ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND VALUES

DATE: January 2008PLACE: Lima, Peru

BY

JAIME CHAHIN, PH.D.

WHAT IS ETHICAL LEADERSHIP?

AS LEADERSHIP HAS BECOME A MORE

POPULAR SUBJECT, IMPORTANT NUANCES

HAVE EMERGED THAT HELP DISTINGUISH

BETWEEN DIFFERING TYPES OF LEADERSHIP.

THREE TYPES:

TRANSACTIONAL

AS THE WORD IMPLIES, IS CONCERNED

WITH “TRANSACTIONS” –

THE BUSINESS OF DAILY LIFE.

THREE TYPES:

TRANSFORMATIONAL

CHANGING THE STATUS QUO FOR THE

COMMON GOOD.

THREE TYPES TRANSFORMING

SEEKS TO RAISE THE BEHAVIOR OF

INDIVIDUALS AND INSTITUTIONS TO

HIGHER LEVELS OF MOTIVATION AND

MORALITY.

TRANFORMATIONAL PURPOSE

PROMOTE JUSTICE, EQUALITY, FAIR TREATMENT, ETC.

GOAL:

SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE TO THOSE IN POWER.

TRANSFORMING

PURPOSE:

PROMOTE A CHANGE OF HEART.

GOAL:

ARTICULATE TRUTH THAT UNIFIES.

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

IS A COMBINED COMMITMENT TO

THE PRINCIPLES AND INTENTIONS

OF TRANSFORMATIONAL AND

TRANSFORMING LEADERSHIP.

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

ALWAYS DIRECTS PEOPLE AND

COMMUNITIES TOWARD THE COMMON

GOOD, I.E., TOWARD JUSTICE.

TELEOLOGY

FROM THE GREEK, TELOS, IS DEFINED AS BEING

CONCERNED WITH ENDS. THE GOAL OF TELEOLOGY

IS TO MOVE US TOWARDS THE GOOD, THROUGH

THE PRACTICE OF GOOD HABITS. (MAGILL, 1990)

THE GOOD WAS THE ULTIMATE END TOWARDS

WHICH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY

SHOULD STRIVE.

THE PRACTICE OF GOOD HABITS LEADS TO

PRACTICAL REASON.

FOR ARISTOTLE,

ASSSERTS THAT A CRAFTSMAN KNOWS

THE GOOD THROUGH EXPERIENCE AND

A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CRAFT.

PRACTICAL REASON

ETHICAL LEADERS

WILL COME TO KNOW ETHICAL

LEADERSHIP THROUGH THE PRACTICE

OF PURSUING THE COMMON GOOD.

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

IS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, AN INTEGRATION

OF LEADERSHIP AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT

THEORY. (REST, 1979)

MORAL SENSITIVITY

IS THE CAPACITY TO RECOGNIZE THAT

ONE HAS ENCOUNTERED A MORAL

DILEMMA.

MORAL REASONING

OCCURS AFTER WE HAVE BECOME

MORALLY SENSITIVE.

MORAL CHOOSING

IS CONCERNED WITH THE QUESTION,

AMONG MY MANY CHOICES WHICH ONE

WILL I CHOOSE AND WHY?

MORAL ACTION

IS THE LAST STEP, AND IT IS DISTINCT

FROM THE OTHER THREE. THE FIRST

THREE STEPS COULD BE ENCOUNTERED

ENTIRELY ON AN INTELLECTUAL LEVEL.

MORAL ACTION, HOWEVER, REQUIRES US TO

DO SOMETHING!

IN ORDER TO LINK OUR CAPACITY FOR

MORAL REASONING WITH THE WILL TO

ENGAGE IN MORAL ACTION, WE ALSO

NEED A BRIDGE. THAT BRIDGE IS

MORAL COURAGE.

BILL GRACE (1990) INTRODUCED THE “4V” MODEL OF ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

VALUES, VISION, VOICE AND VIRTUE

VIRTUE

POLIS

VALUES

VISIONVOICE

REN

EWA

L

SERVIC

E

VALUES

IS AT THE TOP OF THE TRIANGLE, WHICH

REPRESENTS THE STARTING PLACE FOR

LEARNING ABOUT ETHICAL LEADERSHIP.

VALUES SERVICEVISION

VISION POLISVOICE

WHEN WE TAKE PUBLIC ACTION,

WE GO FROM SERVICE TO “POLIS.”

VOICE RENEWAL VALUES

VIRTUE LIES AT THE CENTER AND STANDS

FOR THE COMMON GOOD.

CORE VALUES EXERCISE (30 MINUTES)

CORE VALUES EXERCISE PEACE

WISDOMSTATUSFAMILYFAMEWEALTH POWERAUTHENCITYJOY

SUCCESS

INTEGRITYLOVEFRIENDSHIPJUSTICE INFLUENCEHAPPINESSTRUTH

IT TAKES COURAGE TO STAND UP FOR

WHAT WE BELIEVE.

THE MAIN REWARD IN LIVING IN THE

CONTEXT OF OUR CORE VALUES IS

INTEGRITY.

INTEGRITY REFERS TO WHOLENESS.

VALUES

ARE THE KEY TO ETHICAL LEADERSHIP,

BY PROFESSING OUR VALUES, EVEN IF

WE DO NOT ACT ON THEM CONSISTENTLY,

WE BEGIN TO INTEGRATE OUR VALUES

INTO OUR LIVES AND CHOICES.

SERVICE

IS A MUTUALLY TRANSFORMATIVE

ENCOUNTER THAT PREPARES OUR HEARTS

FOR ETHICAL LEADERSHIP BY NURTURING

WITHIN US THE VIRTUES OF:

GENEROSITY COMPASSION WISDOM COURAGE VISION HOPE LEADERSHIP

GENEROSITY

IS ONE OF THE FIRST FRUITS OF

SERVICE LEARNING.

COMPASSION

IS THE ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO

“SUFFER WITH” ANOTHER.

WISDOM

FOLLOWS GENEROSITY AND COMPASSION

AS WE REFLECT ON OUR SERVICE

EXPERIENCE.

SELF, THE OTHER, COMMUNITY

COURAGE

WHEN WE SPEAK ON BEHALF OF WHAT

OUGHT TO BE AND ENGAGE IN THE

ACT OF CREATING A VISION OF WHAT

COULD BE.

VISION

IS THE GIFT THAT COMES FROM

SERVING THE WORLD IN THE CONTEXT

OF OUR CORE VALUES.

HOPE

IS THE BELIEF THAT OUR EFFORTS

RELATIVE TO A VISION ARE NOT

OFFERED IN VAIN.

LEADERSHIP

IS ALWAYS AN ATTEMPT TO PERSUADE

OTHERS TO SEE SOMETHING FROM A NEW

PERSPECTIVE AND TO MOTIVATE THEM TO

ACTION ON BEHALF OF THAT PERSPECTIVE.

POLITICS (POLIS)

IS THE ART ASSOCIATED WITH THAT

INTENTION.

THE GOAL OF POLITICS IS TO

PROMOTE CIVIC DISCOURSE.

CIVILITY

IS A CIVIC VIRTUE AND

RESPONSIBILITY. WE HAVE TO CLAIM

OUR VOICE BECAUSE WE ARE NOT

SUBJECTS BUT CITIZENS.

VOICE

AS WE CLAIM OUR VOICES, WE

ENCOURAGE A COMMUNITY OR GROUP

TO MOVE FROM “IS” TO “OUGHT.”

REMEMBER, AS WE ADVOCATE FOR

WHAT WE BELIEVE, IT IS ALSO

POSSIBLE TO DISCOVER A NOBLE

PURPOSE FOR OUR LIFE.

VIRTUE

IS AN EARNED CHARACTERISTIC THAT

WE EARN BY ENGAGING IN BEHAVIOR

THAT REQUIRES VIRTUOUS ACTION.

WHETHER VICE OR VIRTUE,

WE BECOME WHAT WE PRACTICE.

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

CHALLENGES US TO ENGAGE IN THE

NOBLE WORK OF ADVANCING THE

COMMON GOOD.

THE COMMON GOOD

IS A RENEWABLE RESOURCE. WE ARE

RESPONSIBLE AS INDIVIDUALS AND

COMMUNITY FOR TENDING THE

GROWTH OF THE COMMON GOOD.

ENGAGING IN JUST AND CARING

RELATIONSHIPS IS A POWERFUL WAY

TO PURSUE THE COMMON GOOD.

WHEN WE ENGAGE THE WORLD ON

BEHALF OF THE COMMON GOOD, WE

ARE BOUND TO DEVELOP VIRTUE.

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP BEGAN BY TAKING

RESPONSIBILITY FOR ONE’S OWN LIFE. NO

MATTER WHERE WE ARE IN LIFE (STUDENT,

SOCIAL WORKER, NURSE, COUNSELOR,

TEACHER, MINISTER, JUDGE, GOVERNMENT

EMPLOYEE, COPORATE EMPLOYEE, ETC.)

WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR

PROCLAIMING OUR FREEDOM.

WE KNOW THAT LIFE IN A DEMOCRACY

IS A PRIVILEGE AND A DUTY.

WE SHOULD EMBRACE DEMOCRACY WITH

GRATITUDE AND CELEBRATE BY PRACTICING

IT ON A DAILY BASIS, BECAUSE WE HAVE A

RESPONSIBILITY AS A CITIZEN.

EXERCISE YOUR RIGHTS

GRACIAS