What is the Most Important Factor in Ethical Leadership?

Ethical leadership qualities and traits to inspire others

Integrity. Honesty. Kindness. Authenticity. Empathy. These are all ethical leadership qualities that communities, businesses, and organizations hope to find in our leaders. 

At Thomas More University, we know that the most important factor in ethical leadership is a strong value system. That’s because strong, moral values are the foundation from which all other ethical leadership traits may take shape and grow. 

The Center for Ethical Leadership defines ethical leadership as “knowing your core values and having the courage to live them in all parts of your life in service of the common good.” Through our Master of Arts in Organizational Management & Ethical Leadership program online, you’ll build on your own values and develop and hone other characteristics of ethical leadership as you learn to do just that.

The Thomas More difference: Gain organizational management and ethical leadership traits — and learn how to use them

Perhaps a Forbes post about “Leading With Ethics” says it best: “Anyone out there can talk the talk, but if you don’t truly believe in the importance of ethical behavior in your business career, it will become apparent to your employees, your peers and to [your company’s leaders].”   

At Thomas More, we prioritize ethics in our management and leadership degrees. We are committed to creating leaders who manage with strong values and other ethical leadership traits, such as respect, honesty, authenticity, and initiative. 

After graduation, you will be prepared to lead, manage, and work in a variety of fields, from nonprofit and healthcare sectors to corporate and educational settings. 

Here are just a few examples of what you’ll find at Thomas More University:   

• Ethics and beyond. Many colleges and universities offer graduate degrees in organizational management, leadership, or ethics. But at Thomas More, we connect these concepts, so you learn how to be an ethical leader and an effective manager. Through our organizational management and ethical leadership master’s degree program, you will not only learn the ethical leadership qualities you’ll value most but also how to apply them as a skilled manager. Each of your courses will include assignments that require you to apply the content you learn in ethical decision-making scenarios.

• Values-based learning. Founded in 1921 as Villa Madonna College, Thomas More has nurtured ethical thinkers like you for 100 years. Our degree programs emphasize the liberal arts within a context of ethical concern and social responsibility. This will enhance your lifelong learning, foster your personal growth, and help you develop ethical leadership qualities.

• Characteristics of ethical leadership you can apply today. Through our coursework, you will learn real-world lessons in organizational management and leadership that are based on current issues, events, and challenges. 

• Faculty members who practice what they preach. Your instructors have extensive experience in their respective fields, and they understand why ethical leadership is important to anyone who is responsible for managing a department or leading an organization.

“To be an ethical leader, you must demonstrate ethical behavior — not just when others are looking, but all the time and over time.” — Forbes

Learn how to affect change in business and build community in the workplace

According to the article, “Ethical Leadership and Follower Moral Actions,” published in the National Institutes of Health Library of Medicine, ethical leaders set an example for other people and affect whether others act ethically, too. This type of manager considers ethics when they make decisions, and they model honesty, fairness, care, and other ethical leadership traits like these. 

Using the social information processing theory, the authors say they believe that employees’ morals and moral behaviors can be shaped by the values, standards, and behaviors demonstrated by their leader or manager. The article notes that many studies suggest ethical leadership may affect and determine any number of factors related to workplace culture and success, including everything from employee job satisfaction and mental well-being to performance and misconduct.  

In other words, when leaders act ethically in the workplace, chances are, employees will, too. 

We know that the most important factor in ethical leadership is a strong value system. So, what do strong values have to do with the workplace? According to the news and information website Gaebler.com, values are “intangible priorities” we use to navigate our daily lives. Our values, or our integrity, are paramount when navigating decisions — including business decisions. 

According to Gaebler.com, integrity can be defined as the person you are when no one else is around. Essentially, this means that regardless of whether you’re at home or at work, “you will make decisions based on your core values, strictly, and nothing else.” Every decision you make will therefore hinge on your value system. So, when you are faced with a difficult situation as a manager or leader, having strong values to draw from will always help you make the right decision. 

At Thomas More University, your values and the ethical leadership traits you will develop while studying for your graduate degree will translate to any field, helping you affect the culture and success of any workplace. Because our organizational management and ethical leadership degree program is built to be flexible and focuses on creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence, it will give you transferable tools and skills you can apply to any career you choose.

According to Forbes, “To be an ethical leader, you must demonstrate ethical behavior — not just when others are looking, but all the time and over time. Consistently doing what's right, even when it's difficult, should be an integral part of a leader’s makeup.” 

At Thomas More University, you will learn to do just that. While studying for your master’s degree, you will learn how to affect positive change and gain the skills and knowledge you need to make decisions, empower and serve others, and lead by example. After all, which ethical leadership principle resembles the main focus of the servant leadership approach? Serving others.