Ethics in Leadership Today

1068 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The importance of ethics in leadership

In the business world these days, we must take into consideration many factors in becoming successful individually and as a team. One major important factor I’ll be talking about is how ethics influence leadership. How I value the importance of having good ethics, my leadership experiences in life, and how I will apply these values in my future career.

Today we live in such a diverse environment, which means we are surrounded by a lot of different culture, ethnicity, and religion. To become a successful leader you must learn to deal with the differences, one could possess and practice a code of ethics which should include valuable guidelines of principles. Knowing wrong from right; basically sums up what ethic is really all about. Kenneth R. Andrews, in Ethics in Practice (March 1989), “Contends that there are three aspects to ethical behavior in organizations: the development of the individual as an ethical person, the effect of the organization as an ethical or unethical environment, and the actions or procedures developed by the organization to encourage ethical behavior and discourage unethical behavior.” (n.p.) I believe that if you understand, apply, and educate others about the value of morals, honesty, and having good ethics, you’ll become a better leader in all aspect of life.

When I was a manager for my prior company I worked for, I had an assistant. My assistant’s name was Michael; he was three times my age. One day, we had a young African American female customer come in and applied for a loan, Michael assisted her with the paper work, and kindly denied her for the loan. As I manager, I overviewed the young lady’s loan application and found that she was actually qualified for a loan, and so I confronted Michael...

... middle of paper ...

... how to solve an issue or preventing an issue, comes with the knowledge of knowing what is right and what is wrong, and since we’re dealing with different cultures in our civilization these days, people have different prospective on things, so it’s important to understand and to keep an open-mind at all times because with time passing; things change, acknowledging all the differences is a great key in becoming a successful leader in today’s business world!

Works Cited

National Defense University in, Strategic Leadership and Decision Making (p.15) http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/refer.html

Kenneth R. Andrews, in Ethics in Practice (March 1989) (n.p.)

UOK, Values & Ethics Code(p. 4) http://getinvolved.uky.edu/Leadership/pdf/Values%20and%20Ethics.pdf

Management Study (2011)

http://www.managementstudyguide.com/leadership-ethics.htm

Show More
Related

  • Ethics And Cultural Values And Challenges Of Ethical Leadership

    1459 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethical leadership is hard to define according to research cited by Yukl, (2013). Ethics depends on time, culture, and laws. We can attempt to define ethical leadership by looking at the leader’s behavior, values and how he or she influences followers (Yukl, 2013). Every organization has ethical and moral guidelines stipulated through their policies, rules and regulations. A leader who is honest and trustworthy can be said as an ethical leader. But it depends on how the behavior is reflected in the organization and the employees. Ethical leadership can also be defined as to whether the behaviors violate cultural customs and laws of the society. Personal morals and ethics may be in conflict with managing the organization

    Read More

  • Leadership Briefing: Poor Ethical Practices Of Pharmaceutical Companies

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    To apply this system of moral values effectively, one must understand the structural levels at which ethical dilemmas occur, who is involved in the dilemmas, and how a particular decision will affect them. In addition, one must consider how to formulate possible courses of action. Failing in any of these three areas may lead to an ineffective decision, resulting in more pain than cure.” Ken Blanchard states, “Many leaders don’t operate ethically because they don’t understand leadership; these executives may have MBA’s from Ivey League schools or have attended leadership training; they may routinely read the best-selling management books, however, they don’t understand what it means to be a leader.” They don’t model a way of ethical behaviors.

    Read More

  • Ethical Leadership Definition

    1281 Words  | 3 Pages

    Looking at the first word in ethical leadership we see, as stated in the Webster-Merriam dictionary, ethical is defined as “following accepted rules of behavior: morally right and good”. When we think of someone who is ethical we, first, think of someone who ‘follows the rules’. By following the rules I mean someone who in the eyes of the majority is morally sound. Having strong morals is what I believe the key is to an ethical person. On the other side of the definition of ethical is defining it as having inside oneself the desire to do what’s right over what is wrong. When we speak about someone who is ethical this desire is one that is not dependent on external forces i.e. no one can sway an ethical person’s mindset.

    Read More

  • Code Of Ethics: What Makes You A Great Leader?

    1888 Words  | 4 Pages

    My code of ethics helps determine what kind of decision I make as a leader. When making a decision not only the code of ethics affect what kind of decisions the leader will makes, but also the impact on power holders. The definition of power is the ability of one person to influence others or exercise control over them. (Nahavandi, 2015) There are two different ways how power impacts a leader, a positive impact and negative impact. Positive impact focuses on action-oriented where a leader is more sensitive and more generous. Negative impact is a leader who cannot empathize where a leader is addicted to power and take all the credits. When a leader is impacted positively with power, the leader is going to be successful making ethical decisions. For example, the leader will be able to obtain thoughtful information from his/her peers and make a valid and reasonable decision while account his/her subordinates. When a leader is impacted by negatively with power, the leader will abuse his/her power and make poor and unethical decisions. As a leader, leaders should avoid abusing their powers and maintain a positive impact on power

    Read More

  • What Are The Most Critical Leadership Ethical Dilemmas?

    910 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are hidden Rules for students who come from poverty neighborhoods and high schools. Many college and universities are founded on middle class principles, rules, and language. The under resourced student in many cases are lacking this fundamental understanding of what’s expected when they arrive at college. Or even when they apply for college and try to get funding to pay for it. The hidden rules can be in many forms that many middle class students may be able to understand much easier.

    Read More

  • Ethical And Ethical Leadership

    2216 Words  | 5 Pages

    We don’t need to see ethical leadership as a weak or a soft-hearted concept of a leader. An ethical leader that bring out characters such as forgiveness, love and trust can become an advantage to that leader. These character or value are able to make his or her subordinate to bring out their hidden capabilities that is give positive impact to their work, increase the commitment of the employee to their own work and company, also get rid of the feeling of distrust by the employee to the leader. This kind of leader may touch the heart of their subordinate trough their sincerity, and able to inspire them to act ethically also. By building strong relationship that is beyond boss and employee relationship, all of the vision and mission of the company can be transferred and understand well by those who work under

    Read More

  • Ethical Leadership: Culture And Diversity Of Leadership

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    The learnings of culture with in organisations were influential in my coaching performance. At the time I started to study culture and diversity of leadership I had culture difficulties at my current place of work as a high level coach. We had recently hired a new male coach who would work alongside me to coach our senior athletes.

    Read More

  • Ethical Dilemmas in Leadership: A Historical Perspective

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    German Philosopher, Immanuel Kant once said, “In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so” (1800). The word ethics refers to “character” and “conduct” (Northouse, 2015, p. 330). It is deeply “concerned with the virtuousness of individuals and their motives” and “the kinds of values and morals an individual or a society finds desirable or appropriate” (Northouse, 2015, p. 330). Thus, “in regards to leadership, ethics is concerned with what leaders do and who leaders are” (Northouse, 2015, p. 330). Ethics in leadership allows leaders to make decisions regarding what is virtuous or not in a situation. All throughout the history of American government, difficult decisions have been made and the fight for ethics has always been “implicitly or explicitly involved” (Northouse, 2015, p. 330).

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Leadership In Ethical Leadership

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Good leaders develop ideas. Great leaders develop people. The best leaders develop new leaders”, these are the words that were quoted by one of my teachers in high school who influenced and taught me some of the essential lessons in regards with being a good and effective leader. I always remember this saying every time I am working in a group or if I am given a task to lead a team. I’ve been involved in a lot of group activities in the past wherein I’ve witnessed a lot of group relationship that inspired me as well as taught me of the do’s and don’ts when it comes to leading people and getting along with your groupmates. Based from these practical learning experiences, I believe that I still have a lot of things that I need to learn and skills

    Read More

  • Spiritual Leadership Theory: The Importance Of Ethical Leadership

    134 Words  | 1 Pages

    The importance of ethical leadership is emphasised in theories of ethical leadership such as transformation theories which seek to raise the consciousness of followers by appealing to ideals and moral values rather than to materialistic desires or negative emotions such as fear and jealousy; Servant leadership theory which explains why the primary concern of the leaders should be to nurture, develop, and protect followers; Spiritual leadership theory which explains how leaders can enhance the spiritual meaning in the work experienced by followers; Authentic leadership theory which describes an ideal leader whose behavior is guided by strong positive values, (Yukl, 2010). In addition, all these theories emphasise the importance of leadership

    Read More

  • Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs And Ethics Analysis

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every individual has certain values and ethics that he/she stands by. Values give us a sense of what is important while ethics gives us a sense of what is right and wrong. Together, these qualities help guide us through our everyday life: what actions to take and what decision to make. Sticking to ethical standards allows you to stay clear of trouble; therefore, strengthening people’s trust in you. In return, this leads to gaining people’s respect and cooperation, which may result in leadership responsibilities. Therefore, we believe that personal values and ethics will affect a person’s career success. However, there are times where individuals will make unethical choices--some situations might question your resolve. This can be caused by

    Read More

  • Ethical Leadership Issues

    2793 Words  | 6 Pages

    With so many constant changes today with different generations, legal and political circumstances and ever-changing and improving technology sources, organizations have new and recurring issues arising every single day. The reasons for these issues vary widely and develop because of so many different situations. The outcome of the situation depends on many factors including the issue at hand, the management style and the ethics of the organization to simply name a few. These outcomes can certainly make or break an organization if not handled appropriately. The issue I have found to be the most significant is leadership. Within leadership, there is the opportunity for many issues in itself.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Ethical Leadership

    1684 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ethical leadership organizational ethics and socially responsibility are inseparable (Johnson). Leadership is not a inherited gift or family heritage; it is not a degree from an ivy league graduate school. Becoming a leader is an intentional process of growth that must be lived out experientially (Mullane). Ethical leaders demonstrate three distinctive characteristics, knowledge, action and character. Leaders have to have the ability to say “yes” or even “no” to a never ending series of challenges. A leader needs to be able to define their values, character and leadership style. When accepting the role of leadership you become encumbered by ethical issues and concerns. .

    Read More

  • Essay On Ethical Leadership

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    Good, strong, ethical people can have an immeasurable impact on a company as well. “Ethical leadership creates an ethical culture. Top managers provide a blueprint for a firm’s corporate culture. If these leaders fail to express desired ethical behaviors and goals, a corporate culture evolves on its own to reflect the values and norms of the company” (Ferrell, 2015). “Leadership has a significant impact on ethical decision making because leaders have the power to motivate others and enforce the organization’s norms, policies, and viewpoints” (Ferrell, 2015). Often employees will look to management and top leadership for clues as to what is acceptable and what is not. It is not only important to have good role models in those top positions, but to have a culture where they can fully express their ethical

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Ethics And Ethics In An Organization

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Ethics can be defined as moral principles that govern or influence a person’s behaviour and values are the context in which an organisation or society’s norms are established and justified” (buzz text book).Ethics are the guidelines helping us tell the difference between the is wrong and right. Most people are encouraged by ethics to normally do the right things. Ethics and values are based on individual beliefs and standards in society that one if from, they vary from person to person. Leadership is the authority and capability for one to lead people in an organization in order to achieve goals. They are the main role players in all the organizations and are crucial to their success. Ethics in a business means taking the precise way’

    Read More

More about Ethics in Leadership Today

Open Document