Ethical Leadership ― A Primer

The world cries out for ethical leaders. We expect the best, but we are often left profoundly disappointed. While leadership programs may feature ethics as part of their curriculum, the approach is often either simplistic or overly esoteric. This book addresses this scarcity of resources for training ethical leaders by providing a primer of several ethical frameworks accompanied by extended examples to help inform decision-making. The text also presents a number of leadership models that claim an ethical component. By providing a consistent case analysis based on the Five Components of Leadership Model, readers benefit from a uniform approach to evaluating ethical leadership.By using the Five Components of Leadership Model as a consistent point of reference, McManus, Ward, and Perry offer readers a variety of insights on ethical leadership. Conclusions include the importance of drawing from multiple ethical and leadership perspectives, moving away from exclusively leader-centric approaches to ethical leadership, the importance of asking questions to maximize self-awareness, and considering multiple points of view whenever addressing an ethical conundrum. To connect ‘ethical thinking’ and ‘ethical doing,’ the text uses classroom-friendly framing questions, timelines, visual models, summary tables, case studies, discussion questions, and recommended resources for additional study. After reading the book, students will benefit from a foundational understanding of theories and models of both ethics and leadership, as well as a concrete view of what these theories and models look like in practice. Professors will benefit by having all these resources in one text, viewed through the lens of the Five Components of Leadership Model. Striving to be both comprehensive and approachable, this book is an excellent resource for upper-level students studying leadership, especially those who are new to philosophy or ethics. It is inclusive enough to serve as a primary text or as a supplement for a well-rounded ethics or leadership course.

Edited by Robert M. McManus, McCoy Professor of Leadership Studies and Communication, McDonough Center for Leadership and Business, Marietta College, Stanley J. Ward, Dean of Capstone Studies and Director of the Center for Action Research, Claremont Lincoln University, California and Alexandra K. Perry, Clinical Ethicist, OhioHealth, Ohio, US