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Aaron Helton
Washington, DC
Senior Program Analyst, Office of Personnel Management
Government
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Jesse Shy I've noticed a lot of interest on leadership. However, leadership in the real world is never so neat and tidy as the ideal. I am going to be asking some questions which I hope will get you thinking about leadership in messy situations. First question: Which is more important for you, that a leader follow an ethical standard or their moral compass (not necessarily religious morals) when the two are in conflict?

63 weeks ago from Inspiring Leadership, Career Rocketeer, Personal Branding and The Modern Strategist2 more

Erin Lariviere: @Jesse - At the risk of sounding wishy-washy, it depends. If one's personal moral compass goes against what the team / company / customers (let's ...More@Jesse - At the risk of sounding wishy-washy, it depends. If one's personal moral compass goes against what the team / company / customers (let's not forget them) value, maybe not. But every situation is different and I think it takes a good leader to decide which way to go.

"If we believed the same all of our lives, experience would have no value." - you're so right. Was it Einstein who defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? :)

Corporate ethics can get outdated, be too broad or difficult to interpret. A strong leader is often an agent of change. The right path could mean working with HR or upper management to have policies changed. It doesn't always mean blatantly 'breaking the rules' (although sometimes, that works too).

63 weeks ago
Erin Lariviere: @Aaron "if there is a conflict between a employee's morals and the ethics espoused by an employer, then the employee will be unhappy with the work ...More@Aaron "if there is a conflict between a employee's morals and the ethics espoused by an employer, then the employee will be unhappy with the work environment and the employer will likely be unsatisfied with the employee's job performance."

I agree and disagree with you. If that's the situation and it stays that way, then yes - you're absolutely right.

But I think someone who's a real leader will work to change the situation, or find a way to make it work for both parties. A leader empowers others, but is also self empowered.

Our 'western' (for lack of a better word) culture does idealize individuality. So I think it's understandable that we look to people who stand out and stand up as leaders.

63 weeks ago

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