Ethical Leadership: Need for Business Ethics Education

Abstract

“Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher
standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations†– Peter F Drucker. Leadership is a
special talent based on timeless wisdom that not all people possess. Leadership is based on one’s vision,
principle and integrity. To be effective, a leader must be ethical. Ethical leadership involves one’s core
values, to live a life of integrity and in service of the common good. It is ultimately about ethically
motivating others in ethical directions. Management and businesses are constantly facing important ethical
challenges. Ethical decision-making and leadership are the basis of ethical organizations. There is sheer
dearth of ethical leadership which is evident by the recent financial crisis that triggered the worst global
recession. The current unrelenting scandals by the politicians and the business community are having
serious negative repercussions on business, society and the environment which needs to be addressed
immediately. This article introduces the concept and reasoning behind ethical leadership and the role it
plays in today’s business and society. The article discussing the role of education in nurturing ethical culture
in future professional business leaders in depth is addressed to educationists, students and professionals in
view of the urgency in the current context.
Keywords: Business ethics, Leadership, Management education, Professional challenges.