Ethics and

Leadership
The Challenge of
the 21st Century
Definitions
 Ethics
 A system of moral principles or

values
 The study of the general nature

of morals and moral choices

 The rules of conduct
Morals
 The principles of tight and wrong in
relation to human behavior and
character
 Teaching correct behavior
 Standards of right or just behavior
 A precept or general truth
The Difference between
Ethics and Morals
 Morality refers to standards
of behaviors by which people
are judged
 Ethics encompasses the
system(s) of beliefs that
support a particular view of
morality
Norms
 Written or unwritten laws,
codes, regulations, customs,
or standards created and
maintained to control
behavior constituting social
order.
Values
 Subjective evaluations
of what one actually
likes, esteems, desires,
approves, enjoys, and
regards as important.
Culture
Aconceptual
descriptor for
shared norms and
values
Moral Theories
 Setsof assumptions
that test and
determine right and
wrong behaviors
Utilitarianism
 Ends based
 Whatever produces the greatest good
for the greatest number is right
 Examine the possible results and pick
the one that produces the most
blessings over the greatest range
 Political Legislation
The Categorical
Imperative
 Rule based
 Immanuel Kant
 Follow only the principles that you want
everyone else to follow
 Fixed rules, obligation, and duty
 Act in a way that your actions could
become a universal standard
Virtue Ethics
 Care based
 The Golden Rule
 Test your behaviors by putting yourself
in another’s circumstances imagining
how you would feel if you were the
recipient rather than the perpetrator of
your behaviors. Empathetic living
Core Values
 Truth
 Loyalty
 Individual rights
 Community standards
 Short-term consequences
 Long-term consequences
 Justice
 Mercy
Dilemmas
 Situations or circumstances
that involve choosing
between equally powerful
core values
Dilemma
Paradigms
 Truth versus Loyalty
 Individual versus Community
 Short-term versus Long-term
 Justice versus Mercy
Ethical/Moral
Leadership
 What moral theory applies or
informs the leader best how to
decide or act?
 What core values are involved in
the situation?
 Do the people, circumstances,
and culture provide salience to
making a choice