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Chapter 3. The Leader’s Character

This chapter addresses the inner dimension of leadership ethics.

Questions as we enter this chapter:

How do we shed light rather than shadows? How do we promote our character development?

© 2015 SAGE Publications, Inc.

Virtues and Virtue Ethics

To keep from projecting our internal enemies and selfishness on others, we need to go on the offensive, replacing or managing our unhealthy motivations through the development of positive leadership traits or qualities called virtues. Premise of virtue ethics is good people (those of high moral

character), make good, moral choices. Joined by positive psychologist who believe there is more value

in identifying and promoting the strengths of individuals than in trying to repair their weaknesses


Virtues Ethics

More on Virtue Ethics

Those who promote virtue ethics start with the end in mind. These proponents develop a description or portrait of the

ideal person (leader) and identify the admirable qualities or tendencies that make up the character of this ethical role model

They always suggest ways in which others can acquire these virtues


Virtues

4 important features of virtues

1. Virtues are woven into the inner life of leaders

2. Virtues shape the way leaders see and behave

3. Virtues operate independently of the situation

4. Virtues help leaders live better lives


Elements of Character

Important virtues for leaders include the following:

Courage Temperance Wisdom & Prudence (Practical Wisdom) Justice Optimism Integrity Humility Reverence Compassion (Kindness, Generosity, Love)


Courage

Of all the virtues, courage is no doubt the most universally admired.

—Philosopher Andre Comte-Sponville

Courage is overcoming fear in order to do the right thing.Leaders who are courageous acknowledge the dangers and

anxiety they faceThey move forward despite the risks and costs People must have courage if they are to fulfill the two

components of ethical leadership: acting morally and exerting moral influence.


Courageous Followership

The Courage to Assume Responsibility Followers must be accountable both for themselves and

for the organization as a whole.

The Courage to Serve Courageous followers support their leaders through hard,

often unglamorous work.

The Courage to Challenge Courageous followers need to confront leaders acting in a

destructive manner.


Courageous Followership (cont’d)

The Courage to Participate in Transformation They need to take personal responsibility and visualize

the outcomes of the transformation: better health, more productive employees, higher self-esteem, restored relationships.

The Courage to Leave When leaders are unwilling to change, courageous

followers may take principled action by resigning from the organization.


Temperance

To use things, therefore, and take pleasure in them as far as possible—not, of course, to the point where we are disgusted with them, for these is no pleasure in that—this is the part of a wise man.

--Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza

Moderation is key to practicing temperanceTemperance is the is the ability to control emotions and

pleasureUnfortunately, a great many leaders are intemperate; they

are unable to control their anger and rail at subordinates


Wisdom & Prudence (Practical Wisdom)

We judge a person’s wisdom by his hope.--American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson

. . . the goal of human life is to be good. Prudence assists us in getting there.

—Baldwin-Wallace College professorsAlan Kolp and Peter Rea

Wisdom draws upon knowledge and experience to promote the common good over both the short and long term.

Prudence is a form of wisdom and is the ability to discern or select the best course of action in a given situation.

Prudent leaders keep in mind the long-term consequences of their choices.


Justice

What is good And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy And to walk humbly with your God.

—Old Testament prophet Micah

2 Components of Justice: 1. A sense of obligation for the common good 2. Treating others as equally and fairly as possible


Optimism

Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.

—Former Czechoslovakian president Václav Havel

Optimists expect positive outcomesThey are more confident than pessimistsThey acknowledge the reality of situations and take steps for

improvementOptimism is an essential quality for leaders.


Integrity

Integrity lies at the very heart of understanding what leadership is.

—Business professors Joseph Badaraccoand Richard Ellsworth

Integrity is defined as wholeness or completeness.These leaders are true to themselves and are consistent

with what they say publically as well as how they think and act privately.

They are honest in their dealings with others.


Humility

Let us be a little humble; let us think that the truth may not be entirely with us.

—Jawaharlal Nehru

Because of the failure of many celebrity CEO’s there is a strong argument for leaders to be humble

Some argue that humility strikes a balance between having an overly low and having an overly high opinion of the self.


Humility

3 Components of Humility

1. Self awareness: objectively assessing his/her strengths as a leader as well as their limitations

2. Openness: product of knowing one’s weaknesses; being open to new ideas and knowledge

3. Transcendence: acknowledging that there is a greater power than the self


Reverence

It’s not wise To lift our thoughts too high; We are human and our time is short.

—Ancient Greek playwright Euripides

Reverence can be thought of as the capacity to feel a sense of awe, respect, and even shame when appropriate.

Leaders that show reverence respect the input of others, rely on persuasion rather than force, and listen to followers’ ideas.


Compassion (Kindness, Generosity, Love)

All happiness in the world comes from serving others; all sorrow in the world comes from acting selfishly.

—Leadership expert Margaret Wheatley

An orientation that puts others ahead of the selfValue others regardless of whether or not they get

anything in return


Leadership Ethics at the Movies: The Iron Lady

Discussion Questions:

What character traits helped Thatcher become Prime Minister and to remain in office? What character traits ultimately led to her downfall?

What price did the Prime Minister pay for her rise to power?

At one point, Thatcher says that ideas are more important to her than feelings. Did this make her less sensitive to the impact of her policies and to her colleagues?


Character Building

Finding Role Models

We often learn what it means to be virtuous by observing and imitating exemplary leaders.

If we’re to develop worthy character, we need examples of those who demonstrate virtue on a daily basis.

Because character is developed over time through a series of moral choices and actions, we need examples of those who live consistent moral lives.


Character Building

Moral Episodes v. Moral Processes Moral episodes are made up of moral crises and moral

confrontations. These crises are often dangerous and those that respond to

them could be considered “moral heroes.” Moral confrontations aren’t dangerous, but they do involve

risk and call for “moral champions.” Moral processes consist of moral projects and moral

work. Moral projects are designed to improve ethical behavior

during a limited amount of time and require “moral leaders.” The “moral worker” strives for ethical consistency throughout

life.


Character Building

Moral exemplars common characteristics:

Certainty: Moral exemplars are sure of what they believe and take responsibility for acting on their convictions.

Positivity: They take a positive approach to life even in the face of hardship; they enjoy what they do and are optimistic about the future.

Unity of self and moral goals: They do not distinguish between their personal identity and their ethical convictions.


Box 3.1 The Journey to Humanitarian Leadership

The seven choice points that several humanitarians faced on their journeys to helping others:

Choice 1: Leveraging life experiences. Choice 2: Sense of fairness. Choice 3: Believe that we can matter. Choice 4: Open to an opportunity. Choice 5: Taking the first small step Choice 6: Perseverance. Choice 7: Leading the way.


Telling and Living Collective Stories

Virtues are more likely to take root when nurtured by families, schools, governments, and religious bodies.

Worthy narratives bring out the best in us, encouraging us to suppress our inner demons and to cast light instead of shadow.

We can learn leaderships ethics from both fictional characters and real-life ones.

Almost any story about leaders, whether real or fictional, can teach us something about ethical and unethical behavior.


Learning from Hardship

Hardship and suffering can play an important role in developing character.

Hardship has been identified as one of the factors contributing to leadership development.

Hardships, along with novelty, difficult goals, and conflict, challenge people.

Leaders can develop the fastest when they encounter situations that stretch or challenge them.



5 Common Categories of Hardship Events: 1. Business mistakes and failures: examples would include

losing an important client, failed products and programs, broken relationships and bankruptcy

2. Career setbacks: examples would include missed promotions, unsatisfying jobs, demotions and firings

3. Personal trauma: examples include divorce, cancer, death, and difficult children

4. Problem employees: troubled employees include those who steal, defraud, cannot perform, or perform well only part of the time

5. Downsizing: leaders who lose their job through no fault of their own



Tips to Learn from a Specific Failure 1. Identify a significant failure from your professional or

personal life and summarize the failure in a sentence (be sure to use the word failure).

2. Describe how you felt and thought about the failure immediately after it happened.

3. Move forward in time to identify any positive outcomes that came out of the failure, including skills you acquired, lessons you learned, and any relationships you established.

4. Identify how the failure changed or shaped you as a person, noting any new traits or attitudes you have adopted and whether you are any more mature now than before the failure event.34


Habits are repeated routines or practices designed to foster virtuous behavior.

The 7 habits of effective and ethical leaders:

Habit 1: Be proactiveHabit 2: Begin with the end in

mindHabit 3: Put first things firstHabit 4: Think win-winHabit 5: Seek first to understand,

then to be understoodHabit 6: SynergizeHabit 7: Sharpen the saw

(continual renewal of the physical, mental, social or emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the self)


Mission Statements

Developing a mission statement is the best way to keep the end or destination in mind.

9 cairns (or markers) for creating personal purpose: 1. Call your purpose; listen for guidance 2. Find a sacred place 3. See time as continuous; begin with the

child and move with the present 4. Identify special skills and talents; accept

imperfections 5. Trust your intuition 6. Open the door when opportunity knocks 7. Find your passion and make it happen 8. Write your life story; imagine a great

leader 9. Honor your legacy; one step at a time


Identifying Values

Our values serve as a moral compass to guide us.

Values provide a frame of reference, helping us to set priorities and to determine right or wrong.

Many discussions in organizations have an underlying value component.

Working with a list of values can be helpful.


Identifying Values

6 Major Value Types (Prototypes are examples of occupations that best fit into the given orientation) 1. Theoretical: intellectuals who want to discover the

truth Prototypes: research scientists, engineers

2. Economic: usefulness is the most important criterion Prototype: small business owner

3. Aesthetic: value form and harmony Prototypes: artists, architects


Identifying Values

6 Major Value Types (cont’d)

4. Social: love of others is the highest value Prototype: social worker

5. Political: power driven Prototypes: senators, governors

6. Religious: seek unity through understanding and relating to the cosmos as a whole Prototypes: pastors, rabbis, Muslim clerics


Case Study: Virtue and Extremis Leadership

Discussion Questions: Have you ever followed someone in a life or death situation? What

qualities (competencies, virtues) did you look for in your leader? Have you ever been an in extremis leader? What qualities

(competencies, virtues) did you demonstrate? Do you want a career in a high-risk occupation like policing, combat

or fire fighting? Why are you seeking a dangerous profession? Have you ever been part of an organization that experienced a crisis

and/or the death or serious injury of one or more its members? How did leaders respond to the crisis or tragedy? What virtues did they demonstrate?

How can we prepare ourselves to function effectively in high risk situations?


Case Study: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of a Humanitarian Hero

Discussion Questions: How much was Mortenson’s failure the result of poor character

and how much was the product of other factors? What poses the greatest danger to a leader’s character?

Success or failure? Why do we often have difficulty acknowledging that our heroes

have flaws? Is Mortenson completely discredited as a spokesperson for

building schools in Central Asia? As a donor, what ethical responsibility do you have when

deciding which charities to support? Has Greg Mortenson done more good than harm?


Case Study: Wangari Maathai

Discussion Questions: What does Maathi have in common with other

moral exemplars? What character traits did Maathi exhibit? What role did hardship play in her ultimate

success? Can you develop character without experiencing

failure? What leadership/followership ethics lessons do you

take from this case?


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