Trust Me!
Insights into Ethical
Leadership
MIAPPA 2009 summer
Conference
July 14, 2009
Eagle Crest Conference Center
Ypsilanti, MI
www.frankbucaro.com
Norman R. AugustineFormer CEO of
Lockheed Martin Corporation
“I can think of no commitment more important to
a corporation or its survival than its commitment to
ethics.
That means not only conducting our business
affairs within the letter of the law, but also in the
spirit of the law.”
Negative Ethics
 Tell us what not to do.
 Prevent harm.
 Imply the obligation to not do harm.
-Marvin T. Brown
Positive Ethics
 Give guidelines for what we should do.
 Promote a good.
 Imply a responsibility to do good.
 Rely on the power of the organization to
be responsive, and to love the ability to
respond.
-Marvin T. Brown
Ethics

Focus on action not behavior.

Justify action not behavior.

Acknowledge the gap between
“ought” and “is.”
Myths That Our
Culture Teaches…
1. PAIN
Must be avoided at all costs.
2. HAPPINESS
“Go For It!” “If it feels good, do it!”
3. “ME” ORIENTED SOCIETY
Money and materialism
4. COMPETITION
Winning isn’t the only thing, it is everything!
Decision Making Process
EXPERIENCE
REFLECTION
DECISION
Three Psychological Persons
CHILD
Go For It!
PARENT
No! No! No!
ADULT
Go Slow!
Five Emotions
1. Sad
2. Mad
3. Glad
4. Scared
5. Hurt
Leaders
It’s not about what you do…
it’s about what other people do
because you are there!
Effective Leaders Need To:
1. Deal with direction.
2. Deal with vision.
3. Focus on the top line.
4. Derive power from values and correct
principles.
5. Foster mutual respect and build a
complimentary team.
-Steven
Covey
Leaders Must Do
Three Things Well
1. Develop, shape and reinforce how their
mission, vision and values offer
employees a meaningful foundation.
2. Enhance the trust that employees
feel towards leadership by creating a
work environment that supports and
develops employees.
Leaders, continued
3. Address both the difficult and sensitive
economic issues impacting your
employees within the context of
strengthening and enhancing the
commitment of your employees.
You Must Consider:

The Act

Circumstances

Criteria for Judgment

Communal Wisdom
Kolberg & Piaget
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Punishment
Reward
“Good”
Rules and Regulations
Choice and Commitment
Internalization
Power
Authoritarian



Empowers oneself at the
cost of the other.
Self serving as one uses
fear to get obedience.
Must have power over
others.
Commands, does not
invite. To command is
to settle for behavior
change. NO value
change or
understanding.
Authoritative



Empowers the other
through service for the
other.
They are chosen by their
peers, They don’t force
themselves, but gain our
trust.
Invites, does not
command. To invite is
to recognize the value of
the other.
Business Should
Focus on:
Purpose:
Why are we here?
Mission:
What do we do to fulfill our
purpose?
Values:
How do we work together
to fulfill our mission and
accomplish our purpose?
Ethical Considerations



On what foundation do we base our
ethical decisions?
People make decisions based on the
values they hold dear.
Ethical principles are not concerned with
how things do operate, but with how they
should operate!
Ethical Considerations
(continued)

The most difficult decisions to make, are
those in which there is a conflict between
two or more principles of which you deeply
believe in.

It is important that we determine in
advance what our priorities are, realizing
that a lot will depend on the situation.
GIFT
Each
Day
Each
Person