EDITOR’S NOTES
F
or the past several years I’ve been teaching a course on ethical leadership. Perhaps unconventionally, I stridently avoid emphasizing or highlighting the reasons typically given for why a leader needs to be ethical; in other words, I don’t rip from the headlines the ethical failures of American companies or the ethical lapses of our sports or entertainment figures. Sure, these examples are plentiful enough, but my approach is less comparison driven (“I don’t want to be like that”) and more aspiration driven (“What do I want to be like?”). I ask my students to critically examine their own ethical commitments and convictions. I invite them to critically assess why they don’t always live up to their own ethical standards. These two practices lead to a final challenge: I ask the students to articulate the practices and habits they’ve developed (or want to develop) that will help them become the ethical leader they want to be. Aligned with my classroom approach, there are two presuppositions underpinning each of the seven chapters in this volume. The first is the gnawing reality that we don’t always act ethically. There are no ethical saints. Rare is the ethical Olympian. Most of us are ethical weekend warriors (we think we can turn the ethical switch on at any time), and some of us can only be described as ethical couch potatoes. This all adds up to the persistent “gap” between what we know is the ethically right thing to do and what action we end up taking. For reasons explained throughout this volume, too often we choose to be ethically blind, deaf, or silent. Second, each chapter describes how we can help students become more ethically fit. We can intentionally exercise and tone our ethical muscle. Some of our student leaders can avoid falling down the ethical slippery slope by becoming more adept at listening for and appropriately responding to various ethical pressure words and phrases. Several chapters explain how we can train our student leaders to anticipate the different “red flag” situations they will likely find themselves in as leaders, and the ways in which educators can create opportunities for students to rehearse and practice how to effectively respond when they find themselves in these ethically sticky situations. Finally, some chapters emphasize how important it is for educators to encourage students to find a coach, friend, or mentor who can serve as an ethical sounding board. Swimmers and golfers have coaches and so should students who are committed to practicing ethical leadership. In
NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT LEADERSHIP, no. 146, Summer 2015 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/yd.20130
1
2
DEVELOPING ETHICAL LEADERS
short, every student can become more ethically fit. All students can increase their ethical strength. Our challenge is to inspire students to recognize that it takes a commitment to build and hone their ethical muscle. In Chapter 1, I describe the behaviors of the ethical leader (such as being fair, honest and trustworthy, caring for others, and listening to others). I argue that it is critical for student leaders to communicate to their followers the ethical standards that form their group. Moreover, the student ethical leader is responsible for holding others in the group accountable for those standards. I offer recommendations on the ways in which professionals can more intentionally integrate the ethical domain into their work with students, including how to gently prod the “ethical silent leader” to be less silent. Patrick J. Sweeney and his colleagues offer in Chapter 2 a number of promises for enhancing the moral strength of our student leaders. At the core of their chapter is the notion that students need to take “ownership” of their ethical behavior. They argue that campuses, when promoting ethical behavior, should avoid an overly legalistic approach and instead strive to articulate and implement an honor or duty approach that invites and challenges students to pursue what is ethical and right rather than simply avoiding what is wrong or illegal. Chapter 3 highlights one of the fastest growing approaches to developing ethical leaders: the curriculum Giving Voice to Values (GVV). Mary C. Gentile developed GVV out of her own experience as an educator at Harvard Business School. The curriculum reverses or “flips” how educators traditionally teach ethics and leadership. Giving Voice to Values case studies and scenarios are not about figuring out what is the right thing to do. Instead, the curriculum helps students find the most effective ways to speak their mind when they know what’s right. In other words, the curriculum is designed for students to answer this question: “Once you know what is the right thing to do, how would you get it done?” The curriculum also provides students with the skills, examples, and tools to meet that challenge. The chapter also offers case studies of how Giving Voice to Values is being used beyond the classroom in places across the globe, including a program in India, a university in Ghana, and on the cricket field in Sri Lanka. Although moral philosophers and cognitive scientists might enjoy debating the appropriate age to begin developing ethical leaders, educators have long recognized that student development, including ethical development, is a life-long process. Chapter 4 examines the commitment of parents and administrators of Ravenscroft, an independent school in North Carolina, to put into place a comprehensive program that aims at developing ethical citizens and leaders from pre-K to high school graduation (and beyond). Working with colleagues from the Center for Creative Leadership, the school has developed a framework that focuses on the spheres of NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT LEADERSHIP • DOI: 10.1002/yd
EDITOR’S NOTES
3
leading self, leading with others, and changing the world. The chapter explains each of these three spheres in detail (especially the competencies within each sphere) as well as the three distinct but overlapping cycles of implementation (i.e., how the initiative is implemented at the lower, middle, and upper schools). Nance Lucas has long been a major force in explaining the different practices essential to developing student leaders. In Chapter 5 she invites the reader to consider how the practice of mindfulness is essential to becoming an ethical leader. In nontechnical terms, Lucas explains what is meant by mindfulness and how mindfulness practices have been shown to have a positive impact on a number of leadership-related outcomes, including reducing stress and increasing attention. Throughout the chapter, she reinforces how critical it is for students to be in touch with (and regulate) their emotions as they navigate the challenges of being a leader. Chapter 6 is written by Jon C. Dalton and it addresses one of the most neglected and underexamined areas of ethical leadership: how and what to learn from an ethical failure. This chapter identifies three primary reasons why college students sometimes experience an ethical failure. The chapter also discusses the ways in which ethical failure can be a powerful teacher. Dalton frames the beginning and end of his chapter by offering a personal example of an ethical failure that he experienced when he was in college. His vivid example reminds us of how difficult it sometimes is for a student leader to courageously stand up to tradition or convention. The final chapter is written by Weichun Zhu and his colleagues. The authors examine different leadership models (and their respective scales) to help the reader more clearly understand the similarities and differences between these models, especially related to the ethical dimension of leadership. The models that the authors examine include transformational leadership, authentic leadership, servant leadership, spiritual leadership, virtues-based leadership, and ethical leadership. The chapter concludes with a call for more research to help educators learn more about the complexity and dynamics of ethics-related leadership. I hope you enjoy the abundance and clarity of ideas imbedded in each chapter. Along with each author, please join me in warmly thanking Autumn Heisler. Autumn is a student at Widener University who provided editorial support for this volume as part of a professional writing practicum course. Her intelligence, editorial acumen, and positive energy do not begin to vivify her significant contributions to me and to each contributor. Arthur J. Schwartz Editor NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT LEADERSHIP • DOI: 10.1002/yd
4
DEVELOPING ETHICAL LEADERS
ARTHUR J. SCHWARTZ is a professor of education and the executive director of the Oskin Leadership Institute at Widener University. He was a senior scholar at the United States Air Force Academy and served 14 years as a senior executive with the John Templeton Foundation, including 6 years as its executive vice president. Since 1992, he has focused his research on adolescent moral development. His articles have appeared in the Harvard Educational Review, Journal of Moral Education, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, among others. He received his doctorate in moral education from Harvard University. NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT LEADERSHIP • DOI: 10.1002/yd
Copyright of New Directions for Student Leadership is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
F
or the past several years I’ve been teaching a course on ethical leadership. Perhaps unconventionally, I stridently avoid emphasizing or highlighting the reasons typically given for why a leader needs to be ethical; in other words, I don’t rip from the headlines the ethical failures of American companies or the ethical lapses of our sports or entertainment figures. Sure, these examples are plentiful enough, but my approach is less comparison driven (“I don’t want to be like that”) and more aspiration driven (“What do I want to be like?”). I ask my students to critically examine their own ethical commitments and convictions. I invite them to critically assess why they don’t always live up to their own ethical standards. These two practices lead to a final challenge: I ask the students to articulate the practices and habits they’ve developed (or want to develop) that will help them become the ethical leader they want to be. Aligned with my classroom approach, there are two presuppositions underpinning each of the seven chapters in this volume. The first is the gnawing reality that we don’t always act ethically. There are no ethical saints. Rare is the ethical Olympian. Most of us are ethical weekend warriors (we think we can turn the ethical switch on at any time), and some of us can only be described as ethical couch potatoes. This all adds up to the persistent “gap” between what we know is the ethically right thing to do and what action we end up taking. For reasons explained throughout this volume, too often we choose to be ethically blind, deaf, or silent. Second, each chapter describes how we can help students become more ethically fit. We can intentionally exercise and tone our ethical muscle. Some of our student leaders can avoid falling down the ethical slippery slope by becoming more adept at listening for and appropriately responding to various ethical pressure words and phrases. Several chapters explain how we can train our student leaders to anticipate the different “red flag” situations they will likely find themselves in as leaders, and the ways in which educators can create opportunities for students to rehearse and practice how to effectively respond when they find themselves in these ethically sticky situations. Finally, some chapters emphasize how important it is for educators to encourage students to find a coach, friend, or mentor who can serve as an ethical sounding board. Swimmers and golfers have coaches and so should students who are committed to practicing ethical leadership. In
NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT LEADERSHIP, no. 146, Summer 2015 © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/yd.20130
1
2
DEVELOPING ETHICAL LEADERS
short, every student can become more ethically fit. All students can increase their ethical strength. Our challenge is to inspire students to recognize that it takes a commitment to build and hone their ethical muscle. In Chapter 1, I describe the behaviors of the ethical leader (such as being fair, honest and trustworthy, caring for others, and listening to others). I argue that it is critical for student leaders to communicate to their followers the ethical standards that form their group. Moreover, the student ethical leader is responsible for holding others in the group accountable for those standards. I offer recommendations on the ways in which professionals can more intentionally integrate the ethical domain into their work with students, including how to gently prod the “ethical silent leader” to be less silent. Patrick J. Sweeney and his colleagues offer in Chapter 2 a number of promises for enhancing the moral strength of our student leaders. At the core of their chapter is the notion that students need to take “ownership” of their ethical behavior. They argue that campuses, when promoting ethical behavior, should avoid an overly legalistic approach and instead strive to articulate and implement an honor or duty approach that invites and challenges students to pursue what is ethical and right rather than simply avoiding what is wrong or illegal. Chapter 3 highlights one of the fastest growing approaches to developing ethical leaders: the curriculum Giving Voice to Values (GVV). Mary C. Gentile developed GVV out of her own experience as an educator at Harvard Business School. The curriculum reverses or “flips” how educators traditionally teach ethics and leadership. Giving Voice to Values case studies and scenarios are not about figuring out what is the right thing to do. Instead, the curriculum helps students find the most effective ways to speak their mind when they know what’s right. In other words, the curriculum is designed for students to answer this question: “Once you know what is the right thing to do, how would you get it done?” The curriculum also provides students with the skills, examples, and tools to meet that challenge. The chapter also offers case studies of how Giving Voice to Values is being used beyond the classroom in places across the globe, including a program in India, a university in Ghana, and on the cricket field in Sri Lanka. Although moral philosophers and cognitive scientists might enjoy debating the appropriate age to begin developing ethical leaders, educators have long recognized that student development, including ethical development, is a life-long process. Chapter 4 examines the commitment of parents and administrators of Ravenscroft, an independent school in North Carolina, to put into place a comprehensive program that aims at developing ethical citizens and leaders from pre-K to high school graduation (and beyond). Working with colleagues from the Center for Creative Leadership, the school has developed a framework that focuses on the spheres of NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT LEADERSHIP • DOI: 10.1002/yd
EDITOR’S NOTES
3
leading self, leading with others, and changing the world. The chapter explains each of these three spheres in detail (especially the competencies within each sphere) as well as the three distinct but overlapping cycles of implementation (i.e., how the initiative is implemented at the lower, middle, and upper schools). Nance Lucas has long been a major force in explaining the different practices essential to developing student leaders. In Chapter 5 she invites the reader to consider how the practice of mindfulness is essential to becoming an ethical leader. In nontechnical terms, Lucas explains what is meant by mindfulness and how mindfulness practices have been shown to have a positive impact on a number of leadership-related outcomes, including reducing stress and increasing attention. Throughout the chapter, she reinforces how critical it is for students to be in touch with (and regulate) their emotions as they navigate the challenges of being a leader. Chapter 6 is written by Jon C. Dalton and it addresses one of the most neglected and underexamined areas of ethical leadership: how and what to learn from an ethical failure. This chapter identifies three primary reasons why college students sometimes experience an ethical failure. The chapter also discusses the ways in which ethical failure can be a powerful teacher. Dalton frames the beginning and end of his chapter by offering a personal example of an ethical failure that he experienced when he was in college. His vivid example reminds us of how difficult it sometimes is for a student leader to courageously stand up to tradition or convention. The final chapter is written by Weichun Zhu and his colleagues. The authors examine different leadership models (and their respective scales) to help the reader more clearly understand the similarities and differences between these models, especially related to the ethical dimension of leadership. The models that the authors examine include transformational leadership, authentic leadership, servant leadership, spiritual leadership, virtues-based leadership, and ethical leadership. The chapter concludes with a call for more research to help educators learn more about the complexity and dynamics of ethics-related leadership. I hope you enjoy the abundance and clarity of ideas imbedded in each chapter. Along with each author, please join me in warmly thanking Autumn Heisler. Autumn is a student at Widener University who provided editorial support for this volume as part of a professional writing practicum course. Her intelligence, editorial acumen, and positive energy do not begin to vivify her significant contributions to me and to each contributor. Arthur J. Schwartz Editor NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT LEADERSHIP • DOI: 10.1002/yd
4
DEVELOPING ETHICAL LEADERS
ARTHUR J. SCHWARTZ is a professor of education and the executive director of the Oskin Leadership Institute at Widener University. He was a senior scholar at the United States Air Force Academy and served 14 years as a senior executive with the John Templeton Foundation, including 6 years as its executive vice president. Since 1992, he has focused his research on adolescent moral development. His articles have appeared in the Harvard Educational Review, Journal of Moral Education, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, among others. He received his doctorate in moral education from Harvard University. NEW DIRECTIONS FOR STUDENT LEADERSHIP • DOI: 10.1002/yd
Copyright of New Directions for Student Leadership is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
