Typically when you say the word ethics, people think it means doing the right thing. If you think about it though, ethical behavior can be in the eye of the beholder. Lets say a company allows their employees to use the company credit card to purchase lunch. One employee thinks that going out to lunch on the company’s dime is ok; yet another employee may think that it would be taking advantage of the company. So who is wrong here? Both would be doing nothing wrong, yet their view on what is and is not ethical is put into question.
This is where an individuals morals and values are put into play. “Both values and morals are individual differences. Meaning that each person has their own set of knowledge and personal characteristics that determine how they decide on issues that may have good or bad consequences” (PSU WC, Lesson 14, p. 3).
There are many different types of ethics such as rule-based ethics, value-based ethics and professional ethics. “Many professions – law, medicine, and psychotherapy are perhaps the most familiar, but the list is long and varied – have their own specific codes of ethics, which all members of those professions are expected to follow. Members of those professions are considered ethical in their practice if they adhere to the code of their profession” (Ethical Leadership, 1).
When looking at a leader it is sometimes hard to determine if they could be considered unethical. The most general way leaders are judged as being ethical are comparing them with rule-based ethics. These are the typical rules that we adhere to in todays society such as, do not steal, abuse, or take advantage of others just to name a few.
Most companies have their own versions of “core values” which they expect their employees to adhere to. One of the key elements of being an ethical leader is “Understanding the power of leadership and using it well – sharing it as much as possible, never abusing it, and exercising it only when it will benefit the individuals or organization you work with, the community, or the society” (Ethical Leadership, 1).
Leaders come in all different forms and to fully determine if they would be considered and ethical leader you need to look at them as a person, the companies values and the ethical views of the society. By doing all of these you can really breakdown a leaders actions to being ethical or unethical.
References
Section 8. Ethical Leadership. (n.d.). In Community Tool Box. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from ctb.ku.edu website: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/leadership/leadership-ideas/ethical-leadership/main
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2016). PSYCH 485 Lesson 14: Ethics and Leadership.