Ethical Leadership
By: Pierre Du Plessis
Here are a few things to think about the ethics of leadership and our own individual position in respect of these principles:
1. Principles of Leadership from General Douglas MacArthur:
MacArthur has developed a list of questions to guide him in his managerial duties. These principles can be applied to any leadership situation.
1. Do I heckle my subordinates or strengthen and encourage them?
2. Should I use the moral courage to get rid of his subordinates who have proved beyond any doubt that he is unfit?
3. Have I done everything in my power by encouragement, incentive and stimulate the weak and save the lost?
4. Do I know her by name and character of a number of his subordinates which I am responsible? Do I know them intimately?
5. Am I thoroughly familiar with the technique, necessities, objectives and administration of my work?
6. Will I lose my cool on individuals?
7. Do I act in such a way as to make my lack subordinates to follow me?
8. Do I delegate tasks that should be mine?
9. Should I assign to myself and delegate nothing?
10. Do I develop my subordinates by placing on each of them as much responsibility as he can stand?
11. Am I interested in the well-being of each of my subordinates, as if he was a member of my family?
12. Am I the calm voice and manner to inspire confidence, or am I willing to irritability and excitability?
13. Am I a constant example to my subordinates in character, dress, deportment and courtesy?
14. Am I likely to be nice to my superiors and tell my subordinates?
15. Is my door open to my subordinates?
16. What I think more able than JOB?
17. Am I correct a subordinate in front of others?
Source: The West Point Way of Leadership by Col. R. Larry Donnithorne
2. Doing things differently:
Anyone can become a leader. All the characteristics and traits of leadership can be acquired through learning and practice.
Leadership is not synonymous with assertiveness, the despotic behavior or managerial position.
Assertiveness is a good quality if it can be saved by compliance. Respect comes from various sources as indicated below on this page.
Management is doing things efficiently. Leadership is about doing things differently, new ways, in better ways. Leadership is thinking side, demonstrating innovation and creativity.
Leadership is not limited to the upper echelon in an organization. Everyone in an organization that can differentiate it self in being inventive, can be a leader. If you view the inventiveness, others will follow your direction naturally respect.
Leadership does not follow the lines of authority. More often, creativity comes from the ground level closest to the processes and problems. Leadership is therefore by no means limited to the formal structure of supervisors and management.
The role of leadership can be achieved in many ways, big or small. For example, you can show leadership and earn the respect of others as follows:
1. On expert or superior knowledge about a topic or something
2. Excellence in performing the tasks
3. A positive attitude, high morale
4. High ethical values and codes of conduct
5. Good human relations
6. Streamline the working of paper, production methods, your schedule
7. Demonstrate innovation or creation
Innovativeness usually results in big jumps with more advantages and benefits. It may therefore be more profitable for an employer to cultivate, encourage and support the development of creativity and risk taking in all employees.
Therefore, the most important quality to develop and fastest way to become a leader, is through creativity.
3. Other necessary characteristics:
3.1 Leadership qualities:
You will also support the following features to keep this on:
1. Fidelity
2. Willingness to stand out, differentiate yourself, may be rejected by being different.
3. Determination and perseverance to get your ideas.
4. desire to promote the improvement to find better ways of doing things, curiosity.
5. Challenging the mind does not accept the authority, the will to challenge the status quo.
6. Confidence believe that you can think for yourself and design a better way.
7. A thick skin is able to withstand criticism and recover from setbacks.
8. Learning from mistakes being prepared to try things to find what works.
9. Reliability keep their word, to be honest.
10. Delivering promises as being trustworthy, you deliver what you promise.
11. Treat people with respect and fairness.
12. No other deliberate injury.
13. Commitment to improving the lives of those you represent.
14. Management skills are the ability to move things effectively.
15. Strong influence skills
16. The ability to convey a compelling vision of the future.
These features can be classified in ethics or management skills. How do these features compare with entrepreneurial characteristics?
3.2 Traits of entrepreneurs
1. The desire to accomplish
2. Drive, determination and energy
3. goal orientation
4. Time consciousness
5. Motivated
6. Self-control
7. Can make decisions in situations of lack of information or uncertainty
8. Take calculated risks
9. Positive self
10. creative and innovative capacity (real and imaginative)
11. Ethical standards of integrity and reliability
12. Intelligence
13. Individualistic
14. The more the task of man-oriented
15. Bloom on the information
16. Take the initiative and responsibility for their actions
17. Objective and optimistic
18. Profit is a measure of success
4. Gene Autry Cowboy Code of Ethics:
1. The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man or take unfair advantage.
2. He must never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him.
3. Always tell the truth.
4. He must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals.
5. Do not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.
6. He must help people in distress.
7. There must be a good worker.
8. It must be kept clean in thought, word, action and personal habits.
9. He must respect women, parents, and the laws of his country.
10. The cowboy is a patriot.
Ethics is morality in a civilized world. These internalized values of the individual. It is a civilized behavior from barbaric behavior. It is human behavior in relation to animal behavior. It is human behavior on the end against a barbaric animal behavior at the other end of the scale.
ethics of leadership is all about where you are between the two extremes as an individual, as a worker and as a leader.
In pursuit of the features of the ethics of leadership in order to internalize the principles of ethical leadership, it will be interesting to try to follow all the principles outlined above.
Pierre du Plessis (MBL, 1982, UNISA) is the owner of Leaders Circle, with http:www.career-builders-club.com website, catering for niche products and various packaging and author of several eBooks . This article may be used for republication as long as it remains unchanged.
About the author
Pierre du Plessis (MBL, 1982, UNISA) is the owner of Leaders Circle, with http:www.career-builders-club.com website, catering for niche products and various packaging and author of several eBooks . This article may be used for republication as long as it remains unchanged.