The Strength Of Character, Leadership, And Integrity, Sense Of Humor

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are. While your reputation is merely what others think you are.” -John Wooden.

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.

My effort to serve my community have been an immensely important area that I always try to expand on. From my hundred and seventy service hours, I have learned that giving back even in small amounts positively affects the lives of the people involved. My favorite memories of serving my local area is during the special NJROTC ceremonies when I am able to see the wonderful faces of veterans and military families when we present the colors or the veteran with a flag. Through school, I have been able to see the faces of incoming freshmen in my workroom mature into the present sophomores and the students today. In my church, I am apart of the Ushering team which assists with the service every few weeks. Through this, I am able to see the bright

In a professional environment it is important as a manager to have a specific viewpoint and guideline when it comes to leading a team. Managers are leaders who must know their moral viewpoint and stance before taking on the task of being a leader. This paper will discuss my ethical viewpoint on how managers should lead a team along with the five characteristics I believe a manager should possess and why.

Character is the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual, though morality is subjective, in today’s society it is predominantly agreed upon that someone who is of good character has certain qualities that contribute to their decision making, trustworthiness, and intelligence. I previously mentioned prudence, which is the ability to govern oneself by the use of reason to make good judgements that allow you to avoid troublesome situations, which allows one to face the adversities of life while only encountering necessary risks. This is the ultimate show of genuine character, those who can judge for themselves and aren’t afraid to admit their faults, or

Writers Gardner and Wooden explain that an organization, its leader, and its followers can only be strong if there is an alignment of moral standards and values, as well as open communication. In Coach John Wooden’s book, he states that having high morals and values dictates the capabilities to make responsible and appropriate decisions, which constitute good character. Coach Wooden states, “a good explanation of character is simple: respect for yourself, respect for others, respect for the game, whether it’s basketball, business, or anything else” (Wooden, 2005, p.73). To simply explain, a leader who treats others with respect will attract followers who believe these same standards. Equally, John W. Gardner echoes Wooden’s statement

Under a general character-based approach, decisions result from a tendency to act in way that is virtuous. When faced with the moral decisions of daily life, a person of good character usually decides to do what is morally and socially acceptable without much consideration to the specifics of their situation because they are inclined to take action through a strong consideration of their character, as opposed to the consideration of the possible consequences and repercussions. The actions that are made are not dependent on the ever changing environment of the agent, but instead on the agent himself, whose character is evident through his tendencies and usual mannerisms. As a result, one following a character-based approach is consistent and

President Abraham Lincoln once said, "Reputation is the shadow. Character is the tree." To many, this quote means that Character is like a tree which bears the shadow of their reputation whether it be good or bad.

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on my thoughts on how I can utilize certain methods that will help shape the vision of the organization. I will explain how ethics play a role in leadership and decision making. This week I encountered multiple dilemmas which affected my actions at work, home, and school; in this paper I will exploit those dilemmas and how they are considered weakness that I incorporated in my IDP. Using last week 's assignment to start an IDP, I came up with certain actions (part 3) to take to further advance myself as a leader. The reasoning behind these actions will show how proper ethical actions define a leader, and the influence it holds with the organization’s culture.

The topic that we choose is “The relationship between Leadership and Ethics”. The term ethics has been defined as inquiry into the nature and grounds of morality or a branch of philosophy of human conduct and determine right and wrong (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2010). In the other words, it includes study of general nature of moral, specific moral choices, moral philosophy, and rules or standards of governing the conduct of the member of a profession (Ferrell et al., 2010).

As people, we all want to be understood by others. “When dealing with others, seek first to understand, then to be understood.” (Maxwell, 37) Finally, while trying to keep others’ needs in perspective, we do not want to be taken advantage of. When this happens it devalues you and the person you took advantage of. All of these will help give an individual the basic outlines of how to begin to look at “The Golden Rule.” To begin this process of adapting this “Golden Rule” lifestyle, the character of a person is the key to living a life of integrity and ethical excellence. A person’s character is more than just talk. People, who want to earn the respect of their peers and themselves, need to walk the talk. There are many things people do not get to choose, how tall they are or where they are born, but character is a choice that can be made by anyone. “Trust is essential when working with people. Character engenders trust.” (Maxwell 44) People tend to fall into three categories: those who don’t succeed, those who succeed temporarily, and those who remain successful. To have a quality character will help to remain successful throughout their lifetime. In the world today, we see examples in the media of people who do not act as ethically as they should. There are many reasons why people do not do the right thing. These reasons generally fall into five factors that someone compromises their ethics for. To begin with pressure is a major culprit. In our

2. When you consider the character of a leader and what a leader does (the leader’s actions), which of these two factors is more important with regard to ethical leadership? Can a person with bad character be an ethical leader? Discuss your answers.

The paper focuses on interviewing a business leader who is seen to apply ethical business practices in the organization they lead with an aim of finding the important elements in ethical leadership. The interview is scheduled for 30 minutes where the interviewer will ask the ethical leader various questions pertaining to ethical leadership. Some of the questions that will be asked include, What is your leadership background? What are the traits of an ethical leader? what are the values of an ethical leader? What is the importance of ethical leadership in a competitive environment? Does ethical leadership affect customer relations? Do you observe ethics while interacting

This broader concept of ethical leadership empowers leaders to incorporate and be explicit about their own values and ethics. The following list provides a framework for developing ethical leadership. It is based on the observations of and conversations with a host of executives and students over the past 25 years, and on readings of both popular and scholarly business literature. Written from the perspective of the leader, these ten facets of ethical leaders offer a way to understand ethical leadership that is more complex and more useful than just a matter of “good character and values.”

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