basis. Ethical leaders provide on-going
assessments of the organization’s progress and communicate results with members
of the organization. Ethical leadership is leading with integrity. Ethical
leaders are transparent and are trusted by their subordinates. They are
perceived as great leaders and are able to obtain buy-in because of their
character. The ethical leader leads by example. Ethical leadership also
involves having a sense of conviction and commitment. Ethical leaders are
disciplined and inspire others do meet their measureable goals. Ethical
leadership provides opportunities to help members of the organization grow.
Ethical leaders are generous and give of themselves in order to meet the needs
of people and the organization. Ethical leadership is respecting individuals,
their thoughts, and opinions, even if they conflict with those of the leader.
Ethical leaders are humble and focus on the people in the organization. They
build relationships and do not create an intimidating or threatening working
environment.
Ethical leadership is the ability to influence members of
the organization to do what is morally correct regardless of what people may
believe, say, or do. It is staying true to one’s convictions and sticking to
one’s non-negotiables. Ethical leadership is holding oneself and others
accountable for violating policies, procedures, and laws. Ethical leaders
represent honor, excellence, integrity, and credibility.
