Leadership as a Form of Human Relationship - Essay Example

Ethical Leadership is Also Effective Leadership Name: Institution: Introduction Leadership is a form of human relationship involving a leader and a follower and the use of influence and power to effect certain actions. Ethical leadership refers to observation of the dignity and rights of others as well as consideration of their values and ethical beliefs. It requires a leader to practice ethical behavior in his or her conduct and encourage followers to observe the same code of ethics. Effective leadership on the other hand refers to the use of suitable leadership styles to influence people into performing various tasks. Leadership environment differ hence the leader must find the best way to get things done. In history, a successful leader is one who brings about change regardless of the leadership style adopted. A good leader however, is one that is both ethical and effective in conducting his or her duties as a leader. Ethical and effective leadership therefore go hand in hand since leadership not only focuses on the results but also on the methods used to realize the results. There is therefore a strong correlation between ethical leadership and effective leadership (Levin & Boaks, 2014 p.230). Positive Relationships Ethics form the backbone of positive human relationships since they ensure observation of respect, integrity, justice, compassion, equity, honesty, and trust when dealing with others. Human relationships built on these fundamental principles create a healthy environment for positive interactions. It eliminates negativity caused by disrespect, mistrust, and dishonesty, which result into suspicion and arguments. In an organization, human resources form the most valuable assets hence their management becomes the most important task. A manager who is also the leader must find ways to ensure cohesion and cooperation so that activities run smoothly. In practicing ethical leadership, the leader must first see followers as human beings and create a basic relationship with them through communication. Interactions with followers establish a relationship and values ensure sustainability of the relationship. The leader initiates this form of relationship, which then continues throughout the scope of leadership. This begins with adoption of a servant leadership mentality where the leader becomes more approachable and accommodating (Liden et al, 2008 p.164). Followers create positive relationships with each other and with other stakeholders based on values. Cooperation therefore emerges through these positive relationships and ensures stakeholders work together towards a common goal. This creates a culture where people treat each other with mutual respect hence creating trust among individuals. Positive stakeholder relationships create a healthy working environment where individuals can concentrate on performing their tasks effectively. Teamwork Efficiency highly depends on the level of teamwork of individuals tasked with the responsibility of performing various duties. Teamwork emerges due to interactions between individuals focused in achieving a common goal. Ethical conduct of team leaders and members facilitates the creation of teams to perform various tasks effectively with minimal defects and delays. Human relations are the epitome of teams’ formation and operation since members interact continuously. Ethics ensure respectful interactions between parties hence their cooperation when performing various tasks. It creates an environment where individuals feel valuable to the course through appreciation of their contribution. Individuals work together and engage one another in making decisions hence strengthening teamwork. Teams fail due to lack of understanding and appreciation of all members’ efforts. With observance of values, members recognize the efforts of each individual regardless of the results. Respect and fairness are building blocks of ethical conduct and they require treating of all members in a similar manner without showing any favoritism. Playing favorites has a negative implication on the relationship between team members since some may feel alienated. An ethical leader therefore has to observe equity and fairness when handling team members to avoid distorting the delicate balance (Avey, Wernsing & Palanski, 2012 p.28). Ethics direct individuals on how to relate with one another to build trust and among themselves and eliminate the chances of having frequent disagreements. Suspicion that emerges from dishonesty affects communication within a team hence affecting the level of performance. Ethical leadership therefore has a strong bearing on the quality of teamwork that ensures a high level of performance in any given setting. Motivation Morality and morale have a positive correlation in respect to effective leadership and level of performance. Motivation refers to the level of morale in performing various tasks affected by both internal and external factors. Morals of an individual dictate his values and conduct that determines his or her relationship with others. High moral standards require treatment of every individual with a certain level of respect. A leader who treats followers with respect makes them feel valued and appreciated hence encouraging them to put their best foot forward. Respecting peoples’ values shows affirmation for their human nature and ensures their treatment as that of humans rather than objects. Humanity is at the core of ethical leadership and it requires leaders to realize that they are dealing with people who have certain moral standards. Proper treatment of followers encourages them to improve their quality of work since their input is valuable. An ethical leader also sets the scene for followers to demonstrate the same ethical conduct since leaders are role models. Everyone desires an association with high moral standards hence instilling morale on followers to perform their part. This motivation reflects on the quality of their work since they produce better results within a shorter period. Many organizations struggle with the issue of motivation since they fall short of ideas on how to motivate employees. Creating a positive working environment is a major way of creating a highly motivated workforce. A code of ethics will definitely create a healthy working environment characterized by mutual respect hence motivating employees to express themselves and perform their duties as expected (Eubanks, Brown & Ybema, 2012 p.1). Corporate Image Transparency and accountability are major issues facing institutions in the modern world of technology that makes frauds very easy to undertake. Ethical conducts have become the key to affirming the public on the moral standing of individuals within an institution (Levin & Boaks, 2014 p.229). It builds a high level of trust that the institution commits itself to performing its mandate as expected. It also indicates that the organization observes all the legal and professional requirements in conducting business. This translates into an increased level of investment due to high investor confidence. A high level of trust results into a positive image for the institution making it desirable and dependable to various stakeholders. A positive corporate image has several benefits to the institution since it motivates followers to work towards maintaining their reputation. It also attracts external stakeholders such as suppliers, advisors, customers, investors, and volunteers among others. The code of ethics depends on a set of dictated standards agreed upon by the society within which an organization operates. It is therefore a way of showing respect to the community and creating a positive relationship with them. Corporate social responsibility is part of this ethical conduct that requires organizations to give back to society. Effective leadership involves improving performance and ensuring growth of an organization. Improving the image of an organization is a sure way to achieve these goals and ensure continuity of an organization as well as improve its competitive position. Once again, observance of ethics leads the way to an effective leadership system that not only appeals to followers but to other stakeholders as well. Goals and Objectives Goals and objectives form the foundation of any organization as it directs all other actions geared towards their achievement. Achievement of goals relies on the efficiency of the workforce in performance of their duties. It is at the interest of various leaders to devise measures that eliminate distractions and disharmony among workers and instead ensure cooperation. Distractions consume a lot of valuable time and take the eyes from the price. Cohesion and cooperation on the other hand ensure workers work together towards achieving common objectives. This cohesion emerges from having healthy relationships among workers to create a strong support system. Having an ethical system of leadership guarantees these form of relationships where workers respect each other. Observance of ethics requires individuals to perform their tasks with due diligence and create an environment where others can do the same. Ethical supervision also ensures that performance measurement occurs against organizational goals and objectives rather than personal preferences (Unal,Warren & Chen-Chao, 2012 p.11). Ethical supervision ensures that workers work towards achieving set goals and objectives. There is less time wastage on distractions and interference occurring due to the nature of human relationships. An ethical leader will therefore lead followers into achieving goals and objectives through hard work and dedication. Conclusion Effective leadership is part of ethical leadership since there an ethical leader is one who generates the best results using the best techniques of human management (Ciulla, 2005 p.331). Ethical leadership creates positive relationships among stakeholders and encourages teamwork due to its focus on the quality of human relationships. It creates an environment where individuals feel the motivation to realize their full potential and achieve set goals and objectives. Observance of an ethical code of conduct also creates a positive corporate image that builds a high level of trust among stakeholders. Ethical leadership works towards creating healthy working relationships and achieving the expected performance level. It is therefore impossible to become an ethical leader with ineffective leadership since ethics require a high level of integrity. References Avey J. B., Wernsing T. S., & Palanski M. E. (2012). Exploring the process of ethical leadership: the mediating role of employee voice and psychological ownership. Journal of Business Ethics, 107(1), 21-34. Ciulla J. (2005). The state of leadership ethics and the work that lies before us. Business Ethics: A European Review, 14(4), 323-335. Eubanks D. L., Brown A. D., & Ybema S. (2012). Leadership identity and ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 107(1), 1-3. Levin M. P. & Boaks J. J. (2014). What do ethics have to do with leadership? Journal of Business Ethics, 124(2), 225-242. Liden R. C., Wayne S. J., Zhao H., & Henderson D. (2008). Servant leadership: development of a multidimensional measure and multi-level assessment. The Leadership Quarterly, 19(2), 161-177. Unal A. F.,Warren D. E.,& Chen-Chao C. (2012). The normative foundations of unethical supervision in organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 107(1), 5-19. Read More