Give an example of ethical leadership.
An example of ethical leadership is an ethical leader setting a good example to his or her followers (McManus et al., 2018). Ethical leadership is a type of leadership that is directed by respect for ethical beliefs and values and for the rights and dignity of others. It is related to concepts like honesty, charisma, consideration and fairness.
What are the characteristics of ethical leadership?
Respecting others is a characteristic of ethical leadership. An ethical leader gives respect to his or her followers (Ciulla, 2014). An ethical leader respects all members of a team and listens to them attentively. Moreover, he or she values the contributions of followers, being generous and compassionate while putting into consideration opposing viewpoints. Another characteristic of ethical leadership is justice. An example is often fair and just. An ethical leader does not favor any member and treats everyone equally. There is no employee who a reason of feeling fear has biased treatment based on ethnicity, gender, sex or nationality under ethical leadership. Focusing on team building is a characteristic of ethical leadership. Ethical leaders focus on a sense of community and team spirit within a given organization. They strive to achieve goals that benefit the organization. Leadership by example is a characteristic of ethical leadership. Ethical leadership includes leaders talking the talk and walking the walk. An ethical leader has high expectations of employees that is also applicable on individual levels. Followers are expected to do the right thing by ethical leaders leading by example.
Why do you think ethical leadership is important?
Ethical leadership is important because it keeps morale high (Branson, 2014). The performance of members of a team is important for the success of an organization. Ethical leaders inspire, motivate and hold followers to a certain standard of accountability and integrity. By doing so, an ethical leader can powerfully boost followers performance by keeping the team’s morale high. In addition, ethical leadership is important because it establishes more freedom for followers. Followers are given the power to create a team in which followers can be trusted to do their work without being micromanaged. The self-motivated team will save ethical leader a lot of time. It also saves an organization a lot of money. Ethical leadership is important in assisting to create a healthier workplace culture. Ethical leadership create a morale positive workplace culture. It creates an environment each worker is being treated with respect. Healthier workplace culture is nurturing and focusses on building strong relationships between employees and the executive team.
References
Ciulla, J. B. (2014). Ethics, the heart of leadership (3rd ed.). ABC-CLIO.
Branson, C. M., & Gross, S. J. (2014). Handbook of ethical educational leadership. Routledge.
McManus, R. M., Ward, S. J., & Perry, A. K. (2018). Ethical leadership: A primer. Edward Elgar Publishing.