Ethics in Leadership

Getting Started

Values are an element that threads their way through many of the other topics in the course (and leadership in general). For example, a discussion of character or credibility almost always reflects values – what we say they are compared to what they really are in practice (consistency). As leaders, the more clarity that we have about our core values, the more intentional we can be about making decisions that align with those core values. Such alignment is an important part of building trust and a community of trust. Lennick et al. (2011) proposed some universal principles that serve as the foundation of other desirable values, effective leadership, and promoting a community of trust.

This assignment will help you clarify these core principles and how they fit into your ethical perspective.

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

· Explain how you live out your core principles in an organizational context.

Background Information

Are all moral decisions just a logical problem to decode? Moral reasoning often includes emotional elements too. Click on the drop-down menu to see three short videos and learn more about the role of emotions in ethical decision-making.

Select the dropdown arrow for each perspective to view a short video about that perspective.

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Moral Reasoning

All is not Relative

Moral Emotions

Lennick et al. (2011) wrote:

Research tells us that emotional intelligence contributes more to life success than intellectual or technical competence. Emotional intelligence can help you behave with great self-control and interpersonal savvy. But emotional intelligence alone won’t keep you from doing the wrong thing. Moral incompetence surfaces in moments when personal or business goals conflict with core values. Just about everyone has worked with someone who had great interpersonal skills but dropped the ball on a moral issue. (p. 23)

Lennick et al. (2011) suggested that everyone has a moral compass comprised of our core principles, values, and beliefs. We also have goals that include our individual purpose, objectives, and wants. Additionally, we live out behaviors in our thoughts, emotions, and actions. According to the authors, when our moral compass, goals, and behaviors are consistent, we are “living in alignment” (p. 57). Only by living in alignment do we have the opportunity to demonstrate moral intelligence and ethical leadership.

What constitutes appropriate values for ethical leadership? While lists of values vary according to source, Lennick et al. proposed:

The most effective leaders hold to a common set of principles to guide their day-to-day actions. They don’t make up their values as they go along; they listen carefully to the call of moral values that already lie within all of us. The principles business leaders follow are the same set of principles that all human societies throughout time have believed to be “right.” These fundamental beliefs have been embedded in human society for so long that they are now widely recognized as universal.” (p. 36)

The authors propose that the core, universal principles that undergird effective and ethical leadership as well as healthy societies are:

· Integrity

· Responsibility

· Compassion

· Forgiveness

Consistent with Lennick et al.’s (2011) perspective that moral intelligence reflects living in alignment with core principles,  Gentile (2010) began her work, “This book begins with the assumption that most of us want to find ways to voice and act on our values in the workplace, and to do so effectively. The focus here is on those times and situations when we believe we know what is right and want to do it, but we experience external pressures—from our boss, our colleagues, our customers—to do otherwise” (p. xxiii).

Collectively, we can identify two key points of moral challenge: knowing what is right versus acting on what we believe is right. For our purposes, we can state two questions to frame our study:

·  Do we know our core principles and values?

·  Do we live and lead in alignment with those principles and values with our head (reason) and heart (emotions)?

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Review the Background Information.

3. Address the following assignment requirements in a two – three-page paper.

a. Describe a challenging ethical scenario in your experience when you are aware that you “lived in alignment” to one (or more) of the core principles proposed by Lennick et al. (2011). In other words, a time when your goals and behaviors reflected the core principles in a way that required courage or conviction to speak out or live out those principles.  Describe the scenario in no more than ½ page.

b. Reflect on that scenario (and your actions). What are some key lessons you learned about yourself, giving voice to your values, and acting in alignment with your core principles? Analyze how the lessons learned in that scenario might be useful for helping you in future, ethically challenging situations, especially as a leader. Provide this analysis in approximately 1 page.

c. Discuss whether the four core principles (Integrity, Responsibility, Compassion, and Forgiveness) may be considered “universal” (as Lennick et al. propose) and the way those principles may support the development of communities of trust. Discuss this portion of the assignment in approximately ½ page.