June 8, 2017 Dr. Bob Shackleford Ethics in leadership June 8, 2017 Dr. Bob Shackleford

Key traits in leadership Charisma Resilience Passion Integrity Vision Knowledge Courage Energy

The indispensable trait A “good” leader can be effective with any combination of these traits. However, there is one trait without which all the others cannot make you a “great” leader… INTEGRITY

Leadership: myth In most situations in life and work, there is right and wrong, good and bad…it’s mostly black and white. The job of ethical leadership is to simply choose what is right and good, and avoid what is wrong and bad.

Leadership: reality Most of what you will deal with as a leader will be some shade of gray. You will often have to choose between good and better, or between bad and worse. You will wrestle with means vs ends. It will rarely be black or white!

The Leadership challenge Leaders must set the ethical tone. Everything else flows from that. By maintaining a steady course during moral dilemmas, you can determine the direction the organization goes. But if you “preach” ethics and then compromise your ethics, they will eat you alive!

The stormy sea of Leadership In the maze of moral dilemmas, only those with a strong moral base and ethical compass will survive. The others may fly high for a season but will eventually crash and burn. Although they have leadership potential and ability, they do not have the moral fiber to survive the scrutiny of leadership.

If we have integrity… We are dependable, trustworthy, honest. We say what we mean and mean what we say. Without pretense, we are what and who we appear to be. We are the same person wherever we are, whoever we are with.

If we have integrity… Our behavior is consistent with what we believe and we practice what we preach. We do what is right, even when it is not convenient, when it is the most difficult decision to make, and when it does not serve our own interests very well.

our State motto In 1893, North Carolina was one of very few states – and the last of the original thirteen – without a motto. The NC state motto adopted: “Esse Quam Videri” – To be rather than to seem to be. In a word: INTEGRITY

Challenges to ethical decision-making 1. GROUP THINK: Behavior in riots 2. MORAL RELATIVISM: American belief in “absolutes” 3. INSTITUTIONAL CULTURE: Asbestos 4. TRUTH vs LOYALTY: Police – “Mr. Jones said he was with you all day Saturday. Can you verify that?”

Challenges to ethical decision-making 5. INDIVIDUAL vs COMMUNITY: Stop sign on McDowell Road 6. MEANS vs ENDS: Evidence technicality in the courtroom 7. JUSTICE vs MERCY: The under-performing housekeeper – “George”

Principles for ethical decision-making 1. Identify the problem and why it is an ethical issue. 2. Identify the people who could be affected by the decision. 3. Define possible courses of action. 4. Determine the consequences of each course of action.

Principles for ethical decision-making 5. Identify the ethical principles and values that are issues in each option. 6. The Newspaper Test: If I knew this issue would make the front page of the local newspaper, what would I do? 7. Choose your course of action. 8. Implement it with confidence.

Food for thought I think if you look at people, whether in business or government, who haven't had any moral compass, who've just changed to say whatever they thought the popular thing was, in the end they're losers. Michael Bloomberg