Figure 1: Components of the Character of Good Leadership (Source: Peterson & Seligman, 2004)
Importance of Good Character
Leaders with good character are vital for build organizations that are socially responsible. Character also plays important role in determining the ethical management of an organization and responsible decision making. A leader with good character can touch the hearts of workforce (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). On the other hand, the leaders lacking good character generate chaos and promote despair among the workforce due to their unethical management and irresponsible decision making. In order to avoid outcomes like despair and chaos, it is crucial that leadership in business organizations realizes the significance of
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The essential nature of this attribute cannot be underestimated. It is the building block of corporate social responsibility, good citizenship and ethical decision making. Integrity bestows inner strength and enables the leaders to play positive role and make difficult decisions to the common good (Wright & Goodstein, 2007). The strategies, policies and steps based on integrity rather than the decisions based on political measures are reported to be more beneficial and defensible as far as organizational outcomes are concerned.
Wisdom and its role in good leadership
Wisdom is another key attribute of character in leadership. It refers to the ability of a leader to utilize his/her experience and knowledge of the market to make decisions and judgments (Neubert et al., 2009). It is the wisdom that allows leadership to exercise its power and authority in pursuit of applying and implementing certain strategies. It brings the leadership to identify opportunities and think creatively to avail them.
A leader with wisdom is open to variety of perspectives and mastering innovative business models. It enables systematic thinking in complex business situations and communicates without any ambiguity. The leaders with wisdom are capable of understanding the big picture and make decisions accordingly (Sonenshein, 2007). For instance, it was the wisdom that helped leadership in oil and gas industry to acknowledge the effects of this industry on environment leading to the
I have found over the years that integrity, character, and ethics go hand-in-hand. When the culture of an organization is to do the right thing no matter what it tends to flow into a good ethical behavior. The Rotary Club is an organization that local businesses join. One of the questions that were always asked of members when deciding on an item was is it the truth. If the culture of the organization were to always, make sure it was the truth whatever the subject matter may be, that would lend itself to good ethical behavior as well.
Wisdom. Wisdom can be defined as the ability to take the right action at the right time (Admad, Salleh, Awang, & Mohamad, 2013). While there is a multitude of traits that can characterize wise leadership, one that is paramount to a leader’s success is wisdom. According to Dees (2013), courage can easily turn into folly without proper wisdom. Wise leaders make informed decisions while weighing their options. Additionally, a wise leader understands that the growth component of wisdom is continual over one’s
A leader carries himself with high self-esteem giving out intelligent and well thought out answers and making the right decisions when needed this increases his reputation and subsequently transfers to his supporters who are at ease to know they have put their faith in the right leader (Northouse 2004 P.19) said that although it is important for a leader to be intelligent it is also important that he and his supporters are moving in the right direction together. Leaders who are very smart may have difficulties relating their ideas to their supporters this can lead to disagreements in the organisation. A leader has to understand what is required of him and how he can give effective leadership to his followers.
Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, shared wisdom to his people to cultivate simple minds, instruct growing minds, and regulate mature minds. Solomon asked God for wisdom, so he could teach people sound judgment (NKJV, II Chronicles 1:11). The book of Proverbs presented biblical teachings and guidance from a Christian perspective and modeled what leaders should strive to achieve. I have learned that wisdom is developed through listening to the wise men. Good leaders gain insight through active listening, interrupting information, and receiving instruction and knowledge. “What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your
Great leaders recognize the importance of balancing emotions with goals to make great decisions in difficult situations. Decisions involve emotions, change, anxiety, stress, and unfavorable reactions (Kase, 2010). Great leaders possess four attributes in the decision-making process which include: (1) decisiveness (2) emotional intelligence, (3) managing uncertainty and choices, and (4) trusting intuition. Becoming a great decision-maker takes practice. Additionally, ethical principles are a direct reflection in decision-making (Ghillyer, 2014). Great leaders utilize a step-by-step process to guide one in making the best decision possible. Great leaders are proficient timers when maneuvering through challenging situations (Kase, 2010).
Mastering the necessary set of skills to make critical decision neither guarantee success nor make an individual a leader. However, the ability to always learn and figure out why success was not achieved is something if mastered can make the individual suitable to lead. This one of the most important aspect marks the distinction between ability to lead and its inability. People may disagree over what leadership means but the traits that make one a leader are definitely not up for debate. For instance, the ability to analyze the hardship to extract the lesson that life teaches us through crucibles, rather than just hasting through the problem to overcome it, is one that individuals must have in order to lead. In addition, by polishing that skill, the humbling notion that we will not always be successful in getting our desires to come true is reinforced.
Theories provide a standard that is applicable to thought processes. Insight can help leaders to move forward and bring fresh insight to the workplace. It is a conscious choice that an individual makes to become a leader and assume the responsibility to support the organizations mission while empowering the followers. By putting the needs of the followers ahead of self-absorbed leaders allows them to become healthier, wiser, freer, and more likely willing to be of service. Responsible leaders elevate and incorporate all moral stakeholders that establishes a connection of diverse constituents. Authentic responsible leaders have character and demonstrate virtues: honesty, respect, service, and humility. It is the individual members that make or break the purpose of having a group advantage. It is important to have an orderly set of steps, no matter what orientation, based upon moral principles to help conflictual situations.
Another concept to think about when talking about leadership is the ability to have self-awareness
Integrity is an essential character quality that defines an effective leader. Integrity is a unifying element; it means more than telling the truth. Integrity is concerned with right and wrong, and adherence to a set of values (Satterlee, 2013, p. 7). In that, integrity speaks on the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles – moral uprightness. A resilient leader should hold steady to their morals when faced with an ethical dilemma. “Leader integrity matters because it plays a significant role in the decision process used by followers when determining who they will follow, who they will trust, to whom they will be loyal and committed, and ultimately for whom they will perform” (Moorman & Grover, 2009, p.107). A leader’s integrity goes beyond their personal character make-up, subordinates will feel a sense of connection to a leader who acts with
By exposing what 's underneath of a genuine leader, or look underneath his or her identity, and you 'll discover character. The attributes and values that make up the character of a decent leader are, generally, like those that make up the character of an extraordinary citizen. (Cooper, Sarros, & Santora, 2007). This paper address the inner dimension of leadership ethics by describing the traits and values that make up the character of leadership. In addition to, examining how certain elements of character attributes, casts light or darkness on ethical decision-making specifically for extremis leaders in high-risk situations. Lastly, describing how by building the proponents of virtue, and ethical character, we increase our ability to fend off the adversary who shows our shadow sides (Johnson, 2015, p. 78)
Integrity: It is the core quality of a successful leader. Like intelligence, courage and persistence, it is also an important virtue of the leaders. For me, Integrity is my choice of values that I choose to live by and it forms important part of my personality and defines my character. It defines how consistent I
Both the academic and the business world have invested much time and energy researching effective leadership. This work has produced several effective leadership theories that have provided impressive results in reaching organizational goals and setting ethical standards. Ethical leadership includes the demonstration of personal character traits, such as integrity, honesty, and altruism (Yidong, and Xinxin, 2013). These leaders must also demonstrate behavior that is consistent with their moral beliefs, values, and decision-making (Yidong, and Xinxin, 2013). Team members throughout the world universally embrace leaders who maintain high standards, and continually investigate ways of improvement (House,
All humans share similar basic needs and desires that we instinctually strive to satisfy. We all seek food, shelter, companionship, intimacy, importance and power. Leaders are no different. These needs must be satisfied, but leaders must be cautious and not be brought down or trapped by fulfilling these needs inappropriate ways. Leaders that lose their moral bearings and fall prey to unethical activities are not bad people, they just made bad choices. They didn’t take the role as leader to be inappropriate or evil, yet every leader has the capacity to make actions they deeply regret unless they remain grounded. It is important for leaders to manage their hungers by being aware of the potential pitfalls they may face while leading and satisfying their human needs.
A client of ours on the West Coast is a great example of thought leadership gone right.
Engaging with a system in order to transform it requires two steps, how the system is being interpreted and the implementation of an intervention. By enacting these tools the status quo of the organization is being challenged because of the vision that is had for the organization through adaptive leadership. Acknowledging what is true and what else is possible are the starting questions to take on this transformation. In order to push an organization/situation further than just fixing a problem by looking at it through solution driven thinking, does not maintain an environment for needs to be met. By putting vulnerabilities, beliefs, values and needs on the table, people have something to lose and when this intersects with a want for