An Introduction to
Individual and Shared Leadership
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Historical Leaders
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Boot Camp Survival Tools for Dealing with Change
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Socrates was a great philosopher who believed that ethics were connected to the way in which one ought to live, not how one lives. The dictionary defines ethics as: “The philosophical discipline or aspect of life that involves questions about right and wrong conduct, good and bad values, and that comes with moral duty and obligation”.

The term “ethics” refers to principles that define behavior as right, good, and proper. Such principles do not always dictate a single, “moral” course of action (Josephson, 2002). Ethics deal with how we define what is right and wrong and how a person should behave. Values have to do with your inner judgment, which guides you in your behavior. Our learned values guide us down the road of life, but it is our ethical decisions that allow us to distinguish right and wrong, good and bad.

You weren’t born with your sense of ethics. Your parents, guardians, and mentors helped instill them. This is called learned behavior. Can you remember a time when someone taught you right from wrong? What kind of ethical lessons did you learn from your elders?

When we look for ethics in our leaders, we choose the people who display good character and strive to make the right decisions. The role of a leader includes ethical decision-making. But the leader must demonstrate more than a belief in the importance of ethics. Ethical decision-making requires sensitivity to the implications of choices; the ability to evaluate complex, ambiguous, and incomplete facts; and the skill to implement ethical decisions effectively (Josephson, 2002).

As you work through this module you will have a better understanding of ethics and the challenges that arise every day in our decision-making.