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Chapter 6

Courage and Moral Leadership

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Ex. 6.1 Comparing Unethical Versus Ethical Leadership

The Unethical Leader Is arrogant and self-serving Excessively promotes self-

interest Practices deception Breaches agreements Deals unfairly Shifts blame to others Diminishes others’ dignity Neglects follower development Withholds help and support Lacks courage to confront

unjust acts

The Ethical Leader Possesses humility Maintains concern for the

greater good Is honest and straightforward Fulfills commitments Strives for fairness Takes responsibility Shows respect for each

individual Encourages and develops

others Serves others Shows courage to stand up for

what is right

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Ex. 6.2 How to Act Like a Moral Leader

1. Develop, articulate, and uphold high moral principles.2. Focus on what is right for the organization as well as all the

people involved.3. Set the example you want others to live by.4. Be honest with yourself and others.5. Drive out fear and eliminate undiscussables.6. Establish and communicate ethics policies.7. Develop a backbone – show zero tolerance for ethical violations.8. Reward ethical conduct.9. Treat everyone with fairness, dignity, and respect, from the

lowest to the highest level of the organization.10. Do the right thing in both your private and professional life – even

when no one is looking.

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Moral Leadership

Distinguishing right from wrong and doing right; seeking the just, honest, and good in the practice of leadership

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Ex. 6.4 Three Levels of Personal Moral Development

Level 1: Preconventional

Follows rules to avoid punishment. Acts in own interest. Blind obedience to authority for its own sake.

Level 2: Conventional

Lives up to expectations of others. Fulfills duties and obligations of social system. Upholds laws.

Level 3:Postconventional

Follows internalized universal principles of justice and right. Balances concern for self with concern for others and the common good. Acts in an independent and ethical manner regardless of expectations of others.

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Ex. 6.5 Continuum of Leader-Follower Relationships

Stage 1Control

Stage 2Participation

Stage 3Empowerment

Stage 4Service

Authoritarian manager

Obedient subordinates

Participative manager

Team players

Self-responsible contributors

Stewardship-empow. leader

Whole employees

Servant leader

Active

Passive

Control Centered in the Leader/Organization

Control Centered in the Follower

Follower

Leader

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Stewardship

A belief that leaders are deeply accountable to others as well as to the organization, without trying to control others, define meaning and purpose for others, or take care of others.

See the Parker-Follett quote on page 229

Stewardship

Relationship between leaders and followers in which leaders lead without dominating or controlling followers. Stewardship is an employee-focused form of leadership that enables followers to make decisions and have control over their jobs. (Lussier & Achua, 2002)

Servant leadership

Transcends self-interest to serve the needs of others, by helping them grow professionally and emotionally.

Encourages others in their personal development and helps them understand the larger purpose in their work.

“Whenever we have the opportunity or responsibility to influence the thinking and the behavior of others, the first choice we are called to make is whether to see the moment through the eyes of self-interest or for the benefit of those we are leading” (Blanchard & Hodges, 2003)

One of the quickest ways you can tell the difference between a servant leader and a self-serving leader is how they handle feedback, because one of the biggest fears that self-serving leaders have is to lose their position.

Self-serving leaders spend most of their time protecting their status. They usually respond negatively to feedback, because they think your feedback means that you don’t want their leadership anymore.

Servant leaders embrace and welcome feedback as a source of useful information on how they can provide better service.

Basic precepts of Servant Leadership

Put service before self-interest. Be resourceful. Listen first to affirm confidence in others. Listen

to figure out the will of the group and then further it however she can.

Inspire trust by being trustworthy. Be willing to give everything away – power, control, rewards, information, and recognition.

Help others accept their responsibilities and find the power of the human spirit in their work. Work exists for the person as much as the person exists for work.

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Time for a flick!

Acceptance and Empathy

“The servant always accepts and empathizes, never rejects. The servant as leader always empathizes, always accepts the person but sometimes refuses to accept some of the person’s effort or performance as good enough.” (Greenleaf, 1977)

Foresight

This is the central ethic of leadership. The failure (or refusal) to foresee may be viewed as an ethical failure, because a serious ethical compromise today (when the usual judgment on ethical inadequacy is made) is sometimes the result of a failure to make the effort at an earlier date to foresee today’s events and take the right actions when there was freedom for initiative to act. The action we label unacceptable in the present moment is often really one of no choice. (Greenleaf, 1977)

Servant leadership

“The measure of leadership is not in the quality of the head, but in the tone of the body. The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers.” (De Pree, 1989)

• Leadership is a service. Leaders serve a purpose for the people who made it possible for them to lead – their constituents. They are servant leaders – not self-serving, but other serving.

• Leadership is a privilege. You can’t be motivated by self-interest and expect to be a leader. The instant you feel exempt from the standards of the organization, you cease to be a leader. The leader galvanizes people by living their shared vision.

Attitude check. As a leader…

Is your purpose to serve those you have been given the privilege to lead, or to be served by your subordinates?

Are you more concerned about maintaining and overseeing your fiefdom, or are you more concerned about partnering with others to build a healthy, purposeful work environment for everyone?

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Covey article: New Wine, Old Bottles

Three steps to transformation Adopt a new philosophy: Build new relationships based on

the principles of mutual respect and equality, not position and power. Roles are equal but different.

Create a new psychological contract or performance agreement (details)

With the transfer of power and responsibility for results, the leader becomes the servant and source of help (details)

Servant leadership is a tougher style because when you set up performance agreements and become a source of help, people have to be tough on themselves. They just can’t sit around and blame others.

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Courage

The ability to step forward through fear

•Courage means accepting responsibility•Courage often means nonconformity•Courage means pushing beyond the comfort zone•Courage means asking for what you want and saying what you think

•Abilene paradox: the tendency of people to not voice their true thoughtsbecause they want to please others.

•Courage means fighting for what you believe

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Whistleblowing

Employee disclosure of illegal, immoral, or unethical practices in the organization

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Finding personal courage

Believe in a higher purpose Draw strength from others Welcome failure Harness frustration and anger

VIGORWhen I am working, I feel mentally strong

I can continue for a very long time when I am workingWhen I work at my current job, I feel like I am bursting with energy

At my job, I feel strong and vigorousWhen I get up in the morning, I feel like going to work

DEDICATONI find my work to be full of meaning and purpose

My work inspires meI am enthusiastic about my jobI am proud of the work that I do

I find my work challengingABSORBTION

Time flies when I am workingWhen I am working, I forget everything else around me

I feel very happy when I am working intensivelyI can get carried away when I am working

I am immersed in my work

InternalServiceQuality

EmployeeSatisfaction And Engagement

EmployeeRetention

Employee Productivity

External ServiceValue

CustomerSatisfaction

CustomerLoyalty

RevenueGrowth(effectiveness)

Profitability(efficiency)

RetentionRepeat businessReferral

Service designed and deliveredto meet targeted customers’ needs

Results for customers

VigorDedicationAbsorption

Workplace designJob designEmployee selection and developmentRewards and recognitionEnablement: Tools for serving customers

Operating Strategy and Service Delivery System

Source: James L. Heskett et al. “Putting the Service Profit Chain to Work”, Harvard Business Review, March-April 1994, p. 166

Service-Profit Chain