Leadership and Unethical Behavior
Manage episode 441700401 series 3577050
Leadership and Unethical Behavior
Un - ethical. Without ethics.
How would you feel working for someone whose ethics were at least questionable?
Is that person a leader?
Surely not as without ethics, how will that person build relationships?
How can that person be a leader if his or her values are not aligned with the values of the organization … And may even be the polar opposite.
Consider Ahmed. He has worked with this organization for some 30 years. In that time he has worked diligently, was recognized as a star performer and loved to his job.
Then a new manager from another division is appointed to lead this significant team in the organization.
It’s not long before Ahmed realizes that this person in the role of manager will not listen to the views of the team members, will actively push back on their input … And then engage in behaviors which the team members are not only uncomfortable with but which many believe are simply unethical.
Some of the team members will try to continue with what they recognize as positive leader behavior in order to “get the job done by working together with the others.“
Some team members in this situation, fearful of the impact that this person can have on their career, will align their behaviors with the unethical manager.
Very soon, what may well have been a high-performing team before the arrival of the manager, may become a staff ‘train wreck’.
By the way, your people are your greatest asset - except when they become a ‘train wreck’. And except when they are without leadership and reporting to an unethical manager.
Some people would want to leave, others will be fearful of finding another job and may therefore ‘turn a blind eye’ and even become complicit in the behavior of the manager - and unethical behaviors permeate the team culture.
Ahmed has a challenge - he loved working for this organization now is working in this environment which conflicts with his values. Stress and mental health issues begin to impact.
Clearly, the selection process - HR - which allowed this manager to be given this senior role must take some responsibility. Prior to his appointment to this role, this man was highly regarded for his specific technical skills.
It seems the manager was rewarded for performance in a role where leading others was much less of a requirement.
So how should Ahmed deal with this?
Talk to the new manager?
Maybe a discussion about alignment of values to the organizations values, and how when we live those values we all feel a closer alignment to the objectives of the team and the organization would be a starting point.
Thats certainly ethical - and it is leadership.
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