Understanding the Difference Between Ethics and Ethical Leadership
The basis of ethics is doing the right things that are required to be done. The essence of ethical leadership is doing the right things that are not required to be done. Exhibiting basic ethics by doing the right thing is considered a precursor to effective leadership and success in business . It means behaving in compliance with society’s laws and accepted mores, which basically boils down to not lying, cheating or stealing. Publicized “perp walks” to the contrary, possessing solid ethics is not all that rare. The business world is filled with thousands of ethical individuals working hard to be effective leaders and successful in business. That’s good, but for individuals who desire to stand out from the crowd and distinguish themselves as exceptional leaders – in all ways – it is not enough to simply comply with the minimum code of ethics. Ethical leadership requires an effort to do more than other ethical individuals in positions of leadership. The way to do this is...