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Leadership & Managing People

Don’t Try to Be the “Fun Boss” — and Other Lessons in Ethical Leadership by Kimberly Nei and Darin Nei

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Don’t Try to Be the “Fun Boss” — and Other Lessons in Ethical Leadership

by Kimberly Nei and Darin Nei

Published on HBR.org / September 10, 2018 / Reprint H04HHY

Juj Winn/Getty Images

Just becoming a leader is enough to exacerbate some people’s

unethical tendencies. But power does not corrupt everyone. Our

research suggests that key personality characteristics predict unethical

leadership behavior.

We collected personality data and supervisor ratings of ethical behavior

(e.g., integrity, accountability) on 3,500 leaders across 30 organizations

we had worked with. The organizations included in our study were

HBR / Digital Article / Don’t Try to Be the “Fun Boss” — and Other Lessons in Ethical Leadership…

https://hbr.org/2018/09/dont-try-to-be-the-fun-boss-and-other-lessons-in-ethical-leadership

https://www.fastcompany.com/3068385/why-becoming-a-leader-makes-some-people-more-unethical

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ijsa.12201

largely multinational, represented several industries, and varied in size

from medium to large. We combined data across these 30 independent

studies to examine the relationship between personality and ethical

leadership across a range of different settings and situations. We found

that characteristics related to certain traits have stronger relationships

with unethical behavior.

So, what should today’s leaders do to build trust with their teams and

the public? Here are a few tips, based on our findings:

1. Be humble; not charismatic. It is natural that we are attracted to

people whom we perceive to be inspiring, fun, and engaging. It

makes sense that you need a little charisma or pizzazz to stand out

from others and get noticed. Charisma can also be useful for

engaging and inspiring others towards the organizational mission.

However, too much of this may be a bad thing in the eyes of your

team members. Unchecked charisma will lead to a reputation of self-

absorption and self-promotion. When team members get the sense

that you are focused on your own concerns and ideas, they feel

unsupported. The team may start to worry that you will no longer do

what is best for the team or organization, and that you will instead do

what is best for your own agenda.

2. Be steady and dependable; it will get you further. While you may

have been noticed and promoted based on your charisma, being

reliable, rule-following, and responsible is more important for your

team. As a leader, you have a tremendous amount of autonomy and

decision-making power. If we are to entrust our leaders with such

power, we need to be confident in their ability to remain true to their

word and to do what’s right for the organization. Showing your team

that you exercise caution, take calculated risks, and will adhere to

HBR / Digital Article / Don’t Try to Be the “Fun Boss” — and Other Lessons in Ethical Leadership…

https://hbr.org/2012/11/the-dark-side-of-charisma

organizational principles will go a long way toward gaining their

trust.

3. Remember that modesty is the best policy. At times, we may all

enjoy working in an environment that is less formal, or working for a

boss who knows how to keep things light-hearted. However, there is

still a degree of responsibility and professionalism that people come

to expect from those in charge. Trying to be liked and known as “the

fun boss” can tarnish your reputation in the long run. It’s OK to stay

out of the limelight and keep some space between you and your

team. It sends signals that you are there for their professional benefit

and that they can rely on you when needed.

4. Balance analysis with action. Although people appreciate a degree

of logic and rationality in the decision-making process, be careful to

not get so focused on data and analysis that you forget the larger

context or the impact of your decisions. Spending too much time

analyzing data can hold you back from making important decisions,

especially in high-pressure situations that call for quick action. The

data may indicate the best course of action for the bottom line, but

this may not be the best decision for the broader team or relevant

stakeholders. Leadership must be able to make a decision and take

corrective action quickly, even if it initially hurts the bottom line.

5. Be vigilant; vulnerability increases over time. Learning and

adjusting to a new role, especially a high-visibility leadership role,

can take some time. It’s during the first few months in a new role that

we usually spend more time observing what’s going on around us. We

also tend to be more mindful of our interactions with others and may

spend more time managing the impressions we make on others. Over

time, we become more comfortable in our surroundings and we stop

paying attention to our reputations. It’s usually after the six-month

HBR / Digital Article / Don’t Try to Be the “Fun Boss” — and Other Lessons in Ethical Leadership…

mark where we see an increased risk of our dark-side tendencies

impeding our success or derailing our careers. Keep your guard up,

stay vigilant, and continually seek feedback.

The personality characteristics that will get you chosen as a leader are

not always the same as the ones that will make you effective in that role.

Spending too much time trying to get noticed or having a “win at all

costs” mentality to get ahead can put you (and your team) at a higher

risk of engaging in unethical behavior. Having awareness of your

surroundings and an understanding of the ways you influence your

team will help to keep yourself (and your team) on track.

KN Kimberly Nei is a manager of client research at Hogan Assessments where she manages the design and implementation of legally defensible assessment-based selection and development solutions.

DN Darin Nei is a senior consultant with Hogan Assessment’s Global Alliances team where he works closely with international consulting partners to deliver science-based solutions and ensure assessment quality across a variety of cultures and languages.

HBR / Digital Article / Don’t Try to Be the “Fun Boss” — and Other Lessons in Ethical Leadership…

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