Leading Effectively e-Newsletter - October 2004 Issue

Ethics & Leadership

Shoddy ethics. No integrity. Poor character. Untrustworthy.

In this age of high-profile corporate scandals and growing government scrutiny of business, these phrases are all too often associated with leaders and leadership. The gap is widening between many organizations and the faith the public has in them. In this issue of Leading Effectively, we explore ways in which that gap might be narrowed by paying closer attention to ethics, character and integrity and their connection to leadership and leader development.

This issue of Leading Effectively is based on articles from the CCL/Jossey-Bass magazine, Leadership in Action.

Ethics, Trust and Making Decisions
Leaders and organizations are well served by examining the ethical dimension of their work. Otherwise, leaders jeopardize trust and undermine their ability to make and implement decisions.  (more... )

A Case for Character
When corporate or political leaders are scrutinized in the media for their decisions and behavior, the topic of character is usually front and center. Yet, character is rarely taken into account when things seem to be going well. CCL's Gene Klann thinks it should be.  (more... )

The Five E's of Character Development
Most of us think that "character" is established by the time we reach adulthood — either you have it or you don't. But leaders can develop character in themselves and encourage it in others through example, education, environment, experience and evaluation. (more... )

Look Inward: Self-insight Strengthens Integrity
The scandals and corporate scrutiny of recent years have drawn attention to the need for ethical and responsible leadership in our organizations. But how can we increase these behaviors in ourselves and in others? Taking a close look inward is the way to start, according to CCL's Meena Wilson. (more... )

A Moral Muddle? Why Organizations Struggle with Ethics
It may be apparent that leaders and organizations could do with a healthy dose of integrity, character and ethics. But several factors typically get in the way.  (more...)

Interested in republishing articles or excerpts from a CCL newsletter or CCL Press publication? Fill out our "Request to Republish" form, found at www.ccl.org/republish.

Leadership Poll Results

Talula Cartwright

Intuition's Role in Leadership
Our September 2004 Leading Effectively e-Newsletter was about the role of intuition in leadership.  Readers were asked how often they followed their intuition in decision-making at their jobs and the situations in which they were most likely to rely on it . Nearly 300 people responded to the poll. Talula Cartwright, CCL senior faculty member and lead contributor of the CCL guidebook Developing Your Intuition: A Guide to Reflective Practice , comments on the findings. (more... )

CCL Program Spotlight: Developing the Strategic Leader Program Receives Enhancements
In Developing the Strategic Leader, executives explore a framework for strategic leadership. Recently, the program was enhanced to provide more tools and opportunities for participants to apply their learnings when they get back to the workplace. Participants will now engage their boss and one other senior leader in the content of the program through a pre-program interview focusing on the strategy process. In addition, a new team exercise allows participants to practice creating and implementing strategies and tactics for achieving the objectives of a fictional company. Participants are observed by their feedback coaches during this activity, and these observations are built into the one-on-one feedback session.

Visit www.ccl.org/dsl for more information about the program or contact Client Services at +1 336 545 2810 or via e-mail at info@ccl.org.