Ethics Case

"What's your philosophy of proper leadership ethics?"

The best leader is the one who leads by example

"You can employ men and hire hands to work for you, but you will have to win their hearts to have them work with you." (William J. H. Boetcker).

Worrying about the consequences of our own actions doesn't only produce beneficial results to our own life, but also plays an important role on making our followers believe in us as real people, human beings. And this way of leading people applies to all segments in society- from being a coach for a soccer team to being the head of a household.

Brian Tracy in his leadership blog, says:

See yourself as a person who sets the standards that others follow. A key leadership characteristic is to set high standards of accountability for themselves and for their behaviors. They assume that others are watching them and then setting their own standards by what they do. They, in fact, lead by example, just exactly as though someone were following them around, secretly taking notes and photographs of their daily actions for others to see and act on. (B. T.)

Different from leading by fear that produces efficient short term results, leading by example works long term, and it tends to increase its efficiency and effectiveness as time passes by. I went to a very strict Catholic Middle School. Back then, we had to respect some rules imposed by the nuns that we really never understood. We just knew that we needed to follow them. Why? Because they told us to, because they were our teachers, and they had the power. That did not last long. As I was growing up I started to question everything. And when the time to decide if I wanted to stay there for high school or go somewhere else, I decided to go somewhere else. Their lack of explanations for our questions, and their unfundamented rules made me not believe in them anymore.

In order to generate long time results and being able to keep long term followers, a leader should have a few characteristics:

* Honesty;

* Motivation;

* Empowerment;

* Reward;

* Flexibility;

1.0- Honesty

Honesty is probably the most remarkable characteristic of someone who leads by example. It's a facet of moral character that connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness, along with the absence of lying, cheating, or theft.

Being honest with your followers is a sign of respect, appreciation for their respect and time devoted to a certain project, cause etc.

My former manager at the real estate agency that I used to work for was very dishonest with the agents and especially with the clients we brought into the office. I started my job with really high expectations and believing that I was going to work with successful, honest and competent leaders. As time passed by, I realized that their success was based on lies. And they not only wanted to lie themselves, but also make the entire team lie and take advantage of the clients we had. I totally lost respect for my manager and also for the company. I had no one to look up to, no examples of true success. I started getting unmotivated and eventually quit my job.

Ciulla, Martin and Solomon in their book "Honest Work", cite Nietzsche and his perception on what is really wrong with dishonesty and lying. He says: "Not that you lied to me, but that I no longer believe you, has shaken me." In other words, the main problem is not the lie itself. The problem is that we can't believe and trust the person that lied anymore, even if we are willing to give him/her a second chance. The deception caused by the lie and dishonesty is the main issue.

2.0- Motivation

Motivation plays a big role in employee's performance and also shows how much a leader care about employees' personal success. Leaders that prioritize motivation within the workplace have efficient, satisfied and happy employees.

However, in order to be able to motivate the team, the leader needs to have the understanding that each and every member will be motivated by different things.

Michael S. Broder, PhD, says "By understanding what drives each unique member of your team, you can effectively tailor the approach you use to get the most out of each person you'd like to motivate." In other words, it is important to know the team very well, focus on distinct personalities and cultures in order to make the motivation create positive effects.

3.0- Empowerment and Reward

Just like "Motivation", empowering employees to develop new strategies and ways to perform a task, plays a big role when it comes to employee satisfaction, efficiency and productiveness. Allowing someone to come up with their own ways to solve a problem and implement ideas creates an atmosphere of accomplishment, respect and appreciation.