Ethical leadership, according to the Center for Ethical Leadership (yes, there is such a thing), is defined as “…knowing your core values and having the courage to live them in all parts of your life in service of the common good.” Being an ethical leader, therefore, involves knowing what is good (leader character), and doing what is good (leader conduct) 
for the “greatest good for the greatest number” (Northouse, 2013, p.425). All that sounds very “good”, doesn’t it? The issue I see, with all this “goodness” is the determination of what, exactly, is “good” for the wellbeing of all those involved, and for the organization in a business context. What is good for the goose, so to speak, is not always good for the gander, and the other way around (if you will pardon the puns).
To help solve this dilemma, Dr. Bill Grace from the Center for Ethical Leadership developed the four V framework for ethical leadership, which can be used, apparently, to help one determine how internal and external factors combine for the “common good”. The four v’s, according to Dr. Grace, are values, vision, voice and virtue. Using this methodology, one must begin by identifying and integrating their core values, to carry out their vision in service to others and voice that vision in a convincing and authentic manner, all the while practicing virtuous behaviour. It is Dr. Grace’s suggestion that leaders stand back from their decisions, once made, in order to determine whether what they are doing is, not only in-line with one’s values and morals, but also consistent with one’s vision in service to other people. In order to determine what one’s values are, one must first identify what virtues (or noble habits) we wish to practice, and resist conformity with 
society’s “superficial goals”, such as the acquisition of possessions and realization of status. Therefore, what popular culture has us believe is “good”, can be cleverly disguised frivolous values, which should be resisted and avoided at all costs, if one wishes to be an ethical leader.
I think we can all agree, that being good, and doing good, for the greater good, involves honesty, integrity, altruism, justness and respect for others. Being an ethical leader, therefore, requires one to be an honest and just person, who serves others whilst upholding their virtues, and what they believe to be “socially preferable”(PSYCH485, Lesson 14). The goose may need to decide what rules he wants to live by, but at the end of the day he will act in accordance with the values of the wider community, for the benefit of the gander.
~ Prue Cooper
References
Center for Ethical Leadership. (n.d.). “Ethical Leadership”. Retrieved from http://ethicalleadership.org/about-us/philosophies-definitions/ethical-leadership
Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership Theory and Practice (6th Ed.). Thousand Oaks: CA, SAGE Publications, Inc.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus. (2014). PSYCH 485 Lesson 14: Ethics and Leadership. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp14/psych485/002/content/14_lesson/01_page.html.
Prue,
Your post is a very good summation of some of the aspects of ethical leadership. Your opening paragraph is well laid out with interesting information and some very wisely used quotations. I particularly enjoyed the citation you used from the Center for Ethical Leadership. In combination with the note you pulled from Northouse, it paints a very clear picture of what ethical leadership is meant to be: doing the best thing, at the best time, in the best way, for the most people possible. That said I share similar concerns to you. Just what constitutes the “best” of the “best?”
The four V’s outlined by Dr. Grace in your post are a revelation, as it were, about how to know that you are doing the best thing for the most people at all times. What I particularly like about the four V’s system that Dr. Grace uses is that it forces a leader to look at their decision-making and analyze if it works the way that they intended. Does this choice reflect my values? Does the decision carry the vision that I have for every person it will affect? These are very strong questions to be asking one’s self when the decision will affect more than just the one making the decision. By making decisions in this fashion, one can avoid making the mistake of disguising potential selfish decisions as what is the best for everyone, as you note.
At the risk of beating a dead horse, I’d like to agree with you one final time; an honest and just person makes for the most ethical leader, keeping true to their own virtues and making the right call for others. This type of leader honors not only themselves, but also the ones they serve.
Great blog!
Matt