Category: Unit 7

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Unit 7 – Response to DawnES

Although I did not directly answer the question that Dawn posed, she did inspire me to develop some interesting thoughts. In her post, Dawn eloquently articulated principles of effective ethical behaviour and how ethics are the strong foundation to authentic transformational leadership. However, if transformational leadership is not grounded in strong morals and values, it may turn into pseudotransformational leadership. This is where the leader is narcissistic, exploitive, and manipulative with a warped code of ethics and moral compass (Northouse, 2017: p. 165).

Pseudotransformational leadership is the complete opposite of authentic leadership because the only goal of this type of leader is personal gain without concern for the collective good (Northouse, 2017: p. 165). It is especially threatening because this type of leadership nonetheless has the alluring and inspiring appeal of transformational leadership; however, the ethics are inherently skewed. These leaders dominate and direct followers according to self-interests (Northouse, 2017: p. 165). They exploit and engage in ruthless capitalism with little regard for the well-being of others.

Pseudotransformational leaders are incredibly persuasive with their message, but it is distorted with dishonesty and exploitative undertones (Kraft, n.d.). Whereas authentic leaders wish to foster trust and engage in coaching and mentoring, pseudotransformational leaders prefer blind obedience (Kraft, n.d.). In addition, these types of leaders do not appreciate individuals that question their authority, preferring ignorance and submission. In contrast, authentic leaders welcome intellectual stimulation and debate to encourage critical thinking (Kraft, n.d.). There are tons of examples in history, such as Hitler and Jeffery Skilling, where transformational leaders had all the effective characteristics except strong ethics, resulting in destruction.

Evidently, ethics are the foundation that a organization is built upon. If it is built on shaky ground, it will not withstand high-stake decisions and moments where a strong moral compass is needed to fall back on. I found that it was extremely interesting to read up on the dark side of transformational leadership and the importance of ethics.

Christina

 

Reference

Kraft, D. (n.d.). Pseudo-transformational Leadership in the Workplace. Retrieved on November 11, 2018, from https://work.chron.com/pseudotransformational-leadership-workplace-30748.html

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: theory and practice (Eighth ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

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Unit 7 – Response to Monica Grace

I thought it was effective how Monica used the analogy of a water droplet falling into a body of water, creating ripples that gradually increase. She draws connections that this is the same impact that leaders have in the lives of their employees, the organization, and the world at large. A leader sets the tone of an organization, behaviour and decisions following ethical suit (BuildingCapacity, 2013).

This reminds me of Peter Singer’s thought experiment where he asked readers if they would save a drowning child while sacrificing a new business outfit on the way to work (Singer, 1997). Once everyone agreed, he asked if it would be any different if there were distance between readers and the child, such as a country or nation. His main premise was is that for a small sacrifice for Westerners to pay, it saves a child’s life (Singer, 1997). He argues that the costs are incredibly small for the benefits that it may reap. Ultimately, Singer wants to challenge people’s underlying ethics with regards to helping strangers. He relates it to LH Lecky’s analogy of human concern as an expanding circle, in which it begins with one person and gradually expands to affect and transform others’ perspectives (Singer, 1997). The idea is that the circle continuously grows from: the family, to the community, to the nation, to a coalition of nations, and then to all of humanity (Singer, 1997). In essence, substantial change can begin by one person’s ethics and thereby raising the level of consciousness of a large group of people through the ripple effect. It becomes an expanding circle or ripple, creating enormous change in the world.

Ethics within an organization is the same way because it begins with the leader setting the tone with regards to what behaviour is acceptable vs. what is unacceptable. There is no limit to the amount of people that a leader’s ethics can inspire, benefit, or harm: the effect is exponential.

Thank you for the post Monica!

Christina

 

References

BuildingCapacity [Poster]. (2013, March 29). What is ethical leadership? Retrieved November 2018, from You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks2QGoIq5nA

Singer, P. (1997, April). The Drowning Child and the Expanding Circle. Retrieved on November 11, 2018, from https://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/199704–.htm

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Light of Many Lamps – Response to SJasmins

Sarah effectively articulated the Confucius’ principles related to his primary message “what you do not wish done to yourself, do not do to others” (Watson, 1951: p. 196). This is taken from the Golden Rule of Christianity: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. I liked how Sarah related these simple principles to the importance of establishing trust with followers because trust is what allows a leader to have influence. Followers have to trust their leader’s character in order to have their thoughts, beliefs, and actions influenced by an individual. As Sarah pointed out, integrity makes a leader worthy of trust.

I believe this dovetails into authentic leadership. In a society where authenticity is rare, it has become more valuable than ever. People are starving to follow authentic influencers that take off the masks of social norms and share their true struggles and hardships. Social media has made authenticity especially valuable. We live in a world where everyone showcases the highlight reel of their lives, creating a cycle of envy and inadequacy. Authentic leadership is a philosophy that advocates for genuine and “real” leadership especially with the public’s increasing demand for trustworthy leaders in the wake of corporate scandals and “fake news” (Northouse, 2017: p. 197).

Authentic leadership requires an intrapersonal perspective that consists of true “self-knowledge, self –regulation, and self-concept” as to not unknowingly or mistakenly treat others poorly (Northouse, 2017: p. 198). Authentic leaders have strong codes of ethics by understanding their own values, where they behave in ways that are congruent to their own personal constitution (Northouse, 2017: p. 200). When they experience hardships or tough decisions, they do not compromise their ethics because the values have been predetermined before for high-stake situations arise. Ultimately, this instils trust amongst followers as they see their leader acting ethically in difficult situations. Evidently, leaders set the moral tone for the organization because both ethical and non-ethical behaviour trickles down through the organization (BuildingCapacity, 2013). Confucius’ principles relates not only to an individual’s personal life but also to the ethical corporate sphere.

Thank you Sarah for your thought-provoking post! I really liked how it fit in nicely with this week’s topic. Looking forward to reading more!

Christina

 

References

BuildingCapacity [Poster]. (2013, March 29). What is ethical leadership? Retrieved November 2018, from You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks2QGoIq5nA

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: theory and practice (Eighth ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Watson, L. E. (1951). Light from Many Lamps. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

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Unit 7 – Learning Activity 2

Transformational leadership entails a leader motivating and inspiring followers to perform beyond expectations while sacrificing self-interests and serving the common good (Wang & Oh, 2011: p. 224). Furthermore, transformational leaders tend to challenge the status quo, which may result in increased performance levels due to both creativity and innovation (Wang et al., 2011: p.228). The article by Wang and colleagues suggested that transformational leadership was positively related to desirable individual, team, and organizational performance (Wang et al., 2011: p.253). Moving forward, Wang and colleagues suggest that organizations should choose the right people with transformational leadership personality traits (i.e. extraversion and emotional stability) and they should offer training programs to enhance management’s leadership styles (p. 253). In addition, transformational leadership is most effective in collaborative team environments.

I can use transformational leadership principles to motivate my followers by encouraging them to serve higher-level needs such as the common good. It is important to link their work to serving a cause greater than themselves, yet inspires followers to become their best self (Northouse, 2017: p. 168). In addition, this win-win leadership style not only serves a higher purpose but also increases desirable performance in the individual, teal, and organization. I will also remind myself to constantly look for individuals that show potential for transformational leadership development. However, it is crucial that these individuals have a strong code of ethics because transformational leadership can be used for harm.

Ethics is concerned with the virtuousness, values, and morals of an individual’s character and motives (Northouse, 2017: p. 336). Ethics provide a guide for decision-making with regards to what is good and bad, or right and wrong (Northouse, 2017: p. 336). Whether implicitly or explicitly, ethics are the backbone of all decisions. Ultimately, ethics direct the choices that leaders make and how they respond in various situations (Northouse, 2017: p.336).

The two ethical leadership principles that I believe are most important are respect for others and manifesting honesty. Firstly, I believe that respecting others is most important because we currently are experiencing ruthless capitalism where people are more motivated than ever to accomplish the American Dream at the expense of others. For example, traces can be seen of this as with the case of Enron where thousands of people lost their retirement savings because they were simply seen as a means to an end in a pump and dump scheme. Leaders need to respect followers’ valuable individual differences with respect to their own wants, needs, and dreams (Northouse, 2017: p. 346). The needs of both the leader and the followers need to be effectively fused together. Secondly, ethical leaders are honest by avoiding the harmful action of dishonesty. Leaders need to be honest so that they are trusted by followers and seen as being reliable and dependable (Northouse, 2017: p. 350). If leaders are not honest, followers will lose respect and the leader’s influence and impact will be compromised. Dishonesty and lying mean that a leader is open to manipulating and betraying the relationship with followers in order to suit personal interests (Northouse, 2017: p. 350). I believe that these are the most important because a leader needs honesty in order to reinforce respect, which ultimately creates trust in the leader-follower relationship. Without these, the leader will have little to no influence on follower’s actions, beliefs, or decisions. Therefore, the leader will not have impact in achieving desired goals.

If a leader has broken these two ethical leadership principles (respect and honesty) once, do you think the leader can make amends in full and become an effective leader again?

Christina

 

References

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: theory and practice (Eighth ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Wang, G., Oh, I.-S., Courtright, S. H., & Colbert, A. E. (2011). Transformational leadership and performance across criteria and levels: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of research. Group & Organization Management, 36(2), 223–270. https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca:2420/10.1177/1059601111401017

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Unit 7 – Learning Activity 1

Within our turbulent world, authentic leadership is needed more than ever. From fake news to corruption to white collar scandals, the public is anxious and apprehensive to have an ethical, authentic leader that is compelled to act in a way that appeals to not only universal principles of social justice, equality, and benevolent values, but also positive directed emotions of gratitude, kindness, and goodwill (Avolio & Gardner, 2005: p. 318). Ethics encompasses the principles, values, and beliefs that ultimately distinguish the differences between behaviour that is right and behaviour that is wrong (BuildingCapacity, 2013). The purpose of a leader is to influence a group of individuals towards a common goal (BuildingCapacity, 2013).

As the video (BuildingCapacity, 2013) stated, leaders set the moral tone for the organization because they uphold the values and set the cultural tone. Furthermore, the values and beliefs of top management trickle down through the organization, impacting every individual’s decisions and actions. A leader reinforces trust when he or she acts in an ethical way. Especially being in the nonprofit stream, it is incredibly important for a leader to be ethical because nonprofit organizations survive on the public’s support, which is maintained through trust (BuildingCapacity, 2013). Therefore, it is pivotal for nonprofits to maintain “high standards of transparency and integrity if they wish to maintain the support of the community” (BuildingCapacity, 2013).

For example, my organization was exploring the possibility of beginning a nonprofit organization to provide gently used furniture to women that have been abused and are starting their lives over. We went to several women’s shelters to discuss this idea and partner with one. However, there was one shelter that we spoke to in which we got the sense that management was going to look over the furniture before giving it to the abused women. This is a prime example of a nonprofit organization that has non-ethical leadership that operates here in the lower mainland. It is important for an organization to encompass the two values of communication and transparency (BuildingCapacity, 2013).

Therefore, it is crucial that a leader has a strong moral compass to make decisions. In the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey discusses that the most important aspect of becoming a high effective leader is developing strong, uncompromising principles that will be nonnegotiable in the high-stake moments of life (Covey, 1989). There are moments and decisions that showcase a leader’s ethics. He argues that what distinguishes great leaders from poor leaders, is that they have strong values that can be equated to a personal constitution (Covey, 1989: p.115). Similar to a declaration of right of freedoms in which no law can violate citizen’s rights, a leader’s decisions must be judged to the level of ethics that does not violate their personal constitution. Evidently, this illustrates the importance of developing a strong personal constitution before the trials and tribulations come. We must decide who we are going to be before we are tested and in the situations where our integrity and character could be compromised. For example, a few weeks ago when I was beginning the MA of Leadership, we were asked to develop our own personal constitution, so I have included mine. My personal values include, but are not limited to:

  • Continuous personal growth
  • Uncompromising integrity
  • Hearing both sides before judging
  • Defending those that are absent
  • Avoiding gossip
  • Maintaining humour
  • Acquiring wisdom from others
  • Relentless discipline
  • Unwavering honesty
  • Being sincere but decisive
  • Listening trumps speaking

These values will be the backbone for what I want to accomplish because it will ultimately inspire trust in my character. People need to trust their leader and what they stand for. I developed this list a few years ago. However, I revamped it slightly during a strategic leadership assessment in my Strategic Leadership class.

Moving forward, in my organization I will foster growth by further basing all of my decisions off my personal constitution in order to become a more strategic and authentic leader. As stated, trust and transparency are both rare and valuable in a turbulent society. I believe that this will provide an environment cohesive to growth.

What is your personal constitution that you will use to guide each and every decision to maintain your ethics as a leader?

Christina

 

References

Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16, 315–338. https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca:2420/10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001

BuildingCapacity [Poster]. (2013, March 29). What is ethical leadership? Retrieved November 2018, from You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks2QGoIq5nA

Covey, S. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: theory and practice (Eighth ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.