Leadership, Trustworthiness and Ethical Stewardship

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The problem to be investigated is the relationship between leadership, trustworthiness, and ethical stewardship; how these virtuous qualities can impact leaders, individuals, and companies. This paper will attempt to provide an academic opinion related to the problem investigated. The evidence of correlation between these qualities will be generated from my own personal experience and perspective as well as the viewpoints of multiple business experts.

Leadership

To guide, direct and manage people with an inspired purpose and vision is a workable definition of business leadership. In the book, An Integrative Theory of Leadership, Chemers defines leadership as enlisting the aid and support of others to accomplish a task. He enhances this definition by providing a model of leadership that involves three critical leadership tasks: (1) relationship development, (2) resource utilization, and (3) image management. This model includes internal integration, external adaptation and task-related / relationship-related theories. (Chemers, 1997)

Recently while working on an IT project the assistant who was working with me began to speak vulgarities about the project. Quietly I pulled her aside and told her that this was not appropriate language within a workplace. This was the first time we had worked together and creating a positive relationship between us was important to me but not as important as the relationship between me and the company that hired me. Developing ethical relationships coupled with the ability to manage resources are essential aspects of leadership. Chemers was correct to include image management as a critical leadership task. Now, more than ever, image management has increased applicability due to issues with devel...

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...and Ethical Stewardship. Journal of Business Ethics, 96, 497-512. doi:10.1007.s10551-010-489-y

Caldwell, C., & Karri, R. J. (2005). Organizational governance and ethical systems: A conventional approach to building trust. Journal of Business Ethics, 58(1), 249-259. Retrieved from

Chemers, M. M. (1997). An Integrative Theory of Leadership (1st edition.).

Emerson, R. W. (n.d.). Trustworthiness Quote. Retrieved from: http://josephsoninstitute.org/quotes/quotations.php?q=Trustworthiness

Hosmer, L. T. (2007). The Ethics of Management (7 ed.).

Jennings, M. M. (2012). Business Ethics, Case Studies and Selected Readings (Seventh edition.).

Johnson, K. (2003). The Role of Leadership in Organizational Integrity and Five Modes of Ethical Leadership. Retrieved from: http://www.ethics.org/resource/role-leadership-organizational-integrity-and-five-modes-ethical-leadership

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