Leadership Philosophy: Ethical Leadership and Decision Making Essay

My philosophy on leadership is that it is a responsibility that requires the commitment, dedication, selfless giving, and positive attitude so that one can achieve results both in the short-term and in the long-term. Every leader of a group, whether great or small has a duty to lead by example and character as he or she shapes the perception of the followers' attitude towards their leadership style (Simpson, 2012). Being a leader requires one to have an emotional maturity which makes it easy to separate their personal and professional needs. Of importance to note is that a leader must remain motivated at all times so that he or she can inspire the followers to hold on to the goals and objectives despite the challenges and problems the team may encounter along the way. A leader also understands that he or she will not occupy the leadership position forever, and so, under his mentorship, he trains other people on ways they can become leaders in their groups (Kim & Brymer, 2011). For instance, a leader can identify a predecessor who will take over the operations of the group, then nurture him or her on how to go about the management of a group. I subscribe to the ethical leadership philosophy. This philosophy is all-rounded as it considers the environment, people, the objectives, and the principles that guide the overall organization. A justification for aligning myself with the ethical leadership approach is because an ethical leader focuses on doing the right thing, despite the opportunities to engage in unethical practices. Being right is the attitude, belief, and perception attached to true and accurate (Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2016). Hence, doing the right thing might be inconvenient for a leader, but due to the ethical approach of doing things, the forerunner remains committed. In most cases, the right thing is unpopular with the followers but the leader focuses on the goal.

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The purpose of my leadership is to emphasize the beneficial role that an ethical leader plays. This is because the leader balances the needs of the group as well as the environment. This balance means that damage is not done in the atmosphere and that goals and objectives are achieved within the required time frame. For instance, an ethical leader focuses on the environment (Simpson, 2012). It is important for the leader to make the followers understand that they depend on the surroundings so that they can live a meaningful life. It is also the responsibility of every citizen in the world to take care of the planet and avoid engaging in activities that reduce the security and well-being of the environment (Bello, 2012). For instance, an ethical leader emphasizes the need to avoid polluting the environment through the air, water, amongst other ways. The ethical leader also focuses on the people. People form part of the environment in which an organization operates (Dion, 2012). The ethical leader in an organization spearheads the allocation of a percentage of the budget to corporate social activities. Giving back to the community is important as it helps to send a message to the community that an organization is concerned about their welfare as opposed to forming business relationships only. It also helps the ethical leader relate with the people who live around the organization on a personal level.

An ethical leader's concern for the principles of an organization is such values and policies bind the staffs in an organization (Kim & Brymer, 2011). It also motivates the staffs to maintain professionalism in the workplace. The principle of respecting authority is supported by an ethical leader who encourages the staffs or followers to obey the rules and regulations. It ensures that people live in harmony with each other as they respect the law and there are no indiscipline cases that arise. The principle approach for an ethical leader also encourages justice and honesty. The focus on purpose for an ethical leader is a confirmation that followers should know what they want to do and the path to follow to achieve the dreams (Simpson, 2012). This idea relies on the notion that every action must have a plan and a pathway which followers must adhere to as a way to achieve goals. On a personal level, it is important for one to have a purpose that guides who they are as a person. A personal principle guides one to follow the purpose of life.

The best ethical leader can be described as one with a straight and morally upright character (Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2016). Therefore, the virtues of being honest and truthful guide him or her during the decision making process. In addition, an ethical leader is committed and willing to follow the moral standards as stipulated by the line of career one he or she does. For instance, if a medical practitioner, an ethical leader will ensure that he or she does not engage in malpractice activities like assisting women to engage in unlawful abortion practices (Dion, 2012). Further, the best ethical leader can be described to be guided by characteristics like justice, being humane, respecting others and the law, creative, and driven by the values in an organization. Being humane means that an ethical leader builds on acting kind to others. It is worth noting that treating others right and being kind to them does not cost anything.

A value driven leader ensures that ideas and decisions developed in the firm are in line with the policies that guide the workplace (Kim & Brymer, 2011). This helps reduce the conflict of interest among leaders that arises due to the different perceptions that people in the management team have and perceive. In addition, the ethical leader understands that for success to take place, it is important to work as a team. A team is diverse and comprises of people with different kinds of strengths and abilities (Simpson, 2012). A leader maximizes on the strengths for the benefit of the organization. Any conflicts are resolved within a short-time so that they do not affect the goals and objectives. Lastly, an ethical has no tolerance for people who engage in violations of ethical practices. Hence, any employee found doing unethical practices faces a disciplinary committee that considers administering punishment so that he or she can be a lesson to the rest of the team. an ethical leader focuses on instilling discipline on the followers and encourages them to follow the code of ethics when performing their duties. Choices that an ethical leader are based on the moral development (Dion, 2012). The motives are clear and based on the needs of the entire group. The most important lesson that an ethical leader teaches the followers is that if they engage in the right thing, then it would be easier for everyone else to play fair.

For me to be an authentic leader, I need to be more concerned about instilling the right qualities in my followers. It requires me to engage in empowering and building the followers so that they can reach high levels of growth (Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2016). Growth is a process and requires the determination of the leader to build a lasting solution. With time, leaders and followers have the same perception towards moral authority, and it becomes easy working as a team. A leader is also on the lookout for going through growth on a personal level since it enables him or her to improve who they are as a person (Simpson, 2012). For to be an authentic leader, I need to be inspired. Being inspired means that I remain motivated to pursue my goals despite the challenges that I may face along the way. An inspiration comes from knowing where I have come from and where I am headed. My personal values should also be strong enough to keep me motivated to pursue my dreams in my professional and personal life (Bello, 2012). I should also keep reflecting on the past as a reference to the journey that I have taken. This will help me know that I am making positive progress.

Being authentic also means that I should be flexible and be open to ideas. The world is changing and going through a transformation which also requires me to adapt my way of thinking (Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2016). For instance, the development of technology in the world of business will require me to adopt strategic ideas in the operations of the organization. I should not be afraid of going through a change process or allowing the junior employees to take the leadership position. Delegating duties means that I have complete trust in their abilities and commitment towards being ethical and authentic as I am. The most important thing I need to do is understanding the purpose I have in life and in my career. This will help develop a strategy on how I can fulfill the purpose and work with a timeline on when I can achieve the goals. In addition, I should keep on practicing the values that I have so that I can become used to them (Simpson, 2012). Practicing will enable me to attract the right attitude towards duties in the workplace and in my personal life. I will also reflect a positive attitude and behavior to the people, who will strive to become like me.

An ethical leader leads by heart and through proper consideration of the needs of others. The heart should be pure and free from malice, which justifies the need to be calm in the spirit when making decisions (Dion, 2012). An ethical leader is also keen to maintain and nurture the relationships that he or she has established with others in the workplace and on a personal level. The idea of working with others means that bonding or connecting with others is inevitable. However, the most important thing is drawing boundaries on the relationships. In conclusion, my success in being an ethical leader depends on how I prepare myself while young, and my commitment to change. My ethical leadership philosophy can be adopted by people in different managerial positions as it helps the person occupying the top position to focus on the long-term goal.

References

Bello, S. M. (2012). Impact of ethical leadership on employee job performance. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(11).

Dion, M. (2012). Are ethical theories relevant to ethical leadership?. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 33(1), 4-24.

Kim, W. G., & Brymer, R. A. (2011). The effects of ethical leadership on manager job satisfaction, commitment, behavioral outcomes, and firm performance. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 30(4), 1020-1026.

Shapiro, J. P., & Stefkovich, J. A. (2016). Ethical leadership and decision making in education: Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas. Routledge.

Simpson, S. (2012). The Styles, Models & Philosophy of Leadership. Denmark: Ventus Publishing Aps.