Adherence to ethical standards is the cornerstone of success in all spheres of life. However, quick consideration of many business, political, sports, and religious leaders shows that adherence to ethical standards may not be consistently practiced. To increase your understanding of and sensitivity to how ethical lapses can derail leaders, analyzing a high-profile lapse in ethics by a leader of your choosing. Plan to locate a minimum of THREE articles or legitimate web sites as background research on this leader (you will need to cite these in the paper). In the paper, identify concepts discussed in class (e.g., decision biases, leadership styles, personality, power bases and influence tactics) as well as what you think caused this leader's ethical lapse and the consequences (to the leader and his/her organization or society as a whole).
Deliverable Instructions
- Introduction: In a short paragraph, briefly summarize the ethical case you have identified (~ half a page).
- Analysis: Using class materials, principles, models, and/or concepts, provide your analysis of what factors might have led the leader in the case you have identified to engage in an ethical lapse, and how the leader might have been able to avoid engaging in this ethical lapse. Here, it is more important that you use relevant, rather than all possible, information from class
- Conclusion: Briefly summarize the key "lessons learned" from this case. Specifically, explain what you learned from this case with regard to ethics and leadership effectiveness (~ half a page).