Individual case study

This paper will first discuss briefly what ethics are and provide the definition for an ethical issue. An ethical leadership issue is identified and explained for this author’s practice area. We will then identify and discuss key strategies for leadership that are pertinent to the ethical issue. Next, empirical evidence which supports the strategies discussed will be analyzed. Then, the impact and importance of the strategies will be stated. The final step will be to provide a conclusion to the reader that summarizes the content and strategies.

Another form of ethical leadership is the Transformational Leader. A transformational leader a powerful and inspirational leader who, like a character out of central

Plato once asked whether you would rather be "an unethical person with a good reputation or an ethical person with a reputation for injustice." Ethical leadership has long been a debate in regards to its importance and place in the universal business world.

Ethical leadership is commonly connected with characteristics like fairness and honesty, that can enable a person within an organization to do the right thing. In responding to the lack of attention to the ethical dimensions of positive leadership Brown and colleagues designed a definition for ethical leadership. They would define it as “the demonstration of normatively appropriate conduct through personal actions and interpersonal relationships, and the promotion of such

(Charles Taylor, pg 17) Nonetheless, the pursuit of authenticity or education can result in an individual sacrificing love relationships and care of their children to pursue their careers. For example, an individual may not focus on developing relationships as they try to gain as many degrees as possible to make themselves more desirable in the job market. Authenticity and education are also similar in the role recognition plays. To be authentic, an individual's authentic self needs to be recognized by others (Charles

Authenticity, as described by authors such as Lionel Trilling and Charles Taylor is the idea of living one’s life by one’s own reference and for one’s own self without yearning for recognition or acceptance from the collective or society. However, Appiah points out that the search for authenticity is somewhat a paradoxical one. The search for authenticity, as said, goes as much against the demands for a prescribed social life as it does for the recognition of one’s real self.

In brief, authentic leadership is defined as a “leadership that emphasizes building the leader 's legitimacy through honest relationships with followers which value their input and are built on an ethical foundation” (Authentic Leadership, n.d.). As leaders, they create close, trusting bonds with their followers through their transparency and their drive to serve their followers (Northouse, 2016). Practical approaches to authentic leadership are linked to a set of five initial characteristics that individuals need to possess. These include motivation, well developed values, strong relational connections, self-control and passion (Northouse,

Ethical leaders espouse moral values, altruism, civic virtue, good citizenship behavior and conscientiousness both in their personal and professional lives. They imbibe the same core values in their followers. They demonstrate moral judgement in their decision making process, influenced by the long term interest of the stake holders. Also ethical leaders hold their followers accountable for their conduct and establish a reward and vicarious learning process for ethical conducts

“Ethical leadership is leadership that is directed by respect for ethical beliefs and values and for the dignity and rights of others. It is thus related to concepts such as trust, honesty, consideration, charisma and fairness.”

In the past, the term “authentic leadership” is used to define ethical leadership. Researches examine authentic leadership as an attempt to discover more about ethical leadership. Researchers argue that authentic leadership is concerned with self-awareness, relational transparency, internalized moral perspective, and balanced processing (Gardner et al., 2005; Walumbwa et al., 2008). Although Authenticity is an important aspect of ethical leadership and the above definition creates a good list of behaviors, it doesn’t solely define all aspects of ethical leadership. It has also been argued that Influence processes used by leaders are driven by the underlying ethical values (Groves et al., 2011). Therefore, another approach to inspect ethical intent would be to examine the influence process used by leaders. Since leader’s influence processes are very much linked to her leadership styles, it’s appropriate to look at some leadership styles and the compatible influence processes.

A leader isn’t always a manager, but can be a manager in an organization. When you combine the two into ethical leadership you have a strong dynamic. According to Yukl (2010) in cross-cultural research on the essential traits for effective leadership, integrity is near the top of the list in all cultures that have been studied. Most scholars consider integrity to be an important aspect of ethical leadership” (p. 409).

In generally, ethical leadership means that the leaders organized their company to a better performance ethically. Ethical leader need both knowledge and strong knowledge. Strong ethical leader must have the right kind of integrity and can make decision and lead ethically. Ethical leader is able to make the consideration and discussion of ethics or ethical questions and issues part of the culture of the group, organizations and initiative. Besides, ethical leader are ethical all the time, they’re ethical over time, proving again and again that ethics are an integral part of the

An essential component of leadership is to articulate and exemplify the organization's core values. These values must be clear, compelling, and repeated. The leader must both "walk the talk" and inspire his/her colleagues within the organization to also live these values. Values are at the core of individual, group or organizational identity. Values are relatively enduring conceptions or judgments about what is considered to be important to an organization. Agreement between personal and organizational values result in shared values which constitute the benchmarking of a successful business practice.

These leaders know at which stage they can perform their best and which they cannot do their best for achieving the aim for the organization. Authentic leaders always have respect for all the people weather they are in or whether they are out of the organization. The Authentic leaders are not week by heart, they are mentally and emotionally strong and much focused for their aims. They are having very strong understanding of the team member quality and value for the ability of the team members (Authentic Leadership, 2009).

Ethics are another important aspect of leadership. The course has presented the link between ethics and efficient leadership. Leaders double up as the role models for the rest of the team and, because of that, they must display high levels of ethical and moral principles. Related to this, a leader is obligated to adhere to the social responsibility principles of the form. Hence, the leader represents the image of the company before the immediate and universal society. Initially, I thought of leaders as the free minds of the organization who had the liberty to do whatever they wanted. However, the course has presented the knowledge that even leaders are limited by their responsibilities to act ethically and responsibly. Hence, a leader should adhere to rules and regulations first before requiring the subordinates to follow suit.