Personal Leadership Ethics Statement Paper

Introduction

Ethical leadership has always been a contentious issue among managers. The need for good leadership has necessitated the implementation of a functional criterion for decision making, a critical analysis of the foundations of ethical beliefs and an examination of the underpinnings of an ethical decision making.

Criteria for Ethical Decision Making

Defining the problem

Decision making begins with the identification and definition of the real problem. If by any chance the problem is inaccurately described, then every subsequent step in the decision-making criteria will be based on an incorrect starting point, and it would be hard to arrive at an efficient solution. The first step I will consider in making any decision is defining problem. The most apparent troubling incidents that one can find in any organization can be identified as the underlying problems and form the basis of decision making (Howard & Korver, 2008). Stating the problem is the most critical step that any decision maker should consider and examine clearly. It entails definition of the constraints, and an analysis of the current operations and the set goals that need to be achieved.

Checking the Facts

In most cases, facts are nothing more than other people’s opinions. It is only when one has all the facts concerning a particular problem that he or she can make an informed decision. Most issues disappear upon a critical analysis of the situation and gathering of all the facts, while others change drastically. To check the underlying facts of a particular problem, I would consider questions such as: When was the problem noted? Whether the issue has ever occurred again, and if it had reoccurred, how was it dealt with? I would investigate the cause of that problem before taking the next course of action (Masters, 2014).

Developing a List of Options

After checking the facts and considering the list of the underlying factors such as laws, profession codes and all the relevant constraints, I will craft a list all the imaginary options. After exhausting all the available options, the second step would be to evaluate them one by one without prejudice (Kaliszewski, Miroforidis & Podkopaev, 2013). While a suitable solution may solve a particular problem, that answer may fail to work if resources are not available, if it will be unacceptable to other people or if it has the impact of creating a new problem or escalating the existing one

Testing the Options

The next big step I will undertake after developing a list of all the available options is examining their validity. Testing the applicability of each option will help me in eliminating all the possibilities that do not suit the present problem, and as a result, I will have a narrow list of possibilities to examine. The test will involve, whether the option is reversible or not, whether it can be defended before a congressional committee, what the reaction of the public would be and whether the option qualifies the legal test. The best choice will be the one that shall meet all these qualities or majority of them, and as such, I would take it as the final decision (Howard & Korver, 2008).

Reviewing the Choice

After making and implementing the best option, I would revisit it to find its effectiveness in solving the problem. I would assess its significant flaws and successes to discern whether it can be considered and be applied to solve issues of similar nature in future (Howard & Korver, 2008). I would also try to find out whether the selected option can be amended or changed further to make it more efficient. If the decision I undertook proved to be successful, I would go ahead and suggest it as a policy within the organization.

Foundations of Ethical Beliefs

Integrity

My moral beliefs would strongly be founded on integrity, the truthfulness; accuracy and honesty are the essential elements of integrity. Through integrity, a person can assume the qualities of high morals and be upright as well as be a straightforward person. Integrity as one of the leading foundations of ethical beliefs emphasizes on internal consistency (Masters, 2014).

Loyalty

Loyalty is mostly considered as a virtue. As a way of maintaining commitment in the workplace to the clients, I would remain faithful to my duties and assignments. Being faithful cannot be considered as only staying true to ones work but also being loyal to friends, family, organization, profession and even country. Being committed to work despite the costs or disadvantage entails loyalty (Hodgin, 2012).

Fairness

Fairness is much concerned with the actions, processes, and consequences that are morally right, equitable and honorable. The most critical and exciting fact about humanity is that it establishes moral and ethical standards for a decision that affect others. Fair choices are always made appropriately based on relevant criteria. Without fairness, it would be almost impossible to promote ethical behavior and sustain reputability (Howard & Korver, 2008).

Honesty

Among the many foundations of ethical belief are trust and trustworthiness. The ethical command to be honest requires people to be to speak and act only the ways that advocate for and justify the truth (Masters, 2014). Honesty needs people to be sincere, avoid deceitful activities, avoid misleading others and refrain from withholding critical information in relationships of trust.

Underpinnings of Decision Making in a Dilemma Situation

Accountability

In any ethical dilemma case, I will try as much as I can to stick to accountability. In any good governance, answerability, liability blameworthiness, and account-giving remain a priority. Whatever decision a person makes, they should make sure that they can account adequately for that decision. A person should be able to acknowledge and assume full responsibility for their choices (Howard & Korver, 2008).

Commitment to Excellence

Successful people and organizations make decisions that help them to shape into elite persons or organizations. Commitment to excellence is one underpinning that I wouldn’t underrate during decision making (Howard & Korver, 2008). Success always comes down to having the right attitude and making smart decisions. Even in a case of an ethical dilemma, it would be essential to consider the decision that will not compromise the commitment to excellence.

Law Abiding

In an ethical dilemma situation, it is advisable to conduct oneself in a way that respects the laid down laws. There is a relationship between ethics and laws, though, in some instances, they do overlap (Hodgin, 2012). At times, what is considered as ethical could be legal and what is deemed to be unethical could still be legal. It is advisable to analyze the situation and make a decision that will not collide with the state laws.

Responsibility

It is the ethical duty of any staff to follow the morally correct path. In an ethical dilemma, a person should make sure that their conduct themselves in a prescribed way, and stick to what the society expects of them. The roles of an individual are important factors to consider any for ethical standards to be upheld (Hodgin, 2012).

Leadership and ethical practices that a manager or a leader adopts have a significant effect on the development of an individual or organization as a whole. To make a right decision, specific criteria should be taken, an example of an arrangement making criteria would be, defining the problem, checking facts developing a list of options, testing the possibilities and then making a decision. The ethical beliefs base their foundation on integrity, honesty, loyalty, and fairness. In a case where a leader is faced with an ethical dilemma, it is always important to consider specific underpinnings before solving the situation, some of the moral foundations include, accountability, responsibility, commitment to excellence and law abiding. Evidently, leadership is a diverse topic, adopting a proper decision-making criterion, and critical analysis of the components of ethics helps in smooth running of organizations and development of a person as a whole.

References

Hodgin, D. A. (2013). Expert Witness 101: Balancing professional ethics with client desires in forensic engineering 2012: Gateway to a Safer Tomorrow, 962-972.

Howard, R., & Korver, C. (2008). Ethics for the real world. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

Kaliszewski, I., Miroforidis, J., & Podkopaev, D. (2013). Erratum to “Interactive multiple criteria decision making based on preference driven evolutionary multiobjective optimization with controllable accuracy, European Journal of Operational Research 216 (2012) 188–199”. European Journal of Operational Research, 226(1), 183.

Masters, B. (2014). Principles of biomedical ethics, Seventh Edition Eds: Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress Oxford University Press, 2013. XVI, 459 Pages, US$66.95, ISBN-13: 978-0-19-992458-5. Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, 252(9), 1523-1524.