Business_Spotlight_-_Nr.2_2020

BUSINESS SKILLS 2/2020 Business Spotlight 39

4. Leading ethically (BS 4/2019)
   Business ethics have traditionally not been
   seen as a core driver for modern corporations.
   Much more familiar have been the mantras of
   growth and profitability. Yet, the importance
   of shareholder value is increasingly being chal­
   lenged by notions such as stakeholder value
   and higher purposes. Companies are now be­
   ing judged by the extent to which they make a
   positive impact on society, help to sustain the
   environment, drive diversity and inclusion,
   and even support democracy. Leaders need
   to engage with ethics, understand their scope
   and choices, and become more conscious of the
   consequences of their actions in the minds of
   customers, who are increasingly interested in
   the moral outcomes of organizational activities.

QUESTIONS

A. Does behaving ethically mean that leaders

should make people happy?

1. Absolutely. Making people unhappy is not
   acceptable.


2. Partly agree. Making people as happy as pos­
   sible is the job of a good leader.


3. Mostly disagree. Leaders are paid to deliver
   results, not to make people happy.


4. Totally disagree. Stretching people out of
   their comfort zone is essential to leadership.

compliance

[kEm(plaIEns]

, Compliance, Befolgung

von Richtlinien

honesty [(hQnEsti]

, Ehrlichkeit

notion [(nEUS&n]

, Idee, Konzept

outcome [(aUtkVm]

, Ergebnis

recruit sb. [ri(kru:t]

, jmdn. einstellen;

hier: (herein)holen

scope [skEUp]

, Umfang, Dimension

stakeholder value

[(steIk)hEUldE )vÄlju:]

, Unternehmenswert

aus Sicht verschiedener

Anspruchsgruppen

stretch sb. out of sth.

[)stretS (aUt Qv]

, jmdn. (durch hohe

Anforderungen) aus

etw. herausholen

sustain sth. [sE(steIn]

, etw. erhalten

Illustrationen: Yann Bastard

B. Which of these statements best describes

the role of honesty in leadership?

1. If a leader lies, they are no longer a leader.


2. Leaders are not always able to share all infor­
   mation, and often have to manage the truth.


3. The art of leadership is understanding when
   to lie and when to tell the truth.


4. Human beings are never fully honest. Lying
   is part of life, professionally and privately.

C. Which of the following is a great way for

leaders to test their ethical values?

1. Recruit different people to their team to en­
   sure diversity of opinion and perspective.


2. Reflect deeply and regularly on what they do
   and why they do it.


3. Go to a psychotherapist from time to time.


4. Take a course in compliance.

D. How ethical is it to blame and criticize col-

leagues?

1. Very. Giving honest and open feedback
   means being honest.


2. Partly. Driving performance involves feed­
   back, but it needs to be respectful.


3. Not very. Hurting someone’s feelings is
   equivalent to hurting them physically.


4. Not at all. Being negative towards others is
   simply not acceptable for leaders.

Facts and people:

leadership challenges