While it is the law that lays down what can and cannot be done and therefore sets minimum standards of behaviour, ethics set maximum standards
SA finds itself in a crisis of ethical leadership, in which skilled, talented people in positions of power or influence have lost their way. These may be leaders from different backgrounds, including business, politics religion and sport. We need to ask ourselves why this is happening, and how we can build more ethical leaders for the future.
While it is the law that tells us what we can and cannot do and therefore sets minimum standards of behaviour, it is often said that ethics set maximum standards. The saddest part of our leadership crisis is that those companies and executives accused of wrongdoing have failed to differentiate between law and ethics.
The question we need to ask ourselves is how we go about building ethical leaders for the future. We need to teach young leaders that the outward, conspicuous demonstration of wealth does not necessarily reflect their worth. We must guide young leaders to understand that it is rather the intrinsic values of integrity, trustworthiness, honesty, service and selflessness that define them.
The organisations that will thrive are those with a more balanced scorecard and an “ethical soul”. Their leaders will not only be concerned with profit or maximising shareholder value but will be measuring their organisation’s performance on many levels, including the environment, society, employees, customers and suppliers, and the short- and long-term scenarios.
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