Ethical Leadership

I just taught a National Fire Academy class on "Exercising Leadership Ethically" to fire department leaders at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, Georgia. It is interesting that different people can have contrasting views on what is ethical. Most of the class time was focused on how to form an ethical decision and the last part of the class was about how to defend your ethical decision when there is more than one right option.

As leaders, we want to be given the chance to lead by our own values, which might require the open-mindedness of others who see a different way, one that they perceive is better or more ethical. Do we allow our leaders to lead as their ethics guide them, even if we disagree?

An ethical dilemma involves Right vs. Right decisions, usually not easy ones. Constructive Dialogue helps leaders and those being lead to understand one another, to define ethical dilemmas and make ethical decisions that will produce a desired outcome. There is always more than one way to reach an outcome. HOW you decide and communicate your leadership decision is key to your ethical leadership success, not WHAT you decide.