Ethics is an area of concern and frequently discussed on the news and in society today. Ethics is defined as “the kinds of morals and values an individual or society finds desirable or appropriate. Ethics is also concerned with the virtuousness of individuals and their motives.” (Penn State World Campus 2013). In recent years, CEOs of companies, leaders of communities, and even Penn State administrators have come under intense scrutiny regarding unethical behavior.
A situation that hits close to home, the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal that rocked the Penn State community and the college football world, highlighted ethical leadership and shows the intense consequences that come from unethical behavior. As mentioned briefly in the coursework, Individuals are less likely to report unethical behavior of co-workers when the violation does not seem serious and if the offender is a close friend.
A few key individuals were in the forefront of this Sandusky abuse scandal including Spanier, Paterno and Curley. Graham Spanier was the President of Penn State University, Curley was the Athletic Director, and Joe Paterno was the hall of fame football coach. Without really diving into the scandal itself, I hope to show how character theories and ethical leadership can be examined. A moral person should demonstrate values such as courage, temperance, generosity, self-control, honesty, sociability, modesty, fairness, and justice (Penn State World Campus 2013). Not only should a manager and a leader of a company exhibit those values, but there are also virtues that a manager needs to uphold, according to Valasquez 1992 (Penn State World Campus). These virtues are perserverance, public-spiritedness, integrity, truthfulness, fidelity, benevolence, and humility. While many may say these men exemplified these virtues and values once upon a time, through the lies and potential failure to rise to action against Jerry Sandusky, it is clear to see these are not moral leaders.