You mention the words “unethical behavior” in most environments and some people immediately start to feel uncomfortable.  From an employee’s perspective, they feel uncomfortable because most of them can point to numerous examples where leaders didn’t fulfill their obligation to act ethically.  From a leader’s perspective, the words “unethical behavior” immediately conjure up feelings of being judged or drives some to do a quick self-assessment of their ethical standards (just in case they are asked).  The truth is most people are convinced ethical leadership is crucial to any environment.  They can tell you the shortcomings of leaders involved in some of our most recent highly publicized scandals:  Governor of New York, Enron, and WorldCom to name a few.  Those closely associated with the events can tell you without hesitation the importance of ethical leadership.  In short, they are convinced of the importance.

However, being convinced means little.  It is often a feeling accompanied by no action.  Some overweight people are convinced that overeating or poor diet is detrimental to their health, but it means nothing if the individuals take no corrective action.  Most high school students are convinced good grades can lead to admission to better colleges and lead to better jobs, but some of them take no action to apply themselves academically.

Becoming an ethical leader is no different.  Simply being “convinced” of the importance of ethical leadership is not enough.  It takes “commitment”.  Commitment requires action or a series of actions.  Leaders need to learn from the very beginning the importance of committing themselves to ethical leadership and how to do it.

Exploring how to move from the “convinced” stage to the “committed” stage is a critical component of Ethical Leadership Seminars.