Examples in Ethical Leadership 1

Examples in Ethical Leadership

Abstract

Ethical leadership is a term related to human relationships between the leader

and follower. These terms have evolved to what they are today. There are
many examples of good leaders, both ethical and unethical.
Transformational leaders are good examples of ethical leaders where followers
are raised to higher standards to the point where they are being trained as
leaders. Hitler, Clinton and Nixon are examples of great leaders, however, they
are considered as unethical leaders. Colin Powell and C.A.L.M. may be
considered as examples of ethical transformational leaders and while these
leaders continue their work, followers will continually be raised to positions of
leadership.

Examples in Ethical Leadership

It has been said that a good leader is an ethical leader and that to effectively lead
a group of people a leader needs to have an ethical foundation. But is this
always the case? There are numerous historical examples of good and effective
leaders who had questionable ethical behaviours, and yet still had the love and
adoration of their followers. While on the other hand, leaders like Colin Powell
are able to effectively lead with strong ethical and leadership behaviours.
Transformational leadership has the ability to raise followers into leaders, more
often than not, these are the ethical leaders. This paper will discuss these points
and in doing so will first define the terms of ethics and leadership.
Transformational leadership will be described followed by a dichotomy of the
ethical leader and a historical account of both ethical and unethical leaders.
Finally an account of community leadership will be discussed with the impact
that an organisation has had upon my community. The field of leadership and
ethics is an exhaustive field where there is much potential to be written,
however, due to set parameters; the previously mentioned points will only be
discussed.
Ethics
Ethics are reflected in the way we see ourselves and the way we see
others, and are culminated in our relation to those others in the community in
 Examples in Ethical Leadership 2

which we live. Ethics have been referred as the science of conduct (Ciulla,
2005). Since the times of Socrates and Plato, philosophers have analysed the
issue of ethics. Modern definitions focuses on the impact ethical leaders have
on organisations and individuals. Ethics is defined as the knowledge of right
and wrong, and making the right decision. Therefore, the goal of ethics is to
make decisions that are best for individuals and the organisation (Martin, 2001).
The study of ethics is about human relationships, it is about what we
should do and what we should be like as human beings, as members of a group
or society and in different roles we play in life (Ciulla, 2004). It is the standards
of right and wrong which influence our behaviour (Lussier & Achua 2004).
These ethical standards are the crucial links between leader’s aims for their
organisations, on the one hand, and their own personal beliefs and actions, on
the other. The values that are held to be important to the promotion of high
ethical standards are honesty, fairness, mutual respect, trust, compassion and
sensitivity in the exercise of power’ (Mangham, 2004). Morality and ethical
behaviour are usually situated socially within distinct communities and
culturally within particular structures of moral reasoning and practice
(Mangham, 2004).

Leadership
Contemporary definitions most often reject the idea that leadership
revolves around the leader's ability, behaviors, styles or charisma. Today,
scholars discuss the basic nature of leadership in terms of the interaction among
the people involved in the process; both leaders and followers. Thus, leadership
is not the work of a single person; rather it can be explained and defined as a
collaborative endeavor among group members. Therefore, the essence of
leadership is not the leader, but the relationship (Duska, 1998).
The definition of leadership has like many other definitions in society
evolved to what it is today. Rost (1991, as cited in Ciulla, 2004) collected 221
definitions of leadership dating back to the 1920s. These definitions generally
say the same thing of a person or persons somehow moving other people to do
something, however the relationship between follower and leader evolved. For
example, in the 1920s, leaders impressed their will on followers. In the 40s,
leaders persuaded followers, in the 60s, leaders influenced them, whereas in the
90s, leaders and followers influence each other (Rost, 1991 as cited in Ciulla,
2004). Leadership is a social, normative and historical construct which evolves
 Examples in Ethical Leadership 3

through research, conditions of life and the values that are important to society
(Ciulla, 2004).

Ethics and Leadership

There are two theories which illustrate the relationship between ethics
and leadership. The deontological theory: this is where the intentions are the
morally relevant aspects of an act. As long as the leader acts accordingly to
their duties, and moral principles, then the leader has acted ethically regardless
of the consequences (Victor & Soutar, 2005). The teleological theory: what
really matters is that the leader’s actions result in bringing something about
which is morally good, or the greater good (Victor & Soutar, 2005). Thus,
deontological theory is where the moral intent is what counts, in comparison to
the teleological theory where results are what matters.
Transformational leadership has been almost synonymous with ethical
leadership because it rests on a set of moral assumptions about the relationship
between leaders and followers (Ciulla, 2004). This form of leadership argues
that leaders have to operate at higher need and value levels than their followers
in order to raise follower’s consciousness. They elevate followers by helping
them reassess their values and needs, thus the followers are being transformed
to leaders. This is in contrast to transactional leadership where leaders and
followers reach their own goals by supplying lower level wants and needs so
that they can move up to higher needs.

Dichotomy
Although transformational leadership argues that leaders operate at higher
levels and values, does that mean that followers operate at lower levels? A
curious point about ethics is that when the standards for leaders are set too high,
then too few people will be qualified as leaders or will want to be leaders. How
many people can live up to the standard of never having lied, said an unkind
word, reneged on a promise, or totally disliked someone? So where does this
leave us? On the one hand it is admirable for leaders and followers to aspire to
high moral and ethical standards, but on the other if standards are unreachable,
then people give up trying to reach them, or become disillusioned with our
leaders for not reaching them.
History is littered with leaders who did not think they were subject to the
same standards as their followers. On the one side, these people may be
considered exceptional leaders, however, on the other side; they may consider
 Examples in Ethical Leadership 4

themselves exceptions to the rules. Hollander’s (1964) work on social exchange

demonstrates how emerging leaders gain idiosyncratic credits which allow them
to deviate from the groups norms. Given the fact we often give leaders
permission to deviate or be exceptions to the rules, it is not difficult to see why
leaders make themselves exceptions to ethical constraints. These points have
been confirmed throughout history.

The Hitler Problem

Hitler was an exception to the rules by the fact that his unethical
behaviours and actions were supported/or acted upon by his followers.
According to some definitions, Hitler was a great leader; great in the sense that
he can be placed alongside other great leaders like Ghandi, Churchill, George
Washington, and Abraham Lincoln. However, history has shown that Hitler
was an immoral leader, in the sense that genocide is an immoral act. In fact, it
has been argued that Hitler was not a leader at all, but a bully, dictator, tyrant, or
the head of Germany (Ciulla, 2004). To further emphasise this point, managers
are people who do things right, and leaders are people who do the right thing
(Lecture). This quote gives the impression that leaders are or should be above
everyone else ethically and morally. Thus was Hitler a good leader in the sense
that he was able to command and lead a nation, or was he a bad leader due to
his immoral dreams and actions to achieve an Arian fatherland? Hitler may be
viewed as a pseudo-transformational leader, where he sought power and
position at the expense of his followers, rather than elevating his followers.
We now come full circle back to the definition of leadership. Is it
morally good leadership, or is it having the ability to lead a group. According
to history, there are many leaders who meet either of these criteria, or only one
of them. Historians have the habit of only documenting leaders who were
winners or who changed history for better or worse (Ciulla, 2004).
Unethical President’s
History defines successful leaders largely in terms of their ability to bring
about change for better or worse, regardless of whether they were ethical or not
(Keen, 2000). Some leaders are highly ethical but not very effective, while
other leaders are unethical but very effective. Presidents Nixon and Clinton
have been referred to as being good Presidents of the United States. However,
both of these presidents were caught in unethical situations which undermined
their Presidencies to the point where their unethical behaviour is just about all
that is remembered from their terms of office. Were these presidents unethical?
 Examples in Ethical Leadership 5

To many observers and moralists, yes they were, because they were in positions
of authority and leadership over a nation. Presidents are viewed in many ways
as being the moral and symbolic spokesperson for the nation (Cronin &
Genovese, 1998). However, Nixon states that
It is not a matter of questionable behaviour traits, but whether these
traits are useful or not. Guile, vanity, dissembling, may be unattractive
habits, but to the leader they are often essential. He needs guile in
order to hold together the shifting and often bitterly opposed interest
groups. He needs vanity in order to create the right kind of public
impression, and he needs other unattractive habits in order to prevail.
(Nixon, 1983, as cited in Cronin & Genovese, 1998).
Do Nixon’s comments justify his unethical behaviour? That depends on
what type of leader people are looking for. If people want a transformational
leader, then Nixon is not the man for the job. Cronin & Genovese (1998) state
that there are many traits which fall into the role of what is expected as
President of the United States. These traits include decency and compassion,
toughness and guile when dealing with adversaries. Fierce and compassionate,
nice and mean, sensitive or ruthless, depending on what they want done. But
woe to a president who is too much or too little possessed of these characters
(Cronin & Genovese, 1998). These traits are often deemed as unethical
behaviours for a leader, however, it is not deemed to be so when a leader is the
President of the United States. Thus, leadership is situational where the
behaviours and actions of the leader are reliant upon their own ethics, values,
morals, society, surroundings and their follower’s expectations, desires and
needs.

Exemplary Ethical Transformational Leader

Colin Powell is an exemplary example of ethical transformational
leadership who believed in empowering and raising people who are committed
to the vision. Powell lived by seven tenants that influenced his leadership style,
to describe just two of them. “It is important to do what is right than to do what
is personally beneficial. Whatever the cost, do what is right” (Harari & Brewer,
2004). Doing what is right is at the core of courage and character, both of
which are essential for leadership. Doing what is right means standing for an
honourable value even in the face of adversity. It means holding the banner of
personal excellence, setting the right example, walking the talk, and being
straight and honest (Harari & Brewer, 2004). Leadership requires moral,
mental, physical and spiritual strength; ethical and integrity based leadership are
 Examples in Ethical Leadership 6

critical parts of great leadership (Harari & Brewer, 2004). Powell’s second
tenant is “Leadership is not rank, privilege, titles, or more money, it is
responsibility” (Harari & Brewer, 2004). The final responsibility for success or
failure rests with the leader. Real leaders embrace that responsibility. They
realise they are ultimately responsible for the organisations mission, culture,
values that exist within the culture, key decisions and failures of its members,
and for the organisations progress or decline (Harari & Brewer, 2004).

The Buck Stops Here

Great leaders blend their responsibility to their mission and their people.
They take ownership of company setbacks and errors and constructively
mobilise people’s efforts at fixing them. When success is achieved, they let
their followers own the triumphs. During Enron’s heyday, the leaders enjoyed
the perks of their positions and took full credit for any successes. However,
during the court trials of the top executives, none of them claimed responsibility
for the company collapse; it was always someone else’s fault (Harari & Brewer,
2004). After the 1991 Gulf war, Time magazine wanted to put Colin Powell on
the front cover, however, to their surprise, Powell tried to convince them to put
General Schwarzkopf, the field commander of Desert Storm on the front cover
instead (Harari & Brewer, 2004). At Enron, a perfect mirror image occurred;
top executives took credit for their victories, yet blame people for their defeats.
When leaders take that unethical stance of basking in glory, then blaming others
in defeat, it is no surprise to see the fall of Enron.

Empowering Communities
This example can then be related to the community. I currently do
volunteer work at Penguin Island for C.A.L.M. & they have strong ethical
values to sustain the Island’s habitat, wildlife and good relationship with the
community. I live in the community (Safety bay) and am appreciative of the
work and effort which this group (C.A.L.M.) put into the community and
habitat. The leadership role they take is by acting as guardian of the Shoalwater
Marine Park. Without a guardian, the Marine Park would be overrun to the
point where a lot of the natural habitat and marine life would disappear from the
area, this was nearly the case twenty years ago.
At the community level, ethical leaders are very important because
leadership is rooted in communities because leaders embody the group’s most
 Examples in Ethical Leadership 7

precious values and beliefs (Boleman & Deal, 2001). The way C.A.L.M. are
ethical in their guardianship of the Marine Park is their behaviour and attitude
towards the local community and the public in general. They do not put
themselves in positions of authority or seniority; they appreciate and encourage
community involvement into all their activities in the area and are open to
suggestions for improvement. A good example is the amount of volunteers on
the Island, without community involvement through volunteers, the work and
efforts of C.A.L.M. would be compromised as they are contributing to the local
community, not to the Government. C.A.L.M. are transformational leaders as
they are effectively training up volunteers to be leaders within the Shoalwater
marine Park. This is a point which I appreciate, and as a stakeholder within the
community, I am willing to dedicate a certain amount of my time to contribute
to the project of sustaining the Shoalwater Marine Park.

Conclusion
Ethics is about human relationships (Ciulla, 2004); therefore it has a
strong association with leadership because leadership is a particular type of
human relationship (Ciulla, 2004). Ethical leadership has many meanings
which are defined by the leader/follower relationship. History has given
examples of this evolving relationship where we have moved from the idea of
leaders impressing their will upon followers to the stage where leaders and
followers influence each other. Good leaders are not always ethical leaders to
the point where unethical behaviours have been encouraged and even justified
in some cases, this point has been confirmed throughout history.
The ethical leader has the potential to positively influence and gain
respect of their followers. This has been shown by transformational leaders
where the leaders are living to high standards and are able to lift their followers
to those standards to the point where followers become leaders. People like
Colin Powell are examples of ethical and transformational leaders where he
states that great leaders not only accept, but seek the final responsibility. When
successes occur, the glory is shared with the followers. Organisations like
C.A.L.M. have the ability to influence communities by programs, initiatives and
examples they set through the organisation and their leaders. Their ethical
relationship with volunteers encourages community involvement and enables
local stakeholders to become leaders within the community. As leaders like
Colin Powell and C.A.L.M. continue their work, ethical leaders will continue to
be produced by their good examples.
 Examples in Ethical Leadership 8

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