Leadership and Ethics: It's a Matter of Attitude!

Transcription

1 Leadership and Ethics: It's a Matter of Attitude! Why didn't their "Code of Ethics" prevent the moral collapse of Enron, WorldCom and Arthur Andersen? Why are the Bible and contemporary life littered with godly men and women who fail morally in their personal lives, drastically damaging their organizations? What is it about leaders that could help us understand why some violate their own and their organization's ethics, while others do not? health? And how might we each examine our own attitude to determine our ethical This seminar will present preliminary findings, based on the Bible, secular and Christian literature, and research that provide some insights into these questions. Be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:2-11 Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

2 Overview The Inquiry The Question The Journey The Results The Information Value Content Value Congruence Attitude The Implication Personally Professionally Organizationally The Inquiry The Question Organizations exist so that people together can accomplish what they cannot do themselves. Why are there so few organizations where both the individuals in the organization and the organization itself flourish? Why, instead, are so many organizations dysfunctional, full of: Hurting and unhappy people Ineffective and inefficient production and service Office politics and self interest Competition instead of cooperation and collaboration What makes an organization, and the people in it, flourish and find personal as well as organizational fulfillment? Is who we are more important than what we do? Thomas Jeavons book, When the Bottom Line is Faithfulness, clearly proposes that the mission of a Christian service organization is two-fold: Not only what they do, but also their behavior as that bears testimony to their faith. As I began to look at leadership literature, I realized that Jeavons proposal is part of a group of leadership theories I classify under the term Transcendent Leadership (based on Cardona 2000), because both the location and the focus of the leaders values are outside of themselves. This includes Managing by, Servant Leadership, Leadership, and evangelical works such as Business by the Book, etc. It also became clear to me that this valuing of who we are as much as, if not more than, what we do makes sense with Edgar Schein s three ways of valuing human activity/people. More details about that idea can be found at the end of these notes. Schein s book is the classic fundamental work on organizational leadership and culture. On a personal rather than an organizational level, Larry Crabb in Inside Out emphasizes the importance of changing who we are the deep things under the water-level and not just classifying sin as what we do or don t do. His entire thesis is that who we are is more important than what we do and, in fact, determines if our actions are truly godly or are rather selfdemanding and self-protecting actions looking like godliness. The Journey Readings, secular and Christian, on Leadership Ethics Calling Trust Organizational Culture Emotional Intelligence Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

3 Research An in-depth study of one organization looking at the value of stewardship versus ownership 7 case studies of organizations, interviewing leaders and employees, looking specifically at leaders values concerning people and the affect of those values on their employees Observation and Analysis The Results The Information A better understanding of God s truth A better understanding of myself A better understanding of organizations Broad Background: Leadership Models Transactional Transformational Authentic Explicit Contract Economic Based Doing Oriented Implicit Contract Goal Based Learning Oriented Implicit Contract Development Based Being Oriented Value Content and Value Congruence I based my concept of the three manifestations of values on Edgar Schein s three-fold description of organizational culture: A rtifacts Visible organizational structures and processes (hard to deciphe r) Enacted [D one] Espoused Strategies, goals, philosophies (espoused justifications) Espoused [S aid] Basic Underlying Assumptions Unconscious, taken-for-granted beliefs, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings (ultimate source of values and action) Inner [Believed] Schein, 1992, p. 17. Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

4 Attitude What we Believe Inner Value Content Reveals Itself In Reveals Itself In Reveal Themselves In down and thrown into the fire. Actions What we Do Enacted Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Matthew 7:15-20 Larry Crabb, in Inside Out, talks about the difference between dealing with our outward behavior and dealing with our internal pain and sin. As he says, and as we know, it is possible to some extent to outwardly conform to godly behavior without changing who we are; but if our change is only in behavior and not from the heart, it will not be sustainable, let alone genuine. We can act for awhile, but when we are under ethical pressure, our true beliefs will be revealed in our actions. Deep Longings Problems in our World Pain in our Heart As Victims, We're Vulnerable Wrong Strategies As Agents, We're Responsible Sin in our Behavior Sin in our Heart Larry Crabb, Inside Out, Page 195 Curt Floski s grace-based approach to discipleship and recovery is also based upon the foundation that our actions reveal our beliefs [Grace Network International]. Instead of teaching men and women in recovery to conform outwardly in their behavior to Christian standards, he teaches all of us to look at our behavior and ask ourselves, What does this say about my beliefs? because, if we are not willing to change our beliefs, any change in behavior will only be surface and temporary. Outcome-based programming, tying resources and activities not to outputs [units of service rendered] but to outcomes [inward changes in lives] is also based on this premise, and embodies the community s understanding that providing services is not enough. Our communities are demanding that we produce lasting inward change, and that we prove that change through lasting changes in our clients. Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

5 Outcome-Based Program Model INPUTS Resources dedicated to or used by the program: Staff, Space, Volunteers, Equipment ACTIVITIES What the program does with the inputs to fulfill its mission: Strategies, Techniques, Treatment. OUTPUTS Direct product of program activities: Measured in volume of work accomplished. Used to measure units of service performed by the organization, program, and sometimes individual [staff] for accountability purposes. MILESTONES Interim behaviors that define client progress: Shortterm and interm ediate client steps towards performance targets. They must be verifiable: observable and measurable PERFORMANCE TARGETS Specific changes in client behavior, condition or satisfaction. OUTCOMES Benefits to or changes in clients during or after participating in program activities. Value Congruence Attitude Always Equals Actions What we Believe What we Say What we Do Value Incongruence Inner Espoused = = Enacted Value Congruence and Ethics Ethics Inner and Enacted What we believe What we do Espoused What we say Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

6 What is it about leaders that could help us understand why some violate their own and their organization's ethics, while others do not? Attitude Inner Espoused Value Incongruence Dimensions of Attitude Self - Relative Self Preeminence Short term Mine Tool / Means Location of Focus of Purpose Goal Time-Frame Content of Ownership / Control People God - Absolute Others Humility Long term God s Goal / End Enacted Attitude: Location of Location.Location.Location! External or Internal Objective or Subjective Absolute or Relative Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

7 Three Ethical Frameworks Takala [1999] Pre-Modernism Modernism Postmodernism Focus God Science Me Principle Point of Reference Ethics Godliness Relationship with God Reason Relationship with nature God Objective external world Me Unity Truth God-declared Unity Truth Location of within the Leadership Models Relativism No objective truth/world Disunity Perspectives Socially construed Transactional Transformational Authentic Value Location: External Contract Value Im plem entation: Rules-Based Attitude: Focus of Value Location: Internal G oal / Dream Value Im plem entation: Politically-Based Value Location: External Absolute System Value Im plem entation: Principle-Based Other Focused Other Defined Your Relationships Self- Defined Self- Focused Yourself Absolute Relative Your World Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

8 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:1-5 Purpose of Serve Self Serve Others Goal of Preeminence Humility Time-Frame of Short term Long term Purpose of The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. ` Matthew 20:28 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 "Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty." Luke 17: 7-10 Goal of : Success Significance Servanthood Many of us have probably read Halftime by Bob Buford, in which he talks about moving in your life from the goal of Success to Significance. Although we know what he means by that, God doesn t command us to be significant. In fact, significance is a self-focused attitude. God challenges us to take the attitude of Christ. Each of you should look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let this attitude be in your which was also in Christ Jesus.. My coworker tells me that in the original Greek, the self-centeredness of this passage is not there: that is, the only and also. And that makes sense with the example that follows, because Christ did not look ALSO to His own interests, but totally towards ours. Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

9 Time-Frame of : Eternity! "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me." Some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?" They kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying." Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. John 16:16-22 Attitude: Content of Executive Owner Board Executive Board Owner Board Staff Executive Staff Staff Kingdom Stewardship Team Kingdom Concerning Ownership and Control 5 Elements of Power [Kelman, 1987] Formal Authority -- Position Contingent inducements to influence other participants What you have to give Persuasiveness What you have to say based on what you do and who you are Deference from others The influence others give to you Strategic Skills -- Competence Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

10 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power And the glory and the majesty and the splendor, For everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. I Chronicles 29:11-12 Leadership is a gift of God based upon character who you are, not what you do. It is not something to be grasped. In fact, if you reach for it, you will not get it. God will not be mocked. Power (influence) comes from Him alone. When people try to grasp power and control, it is because of self-focus, which manifests itself in one of two ways: [Edwards 1992] Insecurity Saul I m not secure in who I am and in my value before God, so I don t want anyone to see me. I will do it on my own and keep other competent people away rather than admit I cannot handle things alone and let others see my weakness. Pride Absalom -- I m too secure in who I am and think that God can t do without me, so I want everyone to see me. I will do it on my own and act as God, giving rewards and power. Level 5: Level 5 Executive Level 4: Effective Leader Level 3: Competent Manager Level 2: Contributing Team Member Level 1: Highly Capable Individual Collins, 2001, Page 20 It is interesting that in his study of successful businesses, Good to Great, Jim Collins starts with what he discovered about leaders, calling great leaders Level 5 Leaders. His definition of these leaders is: Level 5 = Humility + Will Some of his descriptions of these leaders are: Level 5 leaders channel their ego needs away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a great company. It s not that Level 5 leaders have no ego or self-interest. Indeed, they are incredibly ambitions but their ambition is first and foremost for the institution, not themselves. [Page 21] Level 5 leaders look out the window to apportion credit to factors outside themselves when things go well (and if they cannot find a specific person or event to give credit to, they credit good luck). At the same time, they look in the mirror to apportion responsibility, never blaming bad luck when things go poorly. [Page 35] Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

11 The great irony is that the animus and personal ambition that often drive people to positions of power stand at odds with the humility required for Level 5 leadership. When you combine that irony with the fact that boards of directors frequently operate under the false belief that they need to hire a larger-than-life, egocentric leader to make an organization great, you can quickly see why Level 5 leaders rarely appear at the top of our institutions. [Page 37] He sums up these characteristics of Professional Will and Personal Humility like this: [Page 36] Summary: The Two Sides of Level 5 Leadership Professional Will Personal Humility Creates superb results, a clear catalyst in the Demonstrates a compelling modesty, shunning transition from good to great. public adulation; never boastful. Demonstrates an unwavering resolve to do Acts with quiet, calm determination; relies whatever must be done to produce the best principally on inspired standards, not inspiring long-term results, no matter how difficult. charisma, to motivate. Sets the standard of building an enduring great company; will settle for nothing less. Looks in the mirror, not out the window, to apportion responsibility for poor results, never blaming other people, external factors, or bad luck. Channels ambition into the company, not the self; sets up successors for even greater success in the next generation. Looks out the window, not in the mirror, to apportion credit for the success of the company- to other people, external factors, and good luck. Concerning People Are people A Means to your End? A Tool for you to Use? An End for your Means? A Goal for you to Serve? Craig Barnes, in Hustling God, talks about how we long for control in our lives so that we don t have to admit our inadequacies and dependence, and how, in our desire for control, we try to manipulate God and others to get what we want. This is a special temptation for people who are goal-oriented. We can be come so obsessed with Getting the Blessing/Goal that we forget the honor of how we use the means. Instead, he states, we should be possessed by Being a Blessing and be obsessed with the means, leaving the Goal to God s discretion. This focus on being rather than doing is emphasized in the Transcendent Leadership literature, both Christian and secular. It is interesting that Collins talks about the importance in a company of who the people are and getting the right people on the bus before deciding the destination. Although Leadership magazine and listserve have both had interesting discussions about Collins on the bus/off the bus/in the right seats metaphor in the light of how God treats us and works with us individually and as a group, it is fascinating that secular research has also uncovered the essence of God s truth: Who people are is critical even more so than what people do. Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

12 The Implications Personally Understand my through my Actions The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, To reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." Jeremiah 17:9-10 Try to be more Value-Congruent Live with Integrity Making sure what I believe = what I say = what I do. Doing in the dark what I would do in the light. Be more trustworthy Being aware of the elements of trust and betrayal, intentional and unintentional, major and minor. [Reina and Reina] Try to understand my Value to God and how much He loves me Professionally and Organizationally Make sure I am focused on and serving the people around me. Watch for both insecurity [Saul] and pride [Absalom]. Both dwell within me and will not only undermine me, but also my organization. Confess that self-focus as the sin it is and ask for God s help to understand my proper value in His eyes and be secure in Him. Let God be sovereign: In ownership and in control. My life and the organization where He has called me to serve at this time are His, not mine. In everything I do I should be mindful and aware that: I am there only for a season I must plan for when I am gone and be willing and ready to walk away at any time I must allow God to have His way in my life and in the organization. I must be willing to listen and anxious to obey. Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

13 Our Great Example: Jesus Christ Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For He shall grow up before him as a tender plant, And as a root out of a dry ground: He has no form nor comeliness; And when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living: For the transgression of my people was He stricken. And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; Because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief: When thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see his seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: By His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; Because He has poured out his soul unto death: And He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53 Background: Ways of Valuing Human Activity People Schein (1992) Accommodating orientation Doing orientation Being-in- Becoming orientation Nature is powerful and humanity is subservient to it. The proper thing for people to do is to adapt to external realities rather than trying to create changes or dominate some portion of the environment. Focus on acceptance, fatalism, adaptation. The environment is here to be understood and subjugated. The proper thing for people to do is to take charge and actively control their environment. Focus on tasks, efficiency, discovery. The individual must achieve harmony with nature by fully developing his/her own capacities. Focus is on full self-development and self-actualization with and within the environment. Focus is on what a person is rather than what the person can accomplish; on achieving a state of development rather than doing or accomplishing. Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

14 Types of Leadership Transactional Transformational Authentic Description An explicit economicbased contract between a leader and a follower. The leader will supply X amount of compensation for Y amount of work from the follower. An implicit work-based contract between a leader and a follower. The leader will develop the follower so that the follower can help achieve the leader s goals. An implicit contribution-based contract between a leader and a follower. The leader will serve the follower so that the follower can be developed to their full potential. Goal of Organization To fulfill organization s purpose To fulfill leader s purpose To fulfill a transcendent purpose - Human development Leader s Orientation Leader s Goal for Self Leader s Value Location Leader s Value Implementation Doing oriented Performance oriented Serving oriented Success Significance Servanthood External: Contract Internal: Self External: Absolute System Rules-Based Politically-Based Principle-Based Leader s Goal for Followers To be used [physical] To be educated [intellectual] To be developed [spiritual] Follower s Orientation Accommodating oriented Learning oriented Being in Becoming oriented Follower s Goal Job: Interest in specific rewards for specific work. Career: Interest in the job itself; learning experience; motivated by challenge, responsibility and autonomy. Calling: Interest in the contribution the job makes to others. The organization and the people who work there are attractive to the follower. Leader s Character Transaction Trustworthy Charismatic Motivational Moral Altruistic Leader s Goal for Organization Uniformity Alignment Unity Follower s Response to Goal Will perform their contract responsibilities as they see them, as long as the leader is fair and equitable. Will follow the leader as long as they enjoy what they are doing, because their interests align. Will identify with a cause that is meaningful and makes a difference. Will follow the leader as long as he/she shows integrity in behavior and decisions. Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

15 References: Barnes, M. Craig (1999). Hustling God: Why We Work So Hard for What God Wants to Give Us. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House.. Barnes, M. Craig (1991). Yearning: Living Between How It Is and How It Ought To Be. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. Beckett, John D. ((1998). Loving Monday: Succeeding in Business Without Selling Your Soul. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. Bennis, Warren and Beiderman, Patricia Ward (1997). Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration. Reading: Perseus Books. Blanchard, Ken and O Connor, Michael (1997). Managing by. San Francisco: Berrett- Koehler Publishers. Buford, Bob (1994). Halftime: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Cardona, Pablo (2000). Transcendental Leadership. The Leadership & Organization Development Journal 21:4, Collins, Jim (2001). Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don t. New York: HarperBusiness. Crabb, Larry (1988). Inside Out. Colorado Springs: NavPress. Edwards, Gene (1992 Reprint). A Tale of Three Kings: A Study of Brokenness. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers. Goleman, Daniel, Boyatzis, Richard, and McKee, Annie (2002). Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Greenleaf, Robert K. (1970). The Servant as Leader. Indianapolis: The Robert K. Greenleaf Center. Heenan, David A. and Bennis, Warren (1999). Co-Leaders: The Power of Great Partnerships. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Inc. Jeavons, T. H. (1994). When the bottom line is faithfulness: Management of Christian service organizations. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Jeavons, T. H. & Basinger, R. B. (2000). Growing givers hearts: Treating fundraising as ministry. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Kelman, Steven (1987). Making Public Policy: A Hopeful View of American Government. Basic Books. Novak, Michael (1996). Business as a Calling: Work and the Examined Life. New York: Free Press. Reina, Dennis S. and Reina, Michelle L. ( 1999). Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace: Building Effective Relationships in Your Organization. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Scahef, Anne Wilson and Fassel, Diane (1988). The Addictive Organization. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco. Schein, E. H. (1992). Organizational culture and leadership. (2 nd ed.) San Francisco: Jossey- Bass. Clemenson Leadership and Ethics

16 Takala, Tuomo (1999). "Business and Leadership Ethics Conference: Three Current Themes" Leadership & Organization Development Journal 20:7, Veith, Gene Edward Jr. (2002). God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life. Wheaton: Good News Publishers. White, Jerry (2002). Making Peace with Reality: Ordering Your Life in a Chaotic World. Colorado Springs: NavPress. Currently reading or still on my bookshelf waiting to be read: Banks, Robert and Powell, Kimberly (eds) (2000). Faith in Leadership: How Leaders Live Out their Faith in their Work and Why it Matters. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Burkett, Larry (1998). Business by the Book: The Complete Guide of Biblical Principles for the Workplace. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. Fairholm, Gilbert W. (1997). Capturing the Heart of Leadership: Spirituality and Community in the New American Workplace. Westport: Praeger. Fairholm, Gilbert W. (1991). Leadership: Toward a New Philosophy of Leadership. Westport: Pareger. Nash, Laura and McLennan, Scott (2001). Church on Sunday, Work on Monday: The Challenge of Fusing Christian with Business Life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Nash, Laura (1994). Believers in Business: Resolving the tensions between Christian faith, business ethics, competition and our definitions of success.. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. Putnam, Robert D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon and Schuster. Seligman, Adam B. (1997). The Problem of Trust. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Uslander, Eric M. (2002). The Moral Foundations of Trust. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Clemenson Leadership and Ethics