Ethical Leadership Essay Sample

Ethical Leadership Essay Sample Ethical Leadership Essay Stories of corrupt and incompetent leaders are increasingly becoming rampant and an obvious tale. Some leaders involve themselves in the most bizarre ethical breaches which tend to shutter an organization’s reputation. These leaders are becoming a true testament of the old adage, â€Å"power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.† Human beings naturally crave control and while most of us are not gifted in leading, everyone tends to think they have what it takes to lead. However, what most fail to realize is that being a leader is not the same as being or gaining a promotion. A leader is defined by the influence one holds over his colleagues, and at times his superiors. Power attracts many and often ends up destroying lives, careers, entire organizations, and even countries. However, one can choose to rise above the greed that is often exhibited as people are struggling for power and integrate ethics with their leadership. Being an ethical leader is not an easy task and often involves a conscious decision to shun backdoors and other shortcuts that are embraced by many. One has to be different and embrace the common principles of trust, respect, fairness, integrity etc. These principles form the foundation of ethical leadership but as stated earlier it takes time to synthesize these into effective actions. This essay will, therefore, focus on how one can synthesize the above values and be regarded as an ethical leader. First of all, one has to strive to set and be an example to his subordinates. It is often said that actions speak louder than words and this statement applies more to leaders than anyone else. Human beings are judgmental but they tend to judge someone based on what they do and not what they say. As a leader, one should be aware that their actions speak more than their words. This means that in order to create an honest culture, one must first be honest. A leader must practice and demonstrate what they feel is best for the organization. If one conducts themselves unselfishly, is honest, respectful and leads in fairness, employees will as well be moved to live up to the standards that are set. By acting ethically, one would have changed an organization’s culture and their leadership would qualify to be regarded as ethical. Secondly, ethical leadership entails a lot of communication with one’s subordinates as well as other colleagues. An ethical leader will always try to create an environment that makes communication, whether horizontal or vertical or diagonal, possible. Employees will always feel respected if their voice is heard and their opinions are taken seriously. No one should be punished for speaking their voice or airing their grievances. Ethical leadership embraces open communication where employees feel free to air their views. Building a relationship with one’s subordinates is key to the success of an organization. However, it is essential to understand that successful relationships are built on trust, openness, fairness, integrity, respect, and compassion. Without the above values involved, employer-employee relationships would be hard and employees will not be at ease to communicate their thoughts regardless of how bad the situation might be. In conclusion, ethical leadership involves caring, respecting, and treating one’s employees or subjects fairly. It does not chest-thumping or the use of force. The truth is, ethical leadership achieves greater success than an authoritative leadership. Ethical leaders will always get the best out of a team but as already stated, it takes time and patience to become one.

Why you should interview for a job you don’t want

Why you should interview for a job you don’t want Job hunting is a lot of work, whether you’re unemployed or looking while working. You put so much effort into revamping your resume, networking in person and online, and writing cover letters with the hopes of landing something truly great. And then, after weeks or months of the hunt, there’s a bite- you’re offered an interview. But, you’re not excited. At all. Maybe you’re waiting to hear back from your dream company. Maybe you’re just hesitant to accept anything less than awesome before you’ve really gotten yourself out there. You might think the best use of your time is to decline politely and wait for something better to come along. But sometimes it’s smart to take the interview, even when you already know you don’t want the job. Here are some reasons why.You might find you do want the job.You never know when the job you don’t think you want turns out to be a perfect fit. Part of the interview process, we often forget, is for the company to sell you on the position (not just for you to sell yourself to them). Go in, see the workplace, and let them woo you. Find out about the company culture and meet the people with whom you’ll be working. On paper, it’s hard to get a sense of what the day-to-day of a job will be like. In person, your perspective might shift. Don’t cut out options before you know everything about them.Practice makes perfect.The more you get used to putting on your most professional clothes, signing in at an unfamiliar front desk, and sitting in front of strangers while they ask you about your professional expertise, the better you will get at the entire process. If you’re at the start of your career or haven’t been on the market for a while, every interview is excellent practice for the next interview you get. You’ll get your anecdotes down pat and start to get a sense of the questions managers in your chosen field ask people at yo ur level. You’ll want to be as sharp as possible for the interview you’ll get for your dream job. Get all the kinks out when the stakes are low and you’re not buzzing with nerves.You might meet someone to connect with down the line.It’s also always possible that you will meet someone in the course of interviewing who can lead you to your dream job. First, if you get an appointment with a recruiter, they often interview for multiple positions- and sometimes at different companies. Comport yourself professionally and you never know what networking wins you might rack up- he or she will keep you in mind for gigs in the future. Second, if you make a great impression but ultimately turn down the position, you now know a face and name at the company. Maybe for your next move you’ll want to touch base to see what’s open. You can absolutely do so if you rock your interview- even if you don’t take the job.You can use an offer for leverage.Say you really want job X, but they’re dragging their feet in making decisions or final offers. Maybe you’re even on a third or fourth round of interviews. But you’ve also interviewed for jobs Y and Z- and both have made offers. Now you can go back to job X and tell them other companies are vying for you. Don’t be too forceful or demanding; just be truthful. You can politely tell them you have other offers on the table and ask about their decision timeline. Being in demand is always a desirable trait.Bottom line: be careful not to waste your time, especially if you’re still working full time and have to steal away for interviews. If you know there’s no possible way you want to work at a certain company or in a specific position, don’t take the interview. Use your judgment and feel free to pass up duds. Just don’t stay away if you’re not totally certain a job isn’t for you.