I can’t tell you the number of articles I’ve read and studies that are now out, that state, in any number of ways, how crucial ethical leadership is in the business world.
So what are organizations/companies doing about their leaders’ ethics education and promoting it in their organizations? For example, when people are promoted to leadership positions, is there a customized leadership ethics education program for them? If ethical leadership is so important, shouldn’t there be a customized ethics program on every level of management and leadership?
Saying how important this is and actually acting on it are two very different things. What would the process of thinking ethically look like? In addition to a customized program, should it include ethics coaching, or ethics consulting to provide ongoing insights and ethics education What should true ethical leadership reflect?
1. How do your leaders handle legal/ethical dilemmas?
2. How is their character is recognized, modeled and admired and how would you know?
3. Do they treat every employee with respect and dignity, thereby setting the tone for an ethical culture?
4. Is ethical behavior part of a leader’s performance review?
We need to remember that morale always filters down, never filters up!
For those of you whose organizations who take this approach, kudos to you! What I’m really concerned about are the organizations who say that ethical leadership is important and do nothing substantive about it.
fbucaro
Like you, business ethics and ethical leadership expert, Frank Bucaro has seen the challenges and problems of corporate leadership, particularly over the past few years in regards to poor decision-making, SEC violations, and record breaking financial settlements in a number of different industries.
With over two decades of executive training, speaking, writing and with real life experiences, his view and approach to ethics in the workplace is uniquely different. He emphasizes that ethics is a moment-to-moment choice and has little to do with position, titles, personalities or education. Ethics is everybody’s responsibility from the top down.
His goal is to help organizations to:
a. Strengthen their ethics training initiatives in order to significantly decrease the odds of an ethical/compliance violation.
b. Energize, train and motivate employees to understand the value of consistent “high road” behavior as a business advantage.
c. Support individuals and thereby the organization by contributing to its success by quality, ongoing values based leadership development.
Frank is known for his very practical, slightly irreverent, yet somewhat humorous approach to ethics and leadership development. His conversational style and real life stories connect with his audience in a personal, intense and practical level.
Companies such as Bayer Healthcare, BP, ReMax International, EnMax Energy, Danone, etc. have partnered with Frank when they want to proactively stress the message, tools, insights and practical applications that good ethics IS good for business!