The study of leadership ethics is a relatively new concept with one of the earliest writings specifically on the subject being published as soon as 1996 (Northouse, 2016). This is interesting considering how important ethics are to being a good leader and earning the respect of followers. Leaders have a large influence over their followers and it is important for them to practice good morals and ethics since they usually set the tone for organizational values (Northouse, 2016). Kohlberg (1984) came up with a model to explain the different stages of moral development in people. I believe those stages can be applied to how leaders will go through different stages in their development as a leader. The different stages of moral development are (Northouse, 2016):
- Level 1: Preconventional Morality
- Stage 1: Obeying rules means avoiding punishment
- Stage 2: Action is right if it serves yourself
- Level 2: Conventional Morality
- Stage 3: Makes moral choices conforming to the expectations of others and society
- Stage 4: Makes moral decisions based on what is best for society as a whole.
- Level 3: Postconventional Morality
- Stage 5: Makes moral choices based on views of what a good society should be like
- Stage 6: Moral reasoning based on individualized principles
The first stage I want to look at is the preconventional stage. When I arrived at boot camp my mentality was to do whatever they told me to avoid getting into trouble. I did not have any desire to challenge the authority of my supervisors and everything I did was to avoid punishment. At this point I was in stage 1. The majority of people in this basic training are in this stage of moral development on their journey to being leaders in the military. Any previous beliefs or morals were set aside in order to make it out of a very difficult time. The second stage was the shortest stage for me while serving in the military. In this stage I refused to conform to what others wanted me to do unless I could see a direct benefit to me. I made choices based on what was in my best interest at the time regardless of what was expected from others and what was best for the organization. Fortunately for me I had leaders that cared about my future and I was not in that stage very long.
One leader that influenced me to start doing what was expected of me was my first direct supervisor once I got to the submarine. He had a discussion with me about how he got to where he was by simply doing what was expected of him. At this point in his career he was very young for his position and still in stage 3. He helped me to realize that doing what was expected of me in my current position was the right thing to do. As I grew and accepted more leadership roles I moved on the stage 4 and did what was best for my division and my ship. Some examples of this would be working extra hours to get qualified watches to ease the workload of others in my division or volunteering to do extra work so everyone could go home at a reasonable hour. Once I started showing the initiative to help out for the collective good I started to be given more responsibility and also more respect. I was at the point where I had enough influence to challenge the status quo and my superiors would listen.
Toward the end of my career I started to use my influence to change the way things were done for the better. I wouldn't have started trying to change things had it not been for a new supervisor the challenged the way we did things and made us a better division because of it. This new supervisor went against what his superiors and subordinates said and did things the way he believed no matter the consequences. The challenges he received from those all around him did not influence his decisions because he knew what he believed and he ended up being right. He would challenge me to do the same and put me in situations where I could change things to how I thought they should be. I would be more likely to not do things a certain way because I didn't feel it was right and succeeded in changing some procedures for how we did things.
There were only one or two times where I exhibited behaviors of stage 6 during my time in the Navy. My rank did not give me the authority to act the way I believed when it came to following certain rules and procedures. There was one time where a younger sailor in my division did something that was completely wrong and so bad he could have gotten discharged from the military. Everyone was talking about what he had done and what was likely to happen to him because of it. I agreed what he had done was wrong and he shouldn't' have done it, but he was provoked by others that had influence over him. This person was not very well liked and he was not given much of a chance to succeed. It was almost like people were wanting to find a reason to get rid of him. When asked my opinion of the situation I stood my ground in that I believed he should be given a legitimate chance to improve. I received push back from my supervisors and some of my best friends, but I never backed down. Luckily for me another guy in my division who had similar influence was with me. We knew what he did was wrong and it was against everything we had been taught, but we also believed that he deserved a second chance given the particular circumstances.
One thing I noticed from my time in the military is the higher I went on the stages of development, the more respect I received. I was a favorite among the younger sailors because I would take up for them if I believed in them and I would do what was good for the group. Many other people at a similar level to me would give all the work to the junior guys to benefit them and they were not very well respected. Displaying ethics in leadership is important because it is likely to gain the respect of your followers and they will be more willing to do what is needed to achieve the goals of the organization.
References:
Kohlberg, L. (1984). Essays on
moral development, Vol. 2. The psychology of moral development. New
York: Harper & Row.
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice
(7th ed.). Thousand oaks: Sage Publications.
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