Top Five Executive Initiatives (T5EI)
The modern executive leader has to make choices as a critical component of his or her leadership. What, as a leaders, should one value? Standards, values, morals, customs, and cultures all weigh heavily in the mind of the modern leader. The frame of the workplace must be considered. What are the policies, procedures, and organizational model of the company driving it along its course? Consider the following Top Five Executive Initiatives below as the foundation to moral, just, and ethical leadership.
1. Commit to a single standard of conduct
“What will a national gain through economic progress if it loses its soul” (Nair, 1997). Executives must commit to a single standard of conduct and ensure their practices reflect principled behavior. Too many people, as individuals, and business have been led to believe it is necessary to sacrifice morality for expediency. This is especially true in the global business world. This creates a double standard with lower expectations and lower standards of personal conduct and professional conduct for social activists, business professionals, and politicians (Nair, 1997). It seems difficult to create a universal standard of conduct for all. Leadership must lead in setting the example. Employees learn how to behave by watching their leaders and mimicking what they see irrespective if right or wrong. The leadership sets the standard and the tone of ethical conduct.
Corporate ethics is quickly becoming one of the most discussed topics in business; especially when dealing with cross-cultural international business in today’s global economy. While many companies recognize the ethical dilemmas presented through globalized business, they are struggling to develop c...
... middle of paper ...
...ve people to action (Northouse, 2010). Leaders show initiative in ways that can either endear them to followers, resulting in effectiveness. The alternative is leaders who are disliked and ineffective. Using the initiatives above is critical to becoming an effective ethical leader.
Works Cited
Ciulla, J. B. (2003). The ethics of leadership. South Melbourne, Australia: Thomson/Wadsworth.
Donaldson, T., & Dunfee, T. W. (July 01, 1999). When Ethics Travel: The Promise and Peril of Global Business Ethics. California Management Review, 41, 4, 45-63.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2007). The Leadership Challenge. 4th ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Nair, K. (1994). A higher standard of leadership: Lessons from the life of Gandhi. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
Northouse, P.G. (2010). Leadership: Theory and Practice. 5th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications.
Mlls, D. Q. (2005). Leadership How to Lead, How to Live. Boston: Harvad Business School Press.
When travelling for business between different countries it’s very important to understand the different ethical practices. When looking into the different ethical business practices in organizations we will look at the four largest and fastest developing countries which are commonly known as BRIC; Brazil, Russia, India, and China. There are many similarities between these countries; however India and Brazil seem to have a more favorable ethics rating than China and Russia. While there are similar perceptions on ethical business practices, these ideas are not shared globally. As these four countries grow economically, it’s becoming more important for business leaders to understand their ethical differences.
In today’s global society, a Code of Ethics policy is used to label established, acceptable behaviors among that industry’s business associates, potential investors, and the corporation’s executive officers and employees, and most important, the consumer (Ethics Resource Center, 2003). In an attempt to promote an increased efficiency and productivity potential level, among employees and prospective clients, a corporation’s standard Code of Ethics should guide its members toward a more in-depth examination of their personal moral activity, and how these actions affect the people or acquaintances they encounter. A company should utilize this strategy as a model for the professional behaviors and responsibilities of its constituents, and proves the occupational advancement of that business. Ethics are important in every level of a corporation, but specifically in the day-to-day actions of its members, and the image the company broadcasts to its associates is fundamental in building a stable business foundation. These pledges are a vital communication tool used to covey the firm’s standards for business operations, and predominantly, its relationships with the surrounding communities (Ethics Resource Center, 2003).
Ethical leadership simply means the act of leading by knowing and doing what is right (Wise Geek, 2014). A leader that exhibit ethical leadership understands his or her core values, principles, and beliefs and live true to those values. An ethical leader serves as a mirror through which people view and perceive the organization they represent. Moral and ethical leaders serve as role models for others, who sets realistic, yet a high moral and ethical standards for others to follow and abide. This handbook will help managers to understand the importance and the principle of the moral and ethical leadership, the path to a better ethical decision making, and ways to create a moral and ethical organizational culture.
“Leaders come in every size, shape, and disposition-short, tall, neat, sloppy, young, old, male, and female” (Bennis, 2009, p. 33). Unlike Johnson (2011), Bennis (2009) proposes additional components to leadership. First, there must be a vision. A leader has to have a well-defined direction and purpose. They must understand not only the direction they will take, but also the steps to achieve the stated objectives. The vision must be articulat...
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2007). The Leadership Challenge (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA:
Business ethics simply can be defined as the application of business values in the business practice of a company (Seawell 2010, p. 2). For a multinational company, business ethics is one of the critical aspects need to be taken into account in business decision-making processes. Failure to give attention on ethics may bring consequences on company’s reputation (Meyer & Jebe 2010, p. 159). The company is expected not only to pursue its own profits but also contributing to the environmental and social welfare of the community where it operates (Svensson & Wood 2008, p. 308).
The concept of business ethics refers to a set of guiding principles that encourage individuals in an organization to make decisions based on the company’s stated beliefs and attitudes toward business practices within its industry (Lisa McQuerrey., 2016). Ethical and Unethical business decisions have long been a predicament encountered by organisations, these practices are concerned with how the companies interact with the global business world, and to their one-on-one dealings with individuals (Garry Crystal, 2016.) The concept of ethics and social responsibility emerged into the business world in the early 1970s after the end of World War I, saw these organisations become more profit driven resulting in negative impacts on society at large.
Nahavandi, A. (2011). The Art And Science of Leadership (6 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary
Ethical leadership is of great significance to the prosperity of an organization. Ethical leaders usually motivate their employees to work hard. In that regard, ethical leadership requires a cocktail of ethical values ranging from rationality to independent and critical thinking. Most organizations nowadays have ethical leaders responsible for the good relationship among the members. Ethical leaders are usually more concerned about the welfare of other people rather than other motives. My focus on ethical leaders will be on corporate leaders, specifically chief executive officers. My leader of choice is Mike Duke, the chief executive officer of Wal-Mart retailers, which is one of the largest retailers in the United States. For its prosperity,
I will try to paper the importance of personal ethics in leadership and how ethics produce effective leaders in organizations. The importance of understanding ethics, motivation to act as a role model and developing a plan of action for an organization are discussed because of their importance regarding development of good leadership. These key points suggest personal ethics positively affect leadership and when made a priority for leaders will produce ethical and effective leadership. With so many definitions of leadership, the question evolved from “what is the definition of leadership?” to “what is good leadership” (Ciulla, 2004, p. 13). To develop a system of values one must compile a list of the most important instrumental values and
The important of leadership and ethics issues are two concepts that are interrelated linked with an organizational environment. Ultimately, all stakeholders of an organization want their leaders and organizations to be ethically sound. Bazerman & Tenbrunsel, (2011). Having exercise the power and influence given to leaders over their followers, ethics practice will be critical to the process of leadership. Northouse, (2013). Ciulla (2004) argued that to achieve “good leadership,” leaders must be morally sound and as such, “ethics lies at the heart of leadership studies” (p. 18). Similarly, followers expect their leaders to be honest and ethical (Northouse, 2013). Honesty
Ethical leadership is having an understanding of who you are, what your core values are, having the courage to live them all, in your personal life as well as your work life. Ethical leadership involves leading in a manner that respects the rights and dignity of others. Ethical decision making and leadership are the basis of ethical organizations. Leadership is a relationship between leaders and followers. The foundation of this relationship is trust. The leaders themselves must be ethical in their decisions and actions in order to influence others to behave accordingly. Ethical leadership is to know one’s core values and having the courage to live them through one’s life. Ethics and leaders go hand in hand; ethics is the heart of leadership.
Treviño, L. K., & Nelson, K. A. (2007). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right Fourth ed., Retrieved on July 30, 2010 from www.ecampus.phoenix.edu