1. Nice Guys lose, Don’t they? Ethical Dilemmas

2. Orientation Why leaders can’t ignore ethics
Ethical issues often unwelcome in pursuit of economic success
Focus of dilemmas on whether cost of ethics damages profits
Is leadership ultimately a moral process?
Ethical behaviour vital dimension in understanding leadership process

3. Platforms of Understanding
Where does ethics appear on personal leadership map?
Leadership literature largely ignores ethical dilemmas
Ciulla explores what is meant by ‘good’ leadership
MacGregor Burns and ethical implications of transformational leadership
Greenleaf’s ‘servant leadership’ explores ethical development of followers

4. Ciulla’s Exploration of Ethical Leadership
Focuses on understanding how to confront moral dilemmas of leadership
Dilemma rests on beliefs about conduct and achievement
Ethical ‘tokenism’ – way ethics are integrated in leadership texts
Ethics seen as matter of practical knowledge not needing theoretical exploration

5. Significance of ‘Good’ Leadership
Broader implications of ethics for organization not understood
Simplistic notion that good leadership only associated with effectiveness of results
Focus on describing what leaders do rather than ethical consequences of leader’s actions
Ciulla’s good leadership addresses moral well- being & development of followers

6. Voices of Ethical Leadership
MacGregor Burns - Transformational Leadership places strong emphasis on followers’ needs, values & morals
Leader attempts to move followers to higher standards of moral responsibility
Leader differentiated from follower with more developed sense of ethical values
Leader engages with followers & helps in personal struggles regarding conflicting values & process
Addresses weaknesses of coercive authoritarian leader styles

7. Greenleaf – Servant Leadership
Leadership about attending to moral needs of followers
Good leadership – followers take on ethical values of leader
Followers developed into morally responsible and autonomous leaders
Ethics at the heart of leadership – treat others as you wish to be treated

8. The Manipulative Leader
Manipulation an influence process
Use implies relationships with low concern for moral issues
Manipulative leaders argue for ‘best’ interests of others
Leadership style can be highly effective and associated with integrity
Leader’s role to influence through non-coercive means
Strategies of seduction - When does manipulation become morally acceptable?

9. Ethical Dilemmas of Leadership
Good leadership means more than productive leadership
Should successful leadership styles that ignores well-being of followers be encouraged?
Ignoring ethical responsibilities removes dilemma
Concern with ethics as means to achieving ends (compliance) unable to deal with non-ethical and productive possibilities, or with ethical and unproductive possibilities

10. Summary (1)
Morality versus effectiveness of performance is the fundamental ethical dilemma
Dealing with dilemmas, leaders often seek pragmatic justification of actions (including tokenism, and ethical rhetoric)
Tension between commercial well-being and ethical probity increasingly ‘on the agenda’
Equating good leadership with short-term productivity can hide ethical dilemmas

11. Summary (2) Attention to ethics aligned with business success
Ethical Imperative – maps of Burns & Greenleaf offer moral certainty for leaders
If leadership is a moral process then ethical dilemmas remain to be worked through in practice
As role models, leaders have an obligation to align values of followers to the ethical values of leadership
Morality of leaders then helps develop a moral as well as an economically sensitised culture