Ethics Of Leadership And The Integrity Question Among Leaders

Abstract

The test of a true leader is his capacity to adhere to a strong foundation of ethics, articulate them as standards for colleagues and staff, and "practice what he preaches" by example on a daily basis. Personal leadership values form this ethical foundation, and are based upon past life experiences and current work processes that seek to improve rights of workers in particular and the general citizenry in general. Ethical behavior reflects a sense of self-respect that translates into respect for others in all encounters. The process of living one’s personal values in a leadership role requires being in touch with one’s inner world of purpose, dreams, principles, aspirations, and ethics, which in the end gives meaning to one’s life. The application of a leadership lifestyle is challenging and requires total commitment to the concept of integrity. The first task of this presentation is to clarify some key concepts. These concepts include ethics, leadership and integrity. Furthermore this paper shall examine the following: The various themes of ethics in leadership roles; ethical behaviour as an organizational and how to measure one’s own ethical principles and behaviour; personal leadership values that promote ethics and integrity and how to apply them in a leadership role; challenges to ethical leadership and strategies for facing such challenges; and the essential role of ethics and integrity in conveying a "unity of purpose" for an organization.