In the article “Moral Person and Moral Manager: How Executives Develop a Reputation for Ethical Leadership,” it is discussed how leaders must have integrity while building the company up. Leaders need to show that they’re trustworthy and moral. There is a difference between being a moral person and moral manager. You can be both, one or the other, or neither. Leaders need to promote an environment where employees feel respected and heard. Leaders also need to be held accountable just like everyone else in the company. Trust is very important within leadership. If employees do not trust their managers, nothing will get done because the leader will not be respected.

The organization’s goals and also the employee’s personal goals need to be supported. Companies need to have ethical structures in order to be successful. If companies do not have a principle of ethics, then they will ultimately fail. Companies cannot be too individualistic. Employees and leaders alike need to share a common mission and goal that is grounded in ethics. I have been in work environments where leaders do not have a common goal or similar ethical principles, and the company is very disorganized. Tasks have to be redone multiple times because the standard of work is not clear. If that company had a code of ethical principles and common goals, this could’ve been easily avoided.

Treviño, L. K., Hartman, L. P., & Brown, M. (2000). Moral person and moral manager: How executives develop a reputation for ethical leadership. California Management Review, 42(4), 128–142. https://doi.org/10.2307/41166057