Ethical & Moral Implications of Leadership Behaviour – Unit 7:1

If leaders do not possess moral or ethical values, the implications of their behaviour would have a profound negative affect on the entire membership of their organizations as well as those that they  are supposed to serve.  Donald Trump and his continual spate of lies and false accusations comes to mind as an example. His lack of transparency and what appears to be a complete absence of basic moral or ethical values not only affects the entire United States but also relationships with other nations as witnessed by his latest behaviour on the world wide stage at the recent G7 Summit.

Reuters.com

The implications of Trump’s behaviour are far reaching and do a great disservice not just for his country but for humanity as a whole.  There are many examples in history of unethical and immoral leaders and of the devastating and far reaching impact they had not just on their own people but on the entire world.

Both  Aviolio and Gardner (2005) in their article “Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership” and Jane Van Buren in the video “What is Ethical Leadership” (March 29, 2013) touch upon the importance of leaders demonstrating transparency of their values in their communication as well as their actions.  When leaders uphold the shared values of an organization they help to set the cultural tone and model expectations of shared behaviour. Aviolio and Gardner(2005) reference Avolio, Luthans, and Walumbwa (2004, p.4) when they define authentic leaders as “those who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/moral perspectives, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and of high moral character” (Aviolio and Gardner, 2005, p. 321).   Aviolio and Gardner (2005) also refer to the importance of leaders being able to self-regulate and “align their values with their intentions and actions” (p. 325).   Self-regulation is the ability of a leader to act/behave in the long term, best interest of the organization while maintaining and adhering to a consistent set of values. When leaders positively model self-regulation, and adhere to a set of values they have a more authentic influence over their followers.

I can help my organization grow and flourish by adhering to the following goals :

• Be a visible role model 
  • Just like the example in the video, when leaders wash their own cups, actions are shown to speak louder than words.  People see this action and are more likely to follow suit. I can ensure that I am acting and modelling the kind of leadership behaviours that would be in the best interest of students. For example, the simple act (like the cup washing) of standing at my door each morning and greeting students by name and making them feel welcome.
  • I can be a visible role model not just within my school but also my community. Teachers are never really off duty and often run into students and families during weekends and holidays. I need to ensure that my behaviour is always becoming my profession and the ethical and moral values that I stand for.
• Communicate ethical expectations & institutionalize an ethical culture
  • In our department meetings and in the classroom, we can discuss our values and what our ethical expectations are as a department team (and whole school) so that we can hold ourselves accountable individually and as a team. It is important for everyone to be aware of these expectations so that everyone has a shared goal and vision of the kind of school culture that we want to build together.
  • Continue to share our values and school mission statement with all staff, students and parents across the entire district.
  • When our values and expectations are shared and displayed in classrooms and around the school, there is less room for misunderstandings or miscommunication.
• Be Transparent
  • Just like it’s mentioned in the video, I need to continually ask… “Is it fair? Is it honest? Is this in the best interests of students? How would I feel if this ended up on the evening news?”
  • Consistently provide access to information, resources, support and equal opportunities  for all students, parents and staff members
  • Be honest, open and respectful in my relationships and dealings with all members of my school and community.
• Self Regulate
  • I would like to actively practice self-regulation and be more aware of my emotions, my physical responses and my social responsibilities so that I can ensure that I am able make sustainable decisions that have the best interests of students at heart.
• Learn more about ethical training & how the profession provides protective mechanisms to maintain ethical behaviour
  • For example, the Teachers’ Association adheres to strong ethics in the teaching profession and provides training sessions for new teachers. Reminders are also sent out to all teachers on a regular basis of the necessity to maintain the ethical standards of the profession. If a teacher is in need of more than a reminder, there are steps and procedures in place to ensure additional training is provided or in severe cases, teachers can lose their professional license.  It is important to maintain the integrity of the profession and therefore ethical behaviour is held to high esteem.  How can I help model this and be a mentor to new teachers in the profession?
  • Training courses are also available for new administrators in our school district on the ethical and moral expectations of Vice-Principals and Principals.  One such document outlining the expectations is the BCPVPA Leadership Standards for Principals and Vice-Principals in British Columbia (2016). I would like to familiarize myself more with these standards.

I would like to be a leader and a role model who consciously self-regulates and who models transparent ethical morals and values on a daily basis through both my words and my actions.  I want to be aware of my actions and the affect my choices have on the greater good of our school community and those that I am supposed to serve.

References:

Aviolio, B, Gardner W. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 16, 315-338.

BCPVPA Standards Committee. (2016). Leadership Standards for Principals and Vice-Principals in British Columbia. Retrieved from  http://www.bcpvpa.bc.ca/downloads/pdf/Standardsfinal.pdf

Van Buren, J. (2013, March 29). What is Ethical Leadership? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks2QGoIq5nA