Ethical roles for leaders

I blogged a while back about the Critical Roles of the Ethical CEO. Yet, these important roles apply not just to CEOs, but to all senior leaders in an organization, too.

The goal is to have all senior leaders on the same page, so they can teach managers how to carry these roles throughout the organization.

An ethical culture will only happen if the leadership team is “All In.”

Minding the culture

The culture sets the tone for what people think is expected and accepted. In a culture with gaps, leaders might not consistently use high standards for behavior and performance.

They may also not require others to follow high standards.

Gaps in expectations, modeling and accountability can send the message that values aren’t important. To avoid such gaps, leaders need to take on these 9 important roles that signal that they are “All In.”

9 critical ethical roles of the leader

Leadership Role Model: Showing others how to be ethical leaders

High-Level Trust-Builder: Making intentional trust-building a priority

Champion For Values: Advocating for values-based leadership 

Prevention Advocate: Helping others recognize and prevent ethical issues

Accountability Coach: Requiring ethical choices, coaching others

Consistency Monitor: Responsible for ethics across the company

Dialogue Leader: Keeping the dialogue open and digging into tough issues

Decision-Making Coach: Helping others make decisions based on values

Culture Builder: Leading to build a culture where everyone can thrive

“All-In” Leadership

Through these important roles, leaders communicate, model and coach. They help others learn responsible thinking and action. They monitor and make adjustments. 

That process increases the capability of the organization over time, protects it from problems, and keeps its work environment positive.

Is your organization talking about these important roles? If not, how could you start the conversation? Weigh in by sharing your comments below.