Running Head: Ethical Self Reflection
Ethical Self Reflection
By
Masters in Organizational Leadership
Abstract
In many cases, a person must choose between two or more “rights” that may or may not align with both one’s moral and ethical standards. The care-based, rule-based, ends-based thinking to arrive at a decision rather than rationalizing after the fact are necessary for analyzing ethical dilemmas (Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy, 2012, pp. 164-165). The self-reflection needed to identify one’s fundamental nature, and to understand the morals, ethics and values one uses to make decisions are critical to becoming an authentic leader who is a moral manager that serves the people that follow him or her (Hughes, et.al, pp. 152-153).
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However, “man is not a rational animal; he is a rationalizing animal…[and] one of the hardest things to believe is the abysmal depth of human stupidity” (Heinlein, 1953, p. 18). This Sartrean brand of existentialism is based on the idea that we act first, and then look around for reason afterward (Brennan, p. 122). This rationalizing does not operate at the level of our own behavior alone. We, as social animals, are prone to adapt to the reality as others find it. We tend to conform, even if, when rationally examined, the reality of the group does not make sense. “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man” (Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I scene 3, 78-82). Shakespeare provides Polonius a voice that resonates clearly in present contexts the importance of being true with one’s morals and virtues. True, not in the Elizabethan sense of making certain you had your home and finances in order to allow you to better help others, but true in a sense of Plato’s maxim “Know Thyself”. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose name is strongly associated with the Enlightenment movement, believed that the knowledge of oneself is the beginning of wisdom (Brennan, J., p.75). Gaining this knowledge requires self-reflection. Reflection links changed awareness with changed action. Reflection is a
Hays (2008) discussed privilege and biases based on culture and how these privileges and biases can affect a therapist’s work. Having a healthy understanding of self-identity can help understand the role of privilege and biases. In order to help self-reflect, Hays (2008) presented the ADDRESSING model which includes age, disability (born with), disability (acquired), religion, ethnicity/race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, indigenous status, nationality, and gender. This ADDRESSING model will be applied in this paper.
To tackle my goals this semester I needed to have a clear focus. Tackling my goals this semester has made me a stronger dancer. From the start of the semester, I have wanted to work on the continuation of my goals from the previous semester. In each class I have worked on finding ways to work on my goals anyway possible. Reflecting my work from the beginning of the semester until now, I have seen myself wanting to be more dedicated to my goals each class. The goals I had for the semester helped me to progress and I continue to work on the ones I struggle with. By having a strong work ethic and clear focus I have had a chance to work on all my main goals throughout the semester: musicality, fluidity, tension, staying lifted in the core, and confidence.
We face ethical dilemmas daily in every facet of our lives. Determining how to respond to ethical dilemmas is complex process. Often individuals do not think about all the factors to consider and what questions should they ask. Often an individual will seek to gather the facts about and ethical decision and use that as the decision making factor. However facts are not enough to make ethical decisions because facts only looks at what is. Ethical decision making is based on what should be determined by a set of values or morals that a person or group ascribes to. There are several different ethical frameworks that one could use to think through ethical dilemmas. This paper will analyze the following ethical decision making frameworks: Greenleaf Servant Leadership Test, Markkula Model, Badaracco Model, and the Nash’s 12 Questions Model. In addition I will present my own model for thinking through and handling ethical dilemmas.
The issue of ethical decision making has become more important in recent years for a variety of reasons. An understanding of ethical decision making in organizations is more significant to the development of organizational science. Managers engage in decision-making behavior affecting the lives and well-being of others. The individual responds to an ethical dilemma with cognitions determined by his or her cognitive moral development stage.
The areas of productiveness in this session for me included the paraphrasing and minimal encouragers. Throughout this session I felt that my paraphrasing was clear and concise. It allowed the client to think about what he had said, while being able to provide me with feedback and allowed for the conversation to flow naturally.
Leaders can achieve an understanding of ethics, this paper will analyze how personal ethics are built from virtues, morals, values, and principles. Then, how ethics begin and continue for people and understanding the importance of ethics will be examined. How to serve as a role model in making ethical decisions is shown with a step-by-step process of how a leader develops a template for ethical decision-making.
Greg, Hammill (2005). FDU Magazine Online: Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees. [online]. Last accessed on 5 May 2014 at: http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/05ws/generations.htm
Healthcare professionals are faced with making multi-faceted decisions on a daily basis. These decisions are not just limited to clinical matters, but they include the total patient care experience. Because of emerging healthcare trends and complex health law and ethics, it is imperative that healthcare administrators have a professional organization that they can belong to. “The
The Individual Ethics Awareness Inventory examines which of four different components is the most critical in an individual's ethical position: character, obligation, results, and equity (CORE). When a person makes a decision or analyzes a scenario, their personal ethical perspective helps determine how they approach the issue. When character is the most important issue, the person's ethical perspective s based upon what it is good to be, rather than what it is good to do (Brody, 2007). People who emphasize character believe that moral excellence is the goal, and that judging morality involves looking beyond actions and examining character (Brody, 2007). When obligation is the most important issue, the person is focused upon the obligation to do what is morally correct (Brody, 2007). People who focus on obligation believe that a set of identifiable ethical principles, involving universality and a respect for human dignity, drive the decision-making process (Brody, 2007). When results are most important, the individual does not examine the motivations of the actors, but the results of the actions (Brody, 2007). Finally, when a person is based in equity, they are looking for stability (Brody, 2007). This stability refers to stability in results, rather than actions, because people with an equitable perspective believe that no set decision will be appropriate in all scenarios (Brody, 2007).
I am currently a student at the University of Texas at San Antonio for almost a whole semester now. I came to this school straight out of high school, not knowing what I was getting myself into. During my high school years, I was good at every subject except my writing class. Coming to UTSA, I knew I was going to struggle in my writing class, but that didn’t discourage me from not trying my best in the course. Going through the English program, I realized that I have some strengths and weaknesses in the class, and it encouraged me to do better. The essays I have written for this class demonstrate that I have developed a strong thesis, organization skills, and detail; however, I still need to improve on grammar, keeping the POV, and citing.
Shaw, W. H., & Barry, V. (2013). Moral issues in business (12 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
A display of public art is not a random act of expression encapsulated across a large canvas overnight but a formulated piece of culture for society to witness and experience. Each piece we have seen this semester has embodied the time and effort it takes to not only create a piece of art worth seeing but giving it a story and meaning more powerful than the piece itself. These pieces have given its audience a glimpse into the known, what the cameras and media neglect. Pieces like the To Protect and Serve, Vietnam Memorial, and Bus Poster all go deeper than the surface to deliver a compelling message that outlines a serious issue.
In act one, scene three of “Hamlet,” Polonius states to his loved ones: “This above all: to thine own self be true (1, 3, 78).” This is a way of saying that nothing at all matters more to how an individual should act than their own honour, that they should be true to themselves and not engage in self-deception. Being true to one’s self also means to act in accordance with who an individual is, what they believe in and what they value the most in life. The need to be true to one’s self is at the upmost importance in society as this will cause an individual to truly achieve true personal happiness and self-fulfillment. To achieve true personal happiness and self-fulfillment, an individual must be truthful, take self-ownership and live in their
When asked to reflect on an ethical dilemma that I faced in life, it really makes me think of all the possible situations that happened in my personal and professional life. There are several instances where I have faced ethical dilemma but I wish to point out to one such instance that I encountered at my workplace where I was able to take decision based on my conscience and I feel I have made the right choice and below is the reflective account of that incident.
I will examine the importance of personal ethics in leadership and how ethics produce effective leaders in organizations today. The importance of understanding ethics, motivation to act as a role model and developing a plan of action for an organization are discussed because of their importance regarding development of good leadership. These key points suggest personal ethics positively affect leadership and when made a priority for leaders will produce ethical and effective leadership. With so many definitions of leadership, the question evolved from “what is the definition of leadership?” to “what is good leadership” (Ciulla, 2004, p. 13). To develop a system of values one must compile a list of the most important instrumental values and terminal values. These lists are unique to every individual because they are determined by personal importance. Instrumental values, such as honest, helpful, ambitious, responsible, etc. should reinforce terminal values. Once a leader’s means are consistent with desired goals, their value system is unified and they have climbed the staircase from the lobby to the first level of values. The climb from the first floor to the second floor results in a person incorporating principles into their newly developed values. Although values act as the bedrock of ethics, principles are required because alone, “values are far too vague to have much meaning in ethical analysis” (Cooper, 1998, p. 12). Morals are ideals that help us decipher between right