Ethical Leadership
Ethical Leadership When we think of leadership, we often think first of famous individuals. We may think of great political leaders: Washington, Churchill, Roosevelt. We may think of the leaders of social movements: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Caesar Chavez. In fact, leadership is many different things to different people in different circumstances. Obviously, leadership is not always or automatically good in and of itself. We are quickly reminded of the notion that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. When we look at leadership in communities we see many leaders who may never become famous but whose leadership is essential to the life of the community. We begin to see leaders all around us. But would they be good leaders with positive intentions and ethical views? Would they be ethical leaders? The rapidly changing face of the world of politics here and internationally has offered up some rather interesting organizational phenomena that have served to challenge traditional views on everything from the practice of management to the conduct of production processes. One of the best ethical leaders in modern American politics is Elizabeth Dole she perfectly fits to definition of strong leader but also very ethical leader. But what defines a leader and most importantly what defines an ethical leader? Management studies describe leadership as "ability to influence individuals or groups toward the achievement of goals. Leadership, as a process, shapes the goals of a group or organization, motivates behavior toward the achievement of those goals, and helps define group or organizational culture." It is primarily a process of influence. Leadership is a dynamic or changing process in the sense that, while influence is always present, the persons exercising that influence may change. Possession of influence depends upon the situation and upon the relevancy of the individual's skills and abilities to the situation. Although many politics are able to