Steps to Becoming An Ethical Leader

BY MICHAEL KINKADE

“Leaders are critical to the ethical transformation of an organization. They are largely responsible for determining mission and values, developing structure, and creating ethical climates.”¹ During my career, I have found this statement to be true. The following personal case study demonstrates the critical nature of ethical leadership.

Early in my career, I worked as a firefighter in a California fire department widely considered one of the most progressive in the state. For several years, we had been led by a visionary fire chief who had improved department morale, training, equipment, and operations. He dramatically increased the professionalism and quality of the service provided to the citizens. When he retired and his successor took over the reins, we were shocked when in less than one year morale plummeted, controversies plagued the department, and the feeling of both managers and employees was that we had lost our way. What had changed?

The new fire chief was initially considered to be very likable, but his actions displayed an attitude of mistrust, micromanagement, and retaliation. Nothing else in the department changed—the employees, equipment, facilities, and operational functions were identical—but this leadership transition resulted in a profound change in the department culture that still impacts this department to this day, decades after that chief left the department. I believe that the problems generated by this ineffectual leader can be summarized by his lack of ethical leadership principles.

John Adams wrote in 1776: “The essence of a republic is a virtuous citizenry who demands virtuous leaders.” What is ethical leadership? Johnson writes about the challenges of being a leader, highlighting the challenges of power, privilege, responsibility, information management, consistency, and loyalty. (1,173-174). Leaders are in a position of social power, so they must lead in such a way as to exemplify ethical behavior. Ethical leadership can be defined as leading in a manner that respects the rights and dignity of others and focuses on the way they use their social power in the influence they have and the actions they take.²

This article presents a literature review of the attributes of ethical leadership and then relates the workplace ethical problem described above in its relationship to moral sensitivity, judgment, motivation, and character.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Multiple studies define the attributes of ethical leadership. I have identified the following components of ethical leadership: ethical awareness, integrity, empowerment, altruism, role modeling, and motivation, which are examined below.

Ethical Awareness

Petrick and Quinn define ethical awareness as ” … the capacity to perceive and be sensitive to relevant moral issues that deserve consideration in making choices that will have a significant impact on others.”³ By having a concern for the individual or group and evaluating the consequences of the long- and short-term actions they take (and the means by which they got there), leaders demonstrate ethical awareness. Ethical awareness is closely related to the concept of moral sensitivity and moral judgment, defined by Johnson as the “recognition that an ethical problem exists.” (1, 60) We can’t be ethical leaders unless we can identify the problems as having ethical and moral consequences. His recommendations for improving ethical awareness and moral judgment are invaluable: focus on learning; be intentional about learning more about ethics and ethical challenges; reject ethical pessimism; take a broader view of the positions outside your immediate group; look to your underlying moral principles; acknowledge your dark side; step outside yourself by consulting with others; conduct frequent reality checks; and keep your ego in check by listening to others, especially your detractors.

Integrity

Integrity is the foundation that guides leaders in their beliefs and actions; it is an essential component of leaders’ character. Effective leadership requires trust; if followers perceive a lack of integrity, trust cannot exist. Demonstrated integrity is critical to followers’ accepting a leader’s vision.⁴

Empowerment

Leaders that empower, or give away power to followers, allow their followers to gain competence. This results in greater confidence, creativity, independence, and self-sufficiency. All of this leads to higher performance, motivation, and more ethical behavior, as the followers believe that their leader has the best interests of each individual and the group in mind. Thomas and Velthouse argue that giving power away results in increased motivation, competence, and confidence that we can do the job, self-determination (meaning we have a choice in how we do our jobs), and an increased ability to impact our organization and community.⁵

Altruism

Ethical leaders are aware of the power they wield and its impact on others; they make their decisions with an emphasis on “serving the greater good.”⁶ Making decisions and behaving in such a manner so as to help others without regard to one’s personal welfare is altruism. A story I read once (I cannot remember where, but it has always stayed with me) tells of a five-year-old boy who had survived a rare disease. He is asked by a doctor if he will consent to giving blood for a transfusion to save his sister, who is dying of the same disease. He hesitates for only a moment before agreeing to do so. As he lies on the hospital bed during the transfusion, he asks the doctor if he will die quickly. He had misunderstood the doctor and thought that he would have to give all of his blood to his sister—but he still agreed to the transfusion. No other story I know describes altruism better.

Role Modeling and Motivation

Ethical leadership requires that a leader have the character and integrity to “walk the walk” or to not only set standards and expectations for ethical conduct but also to demonstrate those standards in his behavior, decisions, and communications. Role modeling allows leaders to use their power and influence to encourage, motivate, and empower people to achieve the vision and goals by promoting appropriate ethical standards. “Referent (role model) power rests on the admiration one individual has for another. We’re more likely to do favors for a peer we admire or to agree to work over the weekend for a supervisor we respect.” (1, 117).

TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Transformational leadership has emerged as the idealized leadership perspective in the past few decades. Bass and Avolio (1993) identified four dimensions of a transformational leader. (4) They identified idealized influence (role model), individualized consideration (mentor or coach), inspirational motivation, and intellectual stimulation (creativity and innovation). Inspirational motivation is done by providing meaningful work and challenging followers to higher achievement. To reach this goal requires an intellectual and emotional commitment from both leaders and followers; they must be “reciprocally co-responsible in the pursuit of a common enterprise.” (2, 326). “They are enthusiastic and optimistic, arousing team spirit and focusing follower attention on desirable organizational visions.” (1, 183).

DISCUSSION

Psychologist James Rest identified four psychological components that a person must develop to be morally mature: moral sensitivity, moral judgment, moral motivation, and moral character. Each is described and discussed in relation to the scenario at the beginning of this article.

Moral sensitivity is the ability to recognize a moral or an ethical problem. “We can’t solve a moral dilemma unless we know that one is present” or if we “lack moral imagination.” (1, 60). The new fire chief, who was a smart, well-meaning man, exhibited the classic traits of tunnel vision and denial. Many people told him (in the beginning) that his behaviors were impacting his followers. Yet, he failed to do reality checks or to listen to honest criticism; he allowed his ego to blind him to the effects of his actions. For example, he would assign a purchasing project to an employee, only to do identical research on his own to guarantee that he got the lowest price (with little consideration of other factors). He was unaware of or insensitive to the impact this had on the motivation of the employee who suddenly finds that he wasn’t trusted to do the research and come up with a recommendation. The chief could have enhanced his ethical sensitivity by engaging in active listening, visualizing other perspectives (how would he have felt if his boss had done the same to him?), being creative in trying to resolve the issues, and having clear and open communications. (1)

Moral judgment has been extensively studied and researched. Johnson summarized some of the findings of this research in his book. (1)

• Moral reasoning ability generally increases with age.
• The total college experience, both inside and outside the classroom, increases moral judgment.
• Those who love learning, taking risks, and meeting challenges generally experience the greatest moral growth while in college.
• Ethics coursework boosts the positive effects of the college experience, increasing moral judgment still further.
• Older students (those in graduate and professional school) gain a great deal from moral education programs.
• When education stops, moral development plateaus.
• Moral development is a universal concept, crossing cultural boundaries.
• There are no consistent differences between the moral reasoning of men and women.
• Principled leaders can improve the moral judgment of the group as a whole, encouraging members to adopt more sophisticated ethical schemas.

Why does moral judgment break down? The concept of defective reasoning comes into play, as insecurities, greed, and ego, along with failure to be alert to our “dark side” and “short-term orientation,” all contribute to the formidable forces that can lead to a disruption of moral reasoning. The Monica Lewinsky/Bill Clinton and Governor Elliott Spitzer scandals are both excellent examples of the type of moral stupidity that leads to disastrous outcomes. Johnson provides an excellent summary with the following:

Our case study illustrates some of these ego faults. Johnson’s tips for improving moral judgment include focusing your attention on ethics—learn more about it, and reject ethical pessimism; your ethical values can continue to grow and develop throughout your life. Take a broader view beyond your immediate needs—determine instead what is good for the group or community in the long term. Consult with others (frequently), and do reality checks. Base your decision on widely accepted ethical guidelines, such as “do the right thing” and “treat others as you wish to be treated.” Acknowledge your dark side—admit that you have self-doubts and self-interests and that you have a healthy ego that you need to keep in check. Finally, take a long-term perspective—provide space for “ethical reflection and deliberation,” and emphasize relationships. (l)

Moral motivation is the follow-through you implement after you reach a decision; it is complicated by rewards and emotions. Following a chief who was successful, our new chief was insecure about his decisions and felt threatened by the previous chief’s success. This situation became increasingly worse as negative emotions and feelings led to unethical decisions by individuals on all sides—each justifying their behavior by the negative actions of the other. Good ethical behavior should be rewarded and encouraged, and emotions must be carefully monitored and regulated to bring positive effects to ethical implementation. “Regulate your emotions. Master your moods to bring them in line with your goals. Put a brake on destructive feelings; try to shift into a more positive frame of mind.” (1,71).

The final component is moral character. Are you internally or externally motivated? People with internal motivations believe they have control over their own lives; those who tend toward external motivation “believe that life events are beyond their control and are the products of luck or fate.” (1,72). You must overcome obstacles and strive to reach your goals by developing persistence and becoming competent at what you do. Johnson recommends taking a look at your track record: How well do you follow through with commitments and live up to your own core values? Have you taken the time to develop a set of core values? You must believe that you can have an impact on your community and department. Unless you are convinced that you can do this, you are not likely to carry through when the going gets rough. “Be good at what you do. Competence will enable you to put your moral choices into action. You also earn the right to be heard.” (1)

Making wise ethical decisions appears, on the surface, to be easy, but the more you study this issue, the more you realize that our perceptions are constantly colored and affected by our surroundings, our relationships, and our ego. Being an ethical leader is substantially more difficult than we are willing to admit, and it requires much thought and study to recognize that our moral behavior is a product of moral sensitivity, moral judgment, moral motivation, and moral character. As I reflect on the circumstances and outcome of the case study we have examined, I realize that all the parties involved were guilty of unethical behavior in some manner, including myself. Ultimately though, the responsibility for fixing this lies with the ethical leader. Ethical leaders would investigate and identify the problem; create an atmosphere that allows for the innovation of a variety of solutions; and then isolate and implement the best solution that would have been most beneficial for the community, the organization, and the individuals. That is ethical leadership.

I have barely scratched the surface of the research and educational material available on ethical leadership. The first step to becoming an ethical leader is to realize that there is much more to be learned and experienced in both our personal and our professional life to further the development of our ethical selves. Do not overestimate how much you know or underestimate how much you have yet to learn about implementing wise ethical decisions.

References

1. Johnson, C. E. Ethics in the workplace: tools and tactics for organizational transformation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc., 2007,171.

2. Gini, A. “Moral Leadership: An Overview,” Journal of Business Ethics; 1997, 323-330.

3. Petrick, J., & Quinn, J. Management Ethics: Integrity at Work. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1997, 90.

4. Bass, B. & Avolio, B. Transformational Leadership: A Response to Critiques. New York: The Free Press, 1993.

5. Thomas, K., & Velthouse, B. “Cognitive elements of empowerment: An ‘interpretive’ model of intrinsic task motivation,” Academy of Management Review; 1996, 666-681.

6. Trevino, L., Brown, M., & Hartman, L. “A Qualitiative Investigation of Perceived Executive Ethical Leadership: Perceptions from Inside and Outside the Executive Suite,”Human Relations; 2003, 19.

MICHAEL KINKADE is chief of the Forest Grove and Cornelius (OR) Fire Departments and president of the Oregon Fire Instructors Association.