Unit 1 Meeting the Ethical Challenge of Leadership

Overview

Welcome to LDRS 504 Leadership Values and Ethics!

In this course we will focus on enhancing ethical awareness that promotes the practice of ethical leadership as it integrates both Transformational Servant Leadership and Value Based Leadership perspectives. As a graduate scholar, you will come to understand key concepts such as ethical intelligence and the role that ethical organizational infrastructure might play in establishing and maintaining effective ethical decision-making processes and behaviors.

We begin this course by exploring the notion of ethics. Ethics are the norms, attitudes, and beliefs having to do with how people treat each other and get along in the environments they find themselves” (Thompson, 2007, p. 80). For real ethical behavior to manifest, Seidman believes organizations must grapple with ethics on a day to day basis within the context of their work, environment and relationships so to build up their ethical “muscle,” explaining that like athletes who condition their bodies regularly to achieve peak performance, people must use the same intentional, experiential approach to developing his or her ethical fitness (Thompson, 2007, p. 84). By introducing ethics education in this way, Seidman argues ethics becomes an “adjective” not a “noun” (Thompson, 2007, p. 89), helping companies move away from a culture of “externally-imposed rules” to one that operates on authentic self-governance (Thompson, 2007, p. 79).

Learning Outcomes

When you have completed this unit, you should be able to:

Accurately describe what is meant by the reference to the “dark side” of leadership.
Explain why it is important to understand the “dark side” of leadership in order to promote ethical leadership.
Explain the importance of awareness, as a leadership trait, as a necessary quality for acting responsibly in dynamic situations.
Describe some of the challenges around accountability that leaders face given the broad context in which leaders have to act responsibly.
Define what value-based leadership means.
Accurately describe what is meant by the reference to the “dark side” of leadership.
Explain why it is important to understand the “dark side” of leadership in order to promote ethical leadership.
Explain the importance of awareness, as a leadership trait, as a necessary quality for acting responsibly in dynamic situations.
Describe some of the challenges around accountability that leaders face given the broad context in which leaders have to act responsibly.
Define what value-based leadership means.
Explain a leader’s role in promoting the ideological values as part of a values-based leadership model.

Topics

This unit is divided into the following topics:

The Leaders Light or Shadow
Categorizing Dark Side of Leaders
The Shadow of Power
The Shadow of Mismanaged Information
The Leaders Light or Shadow
Categorizing Dark Side of Leaders
The Shadow of Power
The Shadow of Mismanaged Information

Activity Checklist

Here is a checklist of learning activities you will benefit from in completing this unit. You may find it useful for planning your work.

Learning Activities

Read & Reflect: Read Chapter 1 of your Meeting the Ethical Challenge of Leadership text and think about your own experiences with “leaders.”
Read & Reflect: In this Learning Activity, you will be reading about Destructive Leadership and how harmful these characteristics can be to an organization. Reflection focuses on developing an awareness of this “dark side” so that you can take corrective action when you notice it in your own practice.
Read & Reflect: Read Chapter 2 in your Responsible Leadership text and think about how the concepts apply to the lesson’s learned so far.
Watch & Reflect: Here we watch a short video featuring Simon Sinek. We discover WHY it is important to be clear about our intentions.
Learning Lab: The questions in this section will provide the basis for this unit’s discussion with your Facilitator. Be sure to prepare as you will be expected to share your thoughts.

Assesssment

Discussion Forum Post: This will be your first assignment for the course. Directions that will guide you through this assignment can be found on the Assessment tab.

Resources

Here are the resources you will need to complete this unit:

Johnson, C. E. (2021). Meeting the Ethical Challenge of Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow. 7th Ed, Sage Publication Inc.
Maak, T.& Pless, N. M. (2006). Responsible Leadership. Routledge.
Other online resources will be provided in the unit.

1.1 The Leaders: Light or Shadow

We begin the course with a video from the instructor that introduces the concept of Leadership. In particular, this course will focus on enhancing ethical awareness and promoting the practice of ethical leadership.

As the name of the course implies, we will be studying the foundational principles that help us, as leaders, promote the process of ethical decision-making.

After an introduction to Leadership, and its importance in the role of a leader, the video shifts to focus on understanding the good, and the bad, of leadership. In order to do this, we must first identify the qualities of toxic leaders - the “dark” side of leadership. Once we are able to identify these traits and characteristics, we can then focus on how we, as leaders, can avoid these attributes and create a culture that is rooted in ethical awareness.

Learning Activity - Read and Reflect

We begin with our first reading from our Meeting the Ethical Challenge of Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow text. Read Chapter 1 and think about how it connects to some of the concepts and examples discussed in the video above. Also, as you read, consider some of your own experiences with “Leaders” - which one’s were positive? Which one’s were negative? What qualities influenced this?

1.2 Categorizing the Dark Side of Leaders

In this section, we continue our exploration of the qualities that capture the “dark” side of leadership. The video below will take you through the 7 Types of bad leaders:

Incompetent
Rigid
Intemperate
Callous
Corrupt
Insular
Evil

The video below, will support the ideas explored in Topic 1 and continue to demonstrate how destructive “dark” leaders can be. As “dark” leaders operate, the cast shadows that, ultimately, harm the very objectives a leader should promote and cultivate.

Learning Activity - Read and Reflect

As we develop our understanding of the “dark” side of leadership, it is critical that we understand how destructive these qualities are. It is only once we understand how harmful these traits are, that we can develop an awareness to avoid engaging in the practice of such behaviours. Take a moment to read this article called Destructive Leadership

1.3 The Shadow of Power

Now that we have explored the “dark” side of leadership, we turn our focus to power. Obviously, one cannot lead without power - in this context, we think of power as the ability to influence others. The challenge, however, is that power can be used for both positive, and negative, motives.

The following video also discusses the idea of different categories of power - that is, how leaders use their power to influence others. In addition, we will see, that the more powerful a leader becomes, the more opportunity there will be to abuse their power if they are not aware of the responsibility that comes with that influence.

Just as “dark” leaders can cast a shadow over everything they influence, so to does power also cast a shadow. In the case of power, however, this can be positive, or incredibly destructive, depending on how the power is administered.

Learning Activity - Read and Reflect

As discussed above, the Shadow of Power has a tremendous influence on the culture we wish to cultivate as leaders. Take some time to read Chapter 2 in your Responsible Leadership text and consider the implications of acting responsibly (or irresponsibly!).

Learning Activity - Watch and Reflect

Next, watch the following video by Simon Sinek. Here, Sinek explains how great leaders inspire action - that is, how great leaders use their shadow of power to promote positive, collaborative action and is both inclusive and ethical. As you will see, understanding WHY we are doing something, is just as important as doing anything at all….

1.4 The Shadow of Mismanaged Information

Finally, we end Unit 1 by looking at the role information can have when used injudiciously. Ultimately, information is a critical component to acquiring power as a leader. How we use this information, however, needs to be carefully considered as it influences organizational culture and the people we depend on. The video discusses the unethical ways leaders can use information with destructive outcomes.

We will also take some time to better understand the importance of consistent, responsible engagement as a leader. How we act, and the relationships we have, with the people and stakeholders around us, is a critical consideration to ensure we are acting ethically in our capacity as a leader.

Assessment

Discussion Forum

Formal assessment of the content discussed this unit will take place in the form of a Discussion Forum. For this assignment, you will be asked to draw upon your understanding of the content from Unit 1, as well as any insights you gained during our Learning Lab for this unit.

Your Discussion Forum response will address the following:

The article, Destructive Leadership, briefly discusses organizational responses to destructive leadership.

What would other potential responses be to a destructive leader?
What are the organizational implications?

Your response should include direct references and connections to the readings, notes, videos, discussions provided throughout the unit.

Grading Rubric - Click to expand

Exceeds Expectations	Meets Expectations	Minimally Meets Expectations	Does Not Meet Expectations
Addresses the questions or problems that are posed in an insightful manner	Addresses the questions or problems that are posed	Addresses some the questions or problems that are posed	Does not address the questions or problems that are posed
Clear, precise and well-reasoned responses	Mostly clear, precise and well-reasoned responses	Some clear, precise and well-reasoned responses	Responses lack clarity, logic and/or precision
Demonstrates independent thought, insight, and creativity (applies course concepts, raises questions, recognises competing perspectives, and evaluates implications)	Demonstrates some independent thought, insight, and creativity	Demonstrates a minimal amount of independent thought, insight, and creativity.	Response lacks independent thought, insight, and creativity
	Spelling and grammar are accurate.	Minor and/or few spelling or grammatical errors.	Several spelling or grammatical errors.

To submit your response, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on the “Unit 1 - Discussion Forum” dropbox.

Checking for Learning

Before moving on to the next unit, be sure you are able to:

Accurately describe what is meant by the reference to the “dark side” of leadership.
Explain why it is important to understand the “dark side” of leadership in order to promote ethical leadership.
Explain the importance of awareness, as a leadership trait, as a necessary quality for acting responsibly in dynamic situations.
Describe some of the challenges around accountability that leaders face given the broad context in which leaders have to act responsibly.
Define what value-based leadership means.
Explain a leader’s role in promoting the ideological values as part of a values-based leadership model.