Respond to two Colleagues D1 - A

Respond to at least (2) two of your colleagues' postings “see below” that contain a perspective other than yours. Please ensure your response to your colleagues addresses concerns listed below:

· Share an insight about what you learned from having read your colleagues’ postings and discuss how and why your colleague’s posting resonated with you professionally and personally.

· Offer an example from your experience or observation that validates what your colleague discussed.

· Offer specific suggestions that will help your colleague build upon his or her perceptions as a leader.

· Offer further assessment from having read your colleague’s post that could impact a leader’s effectiveness.

· Share how something your colleague discussed changed the way you consider your own leadership qualities.

· No plagiarism

· APA citing

1st Colleague - Ryan Sharratt 

RE: Discussion 1 - Week 7

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     Badaracco (1998) states that an ethical decision typically involves choosing between two options: one we know to be correct and another we know to be wrong. However, a defining moment challenges us more profoundly by asking us to choose between two or more ideals in which we deeply believe (Badaracco, 1998 p.3). Last week, I faced this scenario when attempting to hire someone convicted of a felony involving embezzlement from a previous employer over 14-years ago.

     I have always held a close idealism that reform is possible. I have felt that people make choices, and when they are wrong, they can build themselves back from a poor choice. If that choice results in jail time, that is a mechanism for rehabilitation that society has decided should work. If that choice results in any learning moment outside of jail, people should learn from it and not make the same mistakes again. Life can be complicated, confusing, and a unique event for each person, but learning should transpire from every action we do.

In this scenario, the applicant stated she misread the job application for criminal history over the last seven years and bypassed the question of "have you ever been convicted of a felony." During a background review, a felony involving financial crimes was found. This caught me off guard because of countless times spent on the phone ensuring a cultural fit for this accounting position and never mentioning the criminal background.

     My conflict was the virtue of forgiving for a crime, yet knowing that an omission on an application was an issue. I decided I would ask my office staff to help me decide. This decision led to a very decent exchange between several office members and me. The result was one of the office members wanted to be hired for the position, which I was elated at the opportunity to promote from within. The offer was rescinded to the applicant and offered to the internal applicant fostering the progressive environment I have been trying to cultivate for the last three years.

During this event, I was able to identify who I was: A leader looking at a dynamic team to solve a problem using a diverse approach to staff input. This contributed to finding out more about the team's point of view and defining who we are. Finally, I was able to identify who we are as a company: A leader in fostering fair, ethical and transparent hiring practices to ensure a socio-environment cultural fit.

By having a group conversation and not just deciding on my own, I could showcase my character as a value-driven leader who makes calculated decisions on complex issues. I gained the respect of the staff, showing that my actions speak louder than my words.

References:

Badaracco, J. L. Jr. (1998, March-April). The discipline of building character. Harvard Business Review, 76(2), 115–124Bottom of Form

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Natasha Mills 

RE: Discussion 1 - Week 7

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Difference between a Tough Ethical Decision and a Defining Moment

Badaracco (1998) defines a tough ethical decision as a choice between right and wrong. This is the most widely known form of ethical decision-making, where people consider those who choose the right to be ethical, while those who go for the wrong option are viewed or labeled as unethical. A defining moment, on the other hand, presents decision-making that involves choosing between two options that are both right or ideal. In other words, defining moments rarely have a correct choice, thereby making it more sophisticated than the process of making a tough ethical decision.

In many cases, defining moments often require one to critically examine his/her values and rely on the deepest of them to choose between the two ideal options. One of the examples that Badaracco (1998) provides to help define a defining moment is that of a parent who has to choose between going to the daughter’s piano recital or going to the office because the company’s biggest client is scheduled to visit. This example shows how challenging defining moments are, as compared to tough ethical decision-making moments.

How My Character was Demonstrated during a Right vs. Right Experience

A company I once worked for had a vacant managerial position that they wanted to fill after the manager who was holding that position retired. The company considered two candidates as more eligible for the position. However, the eligibility of the candidates was weighed using different scales that were both logical. The first candidate had all the necessary qualifications and experience, making him ideal for the position. On the other hand, the second candidate had the necessary qualifications but came short on the experience part. Nonetheless, since the company was looking to fulfill its diversity and inclusivity goals in its leadership spectrum, the second candidate became as eligible as the first since she was a racial minority and a woman.

The situation created a dilemma, prompting one of the executives responsible for the selection process to privately seek the input of a few followers selected randomly. This approach was part of the larger strategy the company had adopted to help it develop leadership skills among employees at all levels. I happened to be among those selected, and my input turned into a defining moment when I was asked about who I would choose and why I told the executive that the candidate that had all the qualifications and experience deserved the position.

However, this meant that the company would fail to meet the diversity and inclusivity threshold in its leadership. With regard to this, I told the executive that inclusivity and diversity achieved through merit was more effective than that which is achieved through the handing out of positions. Therefore, it was better for the company to create an environment that offered an equal opportunity for everyone to acquire that merit and qualify for the top positions. Even without mentioning the outcome of the process, this was a defining moment for me because I consulted some of my deeply rooted values in making this decision and settled on the option that best agreed with those values.

The defining moment shaped my ethical leadership values and core principles by enlightening me that one needs to have values and core principles in order to be effective in such decisions. Defining moments are likely to emerge from those values and principles because they make the process of choosing right versus right less complicated than it could be (Christensen & Boneck, 2010). In other words, the defining moment shaped my ethical leadership values and core principles by showing me that addressing such situations always begins with individual values.

How Badaracco Adocates Leaders should Move Through How to be Ethical

When right vs right decisions are necessary, Badaracco (1998) suggests that leaders should be able to balance their idealism with the messy reality of their jobs. This means asking the question who am I for individual defining moments, who are we for workgroup defining moments, and who is the company for executive defining moments. Therefore, the defining moment will depend on the position of the individual in the company. However, it is also possible to rely on Badaracco’s who am I question alone to show how leaders can move through the process of examining how to be ethical rather than just being ethical. This approach suggests that leaders ought to examine the conflicting feelings and look at the conflict more as a natural tension between two perspectives that are valid than looking at it as a problem. After that, leaders should examine their deeply rooted values then incorporate shrewdness and expediency into the process.

Badaracco, J. L., Jr. (1998, March-April). The discipline of building character. Harvard Business Review, 76(2), 115–124.

Christensen, D. S., & Boneck, R. (2010). Four questions for analyzing the right-versus-right dilemmas of managers. Journal of Business Case Studies (JBCS), 6(3).

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