Blog XV: The two most important principles of ethical leadership

According to Northouse (2016, p. 330), ethics in regards to leadership are concerned with who leaders are (their moral character) and what leaders do (their moral conduct). The choices that leaders make and their motives behind their choices are guided by their moral code and their ethics.

There are multiple perspectives on how ethics influence a leader’s behaviour and their conduct with followers. One perspective is that of Burns, a proponent of transformational leadership, who believes that leaders have a moral obligation to move followers towards a higher moral standard (Northouse, 2016, p. 338). Another slightly different perspective of ethical leadership is made by Heifetz, who believes that leaders should only help followers deal with conflicting ethical values that emerge in a dynamic work environment (Northouse, 2016, p. 337). Northouse (2016, p. 341) also identifies five principles of ethical leadership which trace back to the teachings of Aristotle. That ethical leaders should respect others, serve others, are just, honest, and build community. Of these principles, I will focus on the two that I feel are most important for leaders.

Service to others are what I believe lie in the heart of leadership. The concept of leadership describes the leader-follower relationship. In order to maximize this relationship, there must be an element of mutual servitude between leaders and followers. This must be initiated and emphasized in the leaders’ relation to the follower as they’re responsible for achieving the goals set by the organization. Leaders who act in servitude, or the best interests of their followers, will ultimately be driven to do right by them which include the other described principles such as honesty and fairness. Leaders also serve and strengthen their organization through servitude of their followers as a means of developing them to achieve higher standards and hopefully become servant leaders themselves.

Leaders who build community is the other principle that I think should be emphasized out of the other five. Leaders in organizations need to realize that they don’t work in a vacuum and that their actions affect the community. This may be either the local community and it’s surrounding inhabitants (people, animals, plants, the environment) or the professional community from which they’re part of (other related organizations). In all instances, leaders must not only focus on upholding the community’s values but also improving on them and setting an example for others. This can involve partnering with green energy startups to install renewable energy infrastructure or making business decisions that set a moral precedent for the business community. Whatever the case may be, community must be at the heart of the direction and decisions that an organizations makes for the long-term.

References

GICEL. (n.d). Economics And Law Of Green Economy From A Developmental Perspective. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https://gicel.ch/economics-and-law-of-green-economy-from-the-development-perspective/

Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th eds). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.