I received the following essay on ethical leadership from Cadet Andrew Krumwied at the US Military Academy. He asked that I publish it on our blog. It is an interesting glimpse into the thoughts of a young man at one of our nation’s finest institutions.

One of the biggest questions in any sector of business and life, its the question of turning the people around us into ethical leaders. In everything we do, as business leaders, military leaders, education leaders, we must have ourselves, our own leadership, and our subordinates act in a way that is ethical and honorable. Despite the different ideas of how to turn people into ethical leaders, there is one method that will always reign supreme: setting the example ourselves.

Throughout the course of our history, there are hundreds upon thousands of example of situations in which a good example of ethical leadership could have avoided disaster. In business we look to corporate corruption such as Enron or Adelphia and wonder how someone could lack ethics so badly, in professional sports the ethics of players and coaches is called into question constantly, and in government our leaders are questioned on ethics almost routinely. But how do we learn the ethics ourselves? While we sit and wonder how the leaders of Enron or the Iran-Contra affair could behave so unethically, there is an easy explanation- they learned from someone else who lacked ethical strength. The number one place that we learn our moral-ethical code is from the people we observe, be it our parents who we see almost every day in our youth a random businessman we may see once in our lifetimes, we learn much of how we behave as ethical adults from them. This is the first key to not only becoming an ethical leader ourselves, but turning our subordinates into the ethical people that we desire them to be. If we realize that setting examples will teach people around us to behave in the same way we do, then by acting ethically, we will teach them to act ethically also. This is easier said than done, however, as doing the right thing is often a hard choice to make. While it can sometimes be as simple as giving the cashier at Starbuck’s the correct change when he rings up your morning coffee incorrectly, it can also be as complex as turning in a partner who has violated several company policies or broken trade and commerce laws. The latter is what will stick with those we aim to set the example for, having the intestinal fortitude to stand up for what is right even if it means reproach from others. This is especially true given the nature of the bystander effect, which states that in a situation no one will act because everyone assumes someone else will. If we cannot fall victim to the bystander effect, then we have created the beginnings of healthy ethical environment in our workplace, whether it be Wall Street, Main Street, USA, or the battlefields of Iraq.

The next key to turning ourselves and our subordinates into ethical people is to understand the thick and thin of ethical behavior. While it is impossible to say that ethical behavior is purely black and white, we must define to ourselves the line as best as we can. This will help us to know our own limits, and provide ourselves with a starting point for further development. If we go into any situation with a rough idea of where to draw the line in the sand, it will become more instinctual that we act in a certain way. On the contrary, if we go into a situation where we do not have a predetermined idea of what we find right or wrong, we will hesitate, and there is a greater chance that we act in a way that we could later regret. This will also be seen by your subordinates and supervisor’s alike. If they witness you act quickly in a manner that is consistent with ethical behavior, then you are also teaching them to be confident in their ethical behavior, as well as showing them what is ethical. Another key to understanding the line between ethical and unethical is to educate our subordinates about the difference. This can be as simple as publishing a code of conduct for the people you work with, or simply discussing your views on ethics with your co-workers. The lesson to learn from all of this is that while there is no simple black and white, there are shades of gray that we must define by ourselves, because each person will have a different view upon which end of the spectrum the gray areas fall into.

On the whole, there is no better way to train the people around you to act ethically than to act ethically yourself. The greatest influence that people can have is to witness the behavior of people around them, especially those in leadership positions. If we strive to become more ethical individuals, then those around us will follow suit. And if we can set an example within our own group, or business, or whatever setting you may be in, then perhaps we can influence an even broader scope of people to become more ethical themselves.

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