 Ethical Leadership Date Published 1 January 2017 Master Sergeant Ross and Senior Airman Barry, both members of the Force Support Squadron, have recently started preparing for an upcoming compliance inspection. During their preparation, Senior Airman Barry notices they've failed to comply with the established directives pertaining to required annual training for unit members. Concerned and not sure what to do, Senior Airman Barry takes his findings to Master Sergeant Ross. Master Sergeant Ross directs Senior Airman Barry to fill in the necessary data with the appropriate dates. He doesn't see it as an issue and has expressed his opinion that the training was just a waste of time anyway. What do you think? Should Senior Airman Barry fill in the missing dates? Is Master Sergeant Ross right to let his personal opinion override established directives? We say these are the values of the organization, and we all live them. Then, no matter what the situation, we never think, well, I can be slightly unethical today, but tomorrow I'll be better. It doesn't work that way. Francis Hesselbein Note. This document contains curriculum-sensitive information and may not be used for public dissemination. Inside this chapter, Introduction to Ethical Leadership, Key Terms, Ethical Codes, Ethical Dilemmas, Ethical Behavior, Ethical Traps, Ethical Principles, Ethical Behavior and Organizational Climates, Ethical Decision Making, Five Steps of Ethical Decision Making, Supporting Principles, and Impact of Ethical Leadership, Subordinate, Senior NCO, Mission. Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to Terminal Cognitive Objective, Comprehend Ethical Leadership Concepts and or their Impact on Subordinate, Senior NCO, Mission Effectiveness, Terminal Cognitive Samples of Behavior, Identify Ethical Leadership Concepts and or their Impact on Subordinate, Senior NCO, and Mission Effectiveness, Illustrate Ethical Leadership Concepts and or their Impact on Subordinate, Senior NCO, and Mission Effectiveness, Predict the Impacts of Ethical Leadership Concepts on Subordinate, Senior NCO, and Mission Effectiveness, Affective Objective, Value Ethical Leadership Concepts and or their Positive Impact on Subordinate, Senior NCO, and Mission Effectiveness, Affective Samples of Behavior, Enthusiastically Dedicate Yourself to Read and Listen to All Material about Ethical Leadership and its Impact on Subordinate, Senior NCO, and Mission Effectiveness, 2. Voluntarily Complete All Course Work Related to Ethical Leadership and its Impact on Subordinate, Senior NCO, and Mission Effectiveness, 3. Openly Accept Ethical Leadership Concepts and their Positive Impact on Subordinate, Senior NCO, and Mission Effectiveness, 4. Willingly Develop a Preference for Ethical Leadership Concepts and their Positive Impact on Subordinate, Senior NCO, and Mission Effectiveness, and 5. Strive Toward a Commitment to Apply Ethical Leadership Concepts because of their Positive Impact on Subordinate, Senior NCO, and Mission Effectiveness, but I want my airman to be competitive for promotion. My EPR is about to close out. I'll volunteer for the project so I can add it as a bullet. I can't tell the chief no. She's my supervisor. Have you ever said or heard someone else say any of these things? As a professional airman, you should definitely know the difference between what's right and wrong according to the Air Force guiding rules and standards. There really isn't much to think about when faced with a decision that falls into these areas. But what about those decisions or choices you have to make where the answer isn't so clear cut? What about those decisions that fall into the gray area? What will you use to make those decisions? As senior NCOs, you'll be faced with decisions you'll have to make or help others make that aren't as simple as black and white. They may be somewhere in the middle, the gray area. These decisions might be mission related, personal, or subordinate related. Either way, the choice you make can either be successful or disastrous based on what tools you use to operate in the gray. In order to effectively lead in this gray area, you must ensure your choices are guided by sound ethical principles. You should engage in ethical leadership. You'll begin this chapter by establishing a common understanding of several definitions and accepted Air Force codes of conduct used to address ethical behavior. Next, you'll discuss the ethical dilemmas you may face while attempting to lead in the gray. This information can enable you to make ethical decisions while leading others. The next section highlights the ethical decision making process, which includes steps you can take to help ensure your decisions are ethical. Finally, you'll end this chapter by covering the impact of ethical leadership on subordinate, senior NCO, and mission effectiveness. Director and producer Ridley Scott once said, Life isn't black and white, it's million gray areas. Let's start navigating this gray area with an introduction to ethical leadership. Introduction to ethical leadership. As a senior NCO, leader, and military professional, it's imperative you conduct yourself with a highest degree of professionalism every day. Whether you direct a small team, are in charge of a large group within the organization, or fill a leadership role in your personal life, parent, coach, etc., people depend on you to lead in an ethical way. Your behavior and the motives behind them should never create the appearance of impropriety. Every day senior NCOs make ethical decisions that address issues between what's right, wrong, or the lesser of two evils. You may be saying to yourself, what does ethics really mean, or why is ethical behavior important? The way these questions are answered can have a direct effect on the decisions you make every day. You'll begin this section by going over key terms associated with ethical leadership. Next you'll review the ethical codes adopted by the Air Force to help ensure proper ethical behavior. You'll finish by exploring ethical dilemmas, their potential causes, and ways to address them. However, before you get started, there's one important thing you should know about this chapter, the intent. The intent of this chapter is to help you understand ethical leadership, what it is, why it's important, and the steps you'll need to take in order to make ethical decisions. You'll most likely read some information you agree with and some you don't. That's OK. The objective is to help you understand that in some situations there are no absolute right and wrong answers. There will be ambiguity. In leadership, sometimes you may have to operate in the gray areas where there's less standardization and clarity. What's important is that when confronted with these situations, you're equipped to apply ethical leadership to guide your actions, decisions, and behaviors. Now that you know where this chapter will go, let's start with the key terms. Key terms. Ethics. The study of what we understand to be good and right behavior and of how we judge those behaviors. It's a set of standards of conduct that guide decisions and actions based on duties derived from core values. We characterize people as ethical when they act in ways that are consistent with societal moral values. In other words, the ethics of our decisions and actions are defined societally, not individually. Military Ethics. Values and expected rules of the profession that are appropriate to actions taken within the military environment. Gabriel 2003. The American military ethic is designed to put principle above self-interest. Personal integrity and moral courage are the keys to viability of that ethic. Flammer 1976. Ethical behavior. Acting responsibly in difficult and or complex situations with quality character and judgment is the essence of ethical behavior. Ethical relativism. The definition of right or wrong depends on the prevailing view of a particular individual, culture, or historical period. Therefore, nothing is objectively right or wrong. Ethical leadership. Ethical leadership combines ethical decision making and ethical behavior and occurs in both an individual and organizational context. A major responsibility of a leader is to make ethical decisions and behave in ethical ways and to see that the organization understands and practices its ethical codes. Ethical dilemma. Situations where one is forced to choose between two alternatives. Both alternatives can be unfavorable and or less right and more right or less wrong and more wrong. Morals. Values that we attribute to a system of beliefs that help us define right from wrong. Good versus bad. Typically, they get their authority from something outside the individual. They come from a higher being or authority. Ethically-minded organization. An ethically-minded organization exemplifies professionalism, humility, self-control, personal discipline, and values. Values. The core beliefs we hold regarding what's right and fair in terms of our actions and our interactions with others. What individuals believe to be of worth and importance in their life. Some of these terms might not be new to you. Some you might have seen for the first time. Either way, once you progress further in the chapter, you should have a solid foundation on which to build your understanding of ethical leadership on. Let's keep building by covering ethical codes. Ethical codes. Ethical codes are intended to be central guides and references for users in support of day-to-day decision-making. They're meant to clarify an organization's mission, values, and principles, linking them with standards of professional conduct. There are ethical codes of conduct widely accepted by the Air Force that enable you to make proper decisions when faced with various ethical dilemmas. These codes include the Air Force core values, the oath of enlistment, Air Force instructions, and the uniformed code of military justice. DOD 5500.7-R Joint Ethics Regulation and AFI 36-2618, the enlisted force structure, provide additional guidance pertaining to acceptable ethical conduct. These codes provide indispensable guidance making it possible for you to act and behave in an ethical manner in any given situation. The Air Force core values. The Air Force core values exist for all members of the Air Force family. They're for all to read, to understand, to live by, and to cherish. The core values are more than minimum standards. They remind us what it takes to get the mission done and inspire us to do our very best at all times. The United States Air Force has clearly defined its identity by these three simple values, integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do. Each of these core values is further defined by virtues, presented in the POA and the senior NCO chapter. We must practice and demonstrate in our daily lives. Consistently practicing these virtues should result in habits of honorable thought and action producing an Air Force professional. Air Force professionalism is a shared belief in and a commitment to honorable service based on our Air Force core values. Air Force core values, integrity first, doing the right thing all the time, whether everyone's watching or not. Service before self, professional duties take precedence over personal desires, excellence in all we do, continuously advance our craft and increase our knowledge as airmen. The Oath of Enlistment. Federal law requires everyone who enlists or re-enlists in the armed forces of the United States to take the enlistment oath. The oath of enlistment into the United States Armed Forces is administered by any commissioned officer to any person enlisting or re-enlisting for a term of service into any branch of the military. I, state your name, do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign, and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God. Note. According to AFI 36-2606, re-enlistment in the United States Air Force, airmen may omit the words, so help me God, if desired for personal reasons. Air Force Instruction. An Air Force Instruction, AFI, is a documented instruction for members of the United States Air Force intended for use by active duty, guard, and reserve members and associated civilians. In almost all cases, an AFI is a form of general order. Violation of the AFI by an airman subject to it can be punished under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. It's one of many forms of directives published by the Air Force Departmental Publishing Office. Air Force members are required to know, understand, and implement AFIs which apply to their duties and responsibilities. Some examples of an Air Force Instruction include AFI 36-2903, Dress and Appearance of Air Force Personnel, provides responsibilities and standards for dress and personal appearance of all Air Force personnel. It applies to all active duty Air Force members, members of the Air Force Reserve Command, and members of the Air National Guard, retired, and separated members. AFI 36-2618, the Enlisted Force Structure, establishes leadership and development levels for responsibilities and official terms of address for enlisted airmen. It also describes special senior non-commissioned officer positions and standardizes duty titles. Additionally, this instruction includes the Air Force Institutional Competencies which serve as a common language for force development. This instruction applies to all enlisted members of the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve Command, the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The Uniform Code of Military Justice, UCMJ, is the foundation of military law in the United States. It applies to all members of the Uniform Services of the United States. DOD 5500.7-R, Joint Ethics Regulation, provides a single source of standards of ethical conduct and ethics guidance, including direction in the areas of financial and employment disclosure systems, post-employment rules, enforcement, and training. These codes are tools that can assist you in making decisions that are mostly black and white, right and wrong. However, you should keep in mind that these codes may not be a catch-all solution for every situation you face, especially when dealing with the issues in the gray area. Let's take a look at these issues or ethical dilemmas and ways you can address them. Ethical Dilemmas Situations that are uncomfortable but don't require choice between right and wrong are not ethical dilemmas. As a leader, there may be times when you're challenged with ethical dilemmas. Remember, as you learned earlier, an ethical dilemma is a situation where you're forced to choose between two alternatives, neither of which may result in an ethically acceptable outcome. What causes an ethical dilemma? Well, there are three general causes. Uncertainty, competing values, or potential harm. Uncertainty. Ethical dilemmas could stem from uncertainty as a result of not having all of the facts pertaining to a situation or because you may have little to no experience dealing with a particular situation. Uncertainty also becomes a factor when there may not be a clearly established policy, procedure, or rule for handling the situation. There's no established right or wrong way. Competing Values. Competing values can create ethical dilemmas for some individuals. Remember, you learned in the previous section, values are the core beliefs we hold regarding what's right and fair in terms of our actions and our interactions with others. What an individual believes to be of worth and importance in their life. Because values shape our actions, decisions, and behaviors, they play a central role in professionalism. Unfortunately, even when we strive to adopt and internalize our service's core values, there are times when our personal values conflict with those of the institution, as well as those of our subordinates, peers, and supervisors. However, the mark of a true professional is maintaining high professional standards despite conflicting values. As a senior leader, you should find ways to work through values conflicts while remaining focused on the greater good of the organization and its people. Potential harm. According to the critical thinking chapter, you can use the reasoning element of implications and universal intellectual standard of depth in order to think through the consequences of an ethical dilemma and consider all significant factors before taking action. They should help you rationally identify and address potential consequences. An ethical dilemma could also stem from potential harm caused by a decision you made. Or, in other words, the intentional and unintentional good or bad consequences caused by your actions. As a leader, you should always attempt to anticipate and consider the second and third order consequences when making decisions. People generally focus on the immediate result of a decision, the first order consequence of the decision. However, every decision has second and third order consequences. Example, outcomes that are different than the first desired outcome, yet are directly related to the initial decision. It's important to think through the first, second, and possibly third order consequences of your decisions before you make the first decision. Will you always be able to see the future consequences? Maybe not, but it takes a lot more resources, time, people, and money to deal with unintended consequences than it does to consider and plan for the possibility upfront. By increasing your understanding of the key terms associated with ethical leadership and your knowledge of what ethical leaders should consider when faced with an ethical dilemma, you should be in a better position to adhere to, and ensure others adhere to, the standards that guide your actions, decisions, and behaviors. Remember, there are ethical codes of conduct widely accepted by the Air Force that should help you make proper decisions when faced with various ethical dilemmas. Uncertainty, competing values, and potential harm are three factors that may cause ethical dilemmas to occur. As a leader, you'll be faced with various ethical dilemmas. Your success depends on your ability to effectively make appropriate decisions when confronted with these situations as they arise. Ethical behavior In order to find examples of senior leaders engaging in unethical behaviors, all you have to do is check your local or national newspaper. If, as an institution, we have the Air Force core values to strive for and guide our actions, why is the Air Force still dealing with unethical issues? As stated earlier, leading in the gray area between right and wrong can be challenging. As a senior NCO, there are many pitfalls that can prevent you from walking an ethical path and making sound ethical decisions. However, if you know what to look for, you can avoid making some of the same bad choices as those you read about in the news. In this section, you'll learn about some of these potential pitfalls when facing ethical dilemmas, ethical traps. Then you'll cover how you can use ethical principles such as the 3 Os, P's, R's, and D's to help you effectively think through ethical dilemmas. Finally, you'll discover how ethical behavior in your organization impacts its professional climate based on the continuum of professionalism. Let's start examining ethical behavior by looking at the ethical traps. Ethical traps. Leaders must think through any ethical dilemma in order to identify all aspects of the dilemma and to identify any ethical traps that may exist. Ethical traps stem from confusion or uncertainty as to what action or behavior should be taken in a given situation. Keep in mind that it may seem all prospective choices have some measure of drawback. This makes it important to be cognizant of potential ethical traps in order for you to choose the course of action you believe will best serve the situation. Those traps are ethical relativism, loyalty syndrome, worry over image, and drive for success. Ethical relativism. Ethical relativism holds that morality is relative to the norms of one's culture. That is, whether an action is right or wrong depends on the moral norms of the society in which it's practiced. The same action may be morally right in one society, but may be morally wrong in another. Ethical relativism manifests itself when decisions are made based on personal values and beliefs of right and wrong, rather than on military rules, regulations, and codes of conduct. Let's look at a few examples. Eating beef is considered moral in the USA, but is considered immoral in India. Drinking alcohol is considered moral in the USA, but is considered immoral in Middle Eastern Islamic countries. Women in school and business is considered moral in the USA, but is considered immoral in Afghanistan. Women wearing shorts is considered moral in the USA, but is considered immoral in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan. Killing newborn females is considered moral in China and India, but is considered immoral in the USA. Female genital mutilation is considered moral in many African nations, but is considered immoral in the USA. Killing female family member who is raped is considered moral in Somalia and Sudan, but is considered immoral in the USA. As seen in the examples above, ethical relativism reminds us that different societies have moral beliefs deeply influenced by their culture. Consider the negative impact this may have. Leaders become ineffective when acceptable means to mission accomplishment takes precedence over established guidelines. The decision to do just what works based on personal, due to each individual's cultural background, values is problematic and oftentimes ethical questions are never raised or explored. For senior NCOs to be effective and consistent in their actions, decisions should be based on military rules, regulations, and codes of conduct. Loyalty syndrome. Loyalty syndrome is defined as making decisions based on respect and or loyalty to an individual, unit, or organization rather than on military rules, regulations, and codes of conduct. This becomes problematic when leaders subordinate the questions of right and wrong due to their value of loyalty to their leadership. In 2003 and 2004, plenty of U.S. soldiers knew of the mistreatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib, but only a few reported the abuse. Why do you think this happened? It may have happened due to the loyalty syndrome ethical trap. In this case, military personnel witnessed the misconduct or learned about it later. When faced with the decision of whether to report the incident as required by their military duty or to protect their comrades, they chose to remain quiet. Senior NCOs may make ineffective decisions when issues that require the attention of leadership are hidden, when leaders begin to make excuses or cover for leadership, or when leaders fail to voice objections when senior leadership is wrong. Given the significance the Air Force and all services place on good order and discipline, it's important that military men and women have the moral competence to intervene when wrongdoing is occurring or to report misconduct if they're unable to intervene. When military personnel ignore the misdeeds of others, the abuses continue, cover-ups occur, and the military profession is diminished. According to the POA and the Senior NCO chapter, one way to avoid the ethical trap of loyalty syndrome is to practice integrity first's virtue of courage. It states you should have the courage to take personal and professional risks or make decisions that might be unpopular. Worry over image. Worry over image entails making decisions based on how they'll impact your reputation or standing among peers, subordinates, supervisors, or community rather than on military rules, regulations, and codes of conduct. Concern about what might turn out to be an embarrassing situation or needing others to see you in a positive light may cause you to do something less ethical instead of what's right. For example, instead of making his airmen work 12-hour shifts to decrease the workload that's been stacking up, Master Sergeant Lawler decides to keep the hours as they are because he doesn't want his airmen to think he's a bad Senior NCO that doesn't have their backs. The decision to protect his image as a helpful Senior NCO has done nothing to address the workload and could negatively impact his unit's mission. When the decisions of right or wrong are based solely on how they'll impact one's image, this can have a devastating effect on the organization. In the case of loyalty syndrome, leaders may be reluctant to tell the truth in worry over image. Leaders aren't interested in telling the truth. Senior NCOs become ineffective when they refuse to accept negative input and what becomes important is how things are perceived versus how things really are. I'll take character over reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are. AJ Perez. Drive for success. Drive for success occurs when decisions are made based on a win at all cost attitude rather than on military rules, regulations, and codes of conduct. Sure, there may be nothing wrong with possessing a sincere drive to succeed. You may be thinking, if I don't do what's best for me, who will? The downside of this way of thinking is that it's an all about me way of leading instead of leading based on military rules, regulations, and codes of conduct. For example, Senior Master Sergeant Carson is career focused and driven. She's been promoted the first time every time, but now she wants to make Chief Master Sergeant. So, she takes all the high visibility projects and volunteer opportunities for herself. She spends more time on her own awards packages and EPRs than she does on her subordinates. Due to her drive for success, she's forgotten about her responsibilities as a senior NCO to lead and develop others. This can have a negative impact on her subordinate's growth and development. By succumbing to this ethical trap, your actions and decision making become detrimental to your leadership abilities as a result of the self-imposed philosophy to win at all costs. This becomes apparent when your knowledge of what's right and wrong is subordinated to what's right or wrong for me. Put another way, the needs of the Air Force, your people, and the mission take a second seat to your own personal need for success. Unfortunately, these ethical traps are common ways of thinking for some leaders. If left unchecked, they can cripple your effectiveness and undermine your ethics. They must be avoided in order for you to maintain the effectiveness of your leadership and the organization. Fortunately, there are principles you can follow to help avoid these traps and maintain ethical behavior. According to the POA and the Senior NCO Chapter, one way to avoid the ethical trap of drive for success is to exhibit warrior spirit by placing the welfare of peers or subordinates ahead of our personal needs or comfort. Ethical Principles Dr. James H. Toner, formerly of the Air War College, explains that military ethics is about knowing what's true and then doing what's right. He takes an interesting approach to make his points memorable by using the following ethical principles, three O's, three P's, three R's, and three D's. Used in conjunction with the Air Force core values, these principles place additional tools at your disposal as you strive to continue leading ethically. Let's look at each principle more closely. Three O's, owing, ordering, aughting. Military ethics based upon meism or egotism cannot function. Therefore, the three O's are important in making ethical decisions. You should consider whom and what you owe. We all owe a debt of gratitude to our country, other services, families, senior leadership, and peers. This is a responsibility all members of the profession of arms should understand. It's so important that each service speaks to it in their core values. The Air Force reflects this in service before self, specifically the virtue of respect. Respect. You owe others respect, treating others with dignity and valuing them as individuals. You must always act knowing that all airmen possess fundamental worth as human beings. You must treat others with the utmost dignity and respect, understanding that our diversity is a great source of strength. According to Toner, if we know why we owe what we do, we should be able to recognize the obligation, responsibility, and duty which give rise to moral thinking and ethical reasoning. Without the next O, ordering, military ethics can't properly exist. As a career airman, you've been taught to look out for your people and their welfare. But it's not that simple. If your ordering starts with people first, everyone might be happy but the mission might not get done. Remember the worry over image ethical trap with Master Sergeant Lawler? You'll learn more about the proper order later in this section. The Air Force also reflects ordering in service before self, specifically the virtue of duty. You are ordered to follow the rules. To serve is to do one's duty and our duties are most commonly expressed through rules. Duty is the obligation to perform what is required for the mission. While your responsibilities are determined by the law, the Department of Defense and Air Force instructions, directives, and guidance, our sense of duty is a personal one and bound by the oath of service we took as individuals. Duty sometimes calls for sacrifice in ways no other profession has or will. Airmen who truly embody service before self consistently choose to make necessary sacrifices to accomplish the mission. And in doing so, we honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The final O is aughting. Sometimes what we do might not be what we ought to do. For example, you ought to engage in physical activity at least three times a week, but sometimes you might not. You ought to spend your clothing allowance on updating your uniforms, but sometimes you might not. These may seem like simple examples, but imagine if you were faced with a life or death situation. The Air Force has rules that state what we ought to do in these cases. However, if you choose to do something else, your choice could have dire consequences. Finally, the Air Force reflects aughting in service before self specifically the virtue of loyalty. Loyalty. You ought to exhibit loyalty, both professionally and personally. Loyalty is an internal commitment to the success and preservation of something bigger than us. Our loyalty is to the nation first, the values and commitments of our Air Force second, and finally to the men and women with whom we serve. Loyalty to our leaders requires us to trust, follow, and execute their decisions even when we disagree. We offer alternative solutions and innovative ideas most effectively through the chain of command. Ultimately, loyalty is demonstrated by helping each other act with honor. Three O's include, number one, knowing specifically who and what you O. Number two, displaying proper order by having moral structuring and ethical priorities. Number three, understanding what airmen should do or ought to do. Three P's. The three P's provide the perspective for the way to think about the O's. Airmen are to adhere to the precedents of principles, purpose, and then people. Switching the order would negate the entire process. One quick note before moving on. When considering the principles, keep in mind that they refer to the requirements and needs of the Air Force and not your individual principles and purpose. The three P's are reflected in the Air Force core values in the following ways. Integrity first. Honesty is the hallmark of a military professional. Senior NCOs acting with integrity are expected to always place principle first in all endeavors. Integrity is simply doing the right thing all the time whether everyone is watching or no one is watching. It's the compass that keeps us on the right path when we're confronted with ethical challenges and personal temptations and it's the foundation upon which trust is built. An individual realizes integrity when thoughts and actions align with what he or she knows to be right. Excellence in all we do. Mission directs you to develop a sustained passion for continuous improvement and innovation. You should consider this your purpose and the basis of mission accomplishment. Excellence in all we do does not mean that we demand perfection in everything from everyone. Instead this value directs us to continuously advance our craft and increase our knowledge as airmen. We must have a passion for continuous improvement and innovation that propels America's Air Force and quantum leaps towards accomplishments and performance. Excellence in all we do. Teamwork is achieved when the people of the organization can work together to successfully reach common goals. Teamwork is essential to triumph at every level. Airmen recognize the interdependency of every member's contributions toward the mission and strive for organizational excellence. We not only give our personal best but also challenge and motivate each other. We carry our own weight and whenever necessary help our wingman carry theirs. We serve in the greatest air force in the world and we embrace the idea that our part of the air force meets that world class standard. Initially it might sound strange for people to be the last P. However by attempting to place people before purpose and or principle you could fall into the ethical trap of ethical relativism making decisions based on personal values and beliefs of what's right and wrong. You should keep in mind the three P's can't be reordered based on the situation if you want to be an ethical senior NCO. Three P's are ordered as follows. Number one principle truth telling and honor. Number two purpose mission accomplishment and duty. Number three people fellow citizens airmen soldiers etc. Three R's. The three R's provide guidance when considering the O's. They explain that when making decisions displaying conduct on and off duty etc there are rules that provide ethical guidance. The situation circumstances or realities can influence if the rules are followed. Don't forget to consider the results or consequences of decisions and actions beforehand. The three R's can be thought of in the following ways. Senior NCO's must follow and enforce established rules. You must understand that there aren't rules that govern every situation however there is guidance in the form of the UCMJ AFI's and various policies. Many believe that what matters most is the bottom line or the results. However not even good ends can justify all means. You must understand that certain means are wrong even though the end may be good. You must consider the reality of the situation. This requires you to examine the truth or actuality of the situation the way the situation really is and to appropriately adhere to guiding ethical principles. Three R's are as follows. Number one rules provide individuals ethical guidance. Number two results are the outcome or bottom line consequences of following or not following those rules. Number three realities are the result of recognizing the importance of the situation, circumstances or realities. Three D's. The three D's emphasize that you have a moral charge to educate yourself as best as you can in light of the truth. To speak up for truth and then act in truth. The three D's can be thought of in the following ways. You must discern the facts from assumptions and falsehoods. You're morally charged to gather the facts as they pertain to the truth in all situations. Many times your people will come to you with problems that fall into the gray area mentioned earlier in the chapter. When presented with situations that involve ethical issues or dilemmas you can use the reasoning elements and universal intellectual standards of critical thinking. These tools can help you do your due diligence in determining what is true. You must declare the truth. Once you have discerned the truth you must declare it. This might mean declaring it to a few individuals or your entire unit depending on the situation. Don't allow your responsibility to declare the truth to be hindered by an ethical trap such as the loyalty syndrome or worry over image. Failing to declare the truth when you know what it is can damage your credibility and your moral ethical standing within the profession of arms. Additionally, you should declare the truth at the appropriate time. This means you should only declare the truth after making a moral decision. Example, rejecting all unworthy alternatives using critical thinking standards. The alternative of declaring something true without using critical thinking techniques can lead to verbalizing half truths, partial truths or outright lies which all lead to at best poor decisions and at worst tragedy. You must do what you have discerned and declared. Finding the truth and declaring the truth aren't enough. Senior NCOs must reflect the highest qualities of a leader and a professional. Excellence in all we do. Discipline required you to uphold the highest personal and professional standards. As a representative of the Air Force your actions shape the culture of the Air Force and the reputation of the profession of arms. Your ability to discern the truth and declare the truth increases your effectiveness as a leader and enables you to act in ways that have a direct impact on mission accomplishment. Failure to do what you've discerned and declared can cause your people to see you as a hypocrite negatively impacting their ability to trust you. The three D's are as follows. Number one, discern the truth. Number two, declare the truth. Number three, do what you've discerned. Although the three O's, P's, R's and D's have been presented separately there's actually an important relationship between them that should help you deal with ethical dilemmas when the answer isn't always clear. Your ability to identify and avoid ethical traps should increase your effectiveness. To avoid ethical traps when making decisions you can use sound ethical principles and Air Force guiding principles such as the core values. The right thing to do isn't always a clear choice and it's often not the opposite of the wrong thing to do. Leadership requires more than simply knowing the three O's, P's, R's and D's. You must know what's true and then doing what's right. When senior NCOs develop a habitual desire to do what they know is right in all situations they begin to tip the organizational climate in the right direction. Ethical behavior and organizational climates. An organization's climate is determined by its members. Professional actions, decisions, and behaviors can transform a negative corrosive climate into a positive ethical climate just as unprofessional actions, decisions, and behaviors can transform a positive ethical climate into a negative corrosive climate. In simple terms tipping means that collectively members of the organization can tip the scale of professionalism in either direction. Which direction the scale tips depends on the members of your organization. When you consistently strive to develop others and yourself as professionals you cultivate more positive or ethical organizational climates across the Air Force. Tipping organizational climates. When you act with professionalism you help tip the entire organization to the positive side of the scale. Your positive behaviors and the example you set help move others to the right on the continuum of professionalism and can have a large transformational effect. Tipping the scale to the right side on the entire organization. Understanding how you can move yourself to the right of the continuum of professionalism is essential to your self-development. Your values drive decisions and those decisions help determine your position on the continuum. One senior NCO can begin the process of tipping a negative unprofessional corrosive organization toward a positive professional ethical organization. This can begin a chain reaction of tipping across organizations and throughout the Air Force. Senior NCO impact in tipping. In any organization once the beliefs and energies of the critical mass of people are engaged conversion to a new idea will spread like an epidemic. W. Kim and R. Moborn. As organizations move towards a more positive and ethical climate a sense of enthusiasm common purpose and confidence in the future begins to accelerate the tipping effect. At this point the professional actions decisions and behaviors resulting in the achievement of organizational goals and objectives become the norm. The new organizational climate makes it possible for Airmen to reach their full potential and as they advance and or PCS instill the positive change in other organizations thus continuing the process. Understanding your personal journey up and down the continuum of professionalism helps you advance others along the continuum but more importantly it helps you transform or tip the organizational climate to the more professional side of the continuum. As a senior NCO you must not only ensure you conduct yourself with integrity at all times but you must also strive to ensure your subordinates conduct themselves with high ethical standards. By setting the example and holding your people to the Air Force guiding rules and standards you play a pivotal role in tipping your organizational climate in a positive manner. In this section you learned about ethical behavior. You covered ethical traps such as worry over image. To think through ethical dilemmas you must be aware of and avoid traps resulting from confusion and uncertainty. Then you looked at Dr. Toner's ethical principles the three O's P's, R's and D's. When used in conjunction with the core values they can help you order actions based on principles purpose and then people. Finally you learned how the behavior of an organization's members specifically its senior leaders like you can have an impact on whether or not the organizational climate tips toward a positive ethical climate or a negative corrosive one. The Air Force provides rules to help you differentiate between right and wrong behavior but when presented with situations and issues that fall into that gray area or with situations that present an ethical dilemma you need to ensure your decision is made using sound ethical principles. Otherwise you could end up on the cover of a newspaper highlighting your deviation from the guiding principles that are the foundation of our profession. However knowing what's ethical and making ethical decisions can cause a problem for some. Ethical decision-making. Airman today work in a moral mind field. At any moment a seemingly innocuous decision can explode and harm not only the decision maker but also everyone in his or her organization. When making ethical decisions it's necessary to identify and eliminate unethical options and select the best ethical alternative. In this section you'll learn the steps designed to help you make ethical decisions. You'll also be shown ways to use the supporting principles such as no rewards for unethical behavior to reinforce your position and increase your effectiveness. Ethical decision-making refers to the process of evaluating and choosing among alternatives in a manner consistent with ethical principles. Five steps of ethical decision-making. In the introduction to ethical leadership you learned about the ethical codes used by the Air Force that give senior NCOs the guidance needed to ensure proper ethical behavior. The Air Force core values and the uniform code of military justice are tools to help ensure proper behavior but you must also be capable of making ethical decisions in the gray area to be an effective leader and military professional. There are five steps to guide you through the ethical decision-making process. Number one, interpret the situation. Number two, analyze the situation. Number three, identify ethical traps. Number four, consider possible courses of action and number five, decide the most ethical course of action. Let's break down each step starting with interpreting the situation. Step one, interpret the situation. Is there an ethical dilemma? Interpreting the situation requires you to stop and think about the circumstances confronting you. Taking time to stop and critically think could help you determine what ethical dilemmas exist if any and also prevent you from making rash decisions. Delaying the impulse to rush to a conclusion provides time for thoughtful insight and can allow you time to put effective actions into motion. When you analyze the situation you should compare the known facts associated with the issue. Use the who, what, when, where, why, and whom for comparison to the requirements in the ethical decision-making process. You should also ask yourself how the situation impacts the Air Force, your organization, and or your people. Consider the following situation. Senior Master Sergeant Johnson is a superintendent of Alpha Flight. He has a big project that needs to be done, so he tasks four of his best Master Sergeant's, three male, one female, to work on it. Due to the magnitude of the project it takes them four months to complete. The team does such a great job that Senior Master Sergeant Johnson wants to submit them for achievement medals. However, one team member, Master Sergeant Hill, male, tells Senior Master Sergeant Johnson that Master Sergeant Brown, female, didn't contribute to the team as much as the others. What should Senior Master Sergeant Johnson do? This example is used throughout this section to aid in your understanding of the five steps. In this scenario, to accomplish this step, Senior Master Sergeant Johnson needs to find out what the situation is first. It looks like, based on Master Sergeant Hill's comments, Master Sergeant Brown hasn't pulled her weight on the project. He finds out, by talking with the other team members, including Master Sergeant Brown, that she didn't dedicate the amount of time the others did to the project. Although she helped out when she could, child care issues, preparing for an upcoming PT test, and additional personal issues took up the majority of her time. However, all team members agree that the time she was able to dedicate, even if it was just a fraction of the time they dedicated, was valuable. So, you may assume that, based on the situation, Senior Master Sergeant Johnson's ethical dilemma centers on addressing whether or not Master Sergeant Brown should get the same level of recognition as the other team members. Your ability to effectively interpret the situation and identify the ethical dilemmas should be the starting point, as you proceed to the next step in the process, analyzing the situation. Step two, analyze the situation. Why does the ethical dilemma exist? Why does the ethical dilemma exist? It could stem from uncertainty, example not having all the facts concerning a situation, little to no experience dealing with the situation, or maybe you've never encountered the situation before. The uncertainty could also stem from not having a clearly established policy, procedure, or rule for handling the issue. The dilemma may also be the result of the potential harm that may be caused by a previous decision. Intentional and unintended consequences of your actions. Always attempt to anticipate and consider the second and third order effects before making decisions. Finally, competing values can also cause dilemmas. Remember, always strive to place principles first, purpose second, and people third. In this scenario, it may be that competing values is the cause of Senior Master Sergeant Johnson's ethical dilemma. As a senior NCO, he is responsible for effectively and fairly executing the R in DDR, recognition. He absolutely recognizes that Master Sergeant Brown deserves some sort of recognition because he knows how challenging the project was. However, he doesn't want to minimize the hard work and time the other three team members put in, so he doesn't know what he should do. There's no clear rule or regulation that addresses how much recognition people should get based on their level or amount of work in a team situation. Step three, identify ethical traps. As a senior NCO, you'll need to consider the ethical traps discussed earlier, ethical relativism, loyalty syndrome, worry over image, and drive for success. By understanding and identifying ethical traps, you can choose the course of action that can best serve everyone involved. Based on Senior Master Sergeant Johnson's situation, if he's not careful, he could fall into the following ethical trap, worry over image. Senior Master Sergeant Johnson has always believed he's a fair and professional senior NCO and hopes everyone else sees him that way. However, he'll fall into this trap if he makes the decision to give Master Sergeant Brown a lesser form of recognition solely because he doesn't want others, not familiar with the details, to think he has a problem with women since Master Sergeant Brown is a female. Or if he doesn't want others to think he's perpetuating the good old boy network, the three males, by not giving her the same level of recognition as the others. Either way, if he falls for this ethical trap, he may believe his reputation as a fair senior NCO is more important than the decision he must make. He decides to give them all the same form of recognition solely because he doesn't want others to think he doesn't care about the time and effort the three male team members put into the project and that he recognizes people indiscriminately. If he falls for this trap, he'll make this decision because he doesn't want his professionalism to be called into question, not because it's the right thing to do. When you get to this step, you should really take a moment and assess if your line of thought is leading you towards one of the ethical traps. If so, you should consider the three O's, P's, R's, and D's to help you avoid them. Step four, consider possible courses of action, COA. To assist you in step four and step five, you can use decision analysis in the critical thinking chapter to help you make a decision that's not only ethical, but rational and logical as well. Once you've identified if your line of thinking may lead to an ethical trap and figured out a way to avoid it, if that's the case, it's time to brainstorm possible COAs. In this step, you should make a list of possible decisions that could fix the problem or situation. At this point, don't evaluate them, just brainstorm. You can use your prior experiences or maybe even talk to other individuals for suggestions on possible solutions. Let's say that Senior Master Sergeant Johnson has brainstormed some possible COAs and developed the following list. Give all team members formal recognition—achievement medals. Give each team member the type, formal or informal, of recognition they personally earned. Give each team member informal recognition—ata boys—on an individual basis. Once you get a list of COAs, you should test each one to identify if there are any consequences or unethical side effects of each COA. You can use Dr. Toner's six tests in conjunction with the Air Force guiding principles as a vector. Shame test. You've probably seen someone in your career that committed an act or made a decision that you thought was embarrassing or humiliating. You might have even thought, wow, I'm glad that wasn't me. If you come to a decision and you feel uncomfortable about declaring it, don't ignore this feeling, apply this shame test to see if your decision passes it. Senior NCOs bear personal responsibility and culpability for their actions. If you decide your actions, if made public, would be embarrassing or humiliating, then they don't pass the shame test. If you decide your actions would discredit yourself or the uniform you wear, then they don't pass the shame test. If your actions don't pass the shame test, how will you attract enthusiastic, committed followers and people who genuinely want to work for you? How would you be able to appropriately reflect the values expected as members of the profession of arms? It's vital that your reputation is of one who constantly strives to do the right things for the right reasons. Community test. Both personally and professionally, you should never have to worry about who's watching you or who knows of your actions. Every decision you make should be able to withstand the scrutiny of your community on and off base. If you have to decide between hiding your decision from the light of day and keeping it private, you should apply the community test. If your decision doesn't pass the community test, then you may be able to trace the problem back to one of the three Ds, discern, declare and do. Maybe you haven't discerned the truth or been able to weed out false information or information that you're not sure will stand up to scrutiny. Otherwise, you should be able to declare with courage. Legal test. This test should be an easy one to conduct. The Air Force guiding values and standards are clear about what's legal and what isn't. As an ethical leader, you must obey the rules and laws that govern our profession. If your decision doesn't pass the legal test, you really should reflect deeply on the three Rs, rules, results and realities. As a senior NCO, you're legally bound to the rules. You're expected to exercise judgment in the performance of your duties. Effective senior NCOs understand that rules have a reason for being and the default position must be to follow those rules unless there is a clear operational reason for refusing to do so. Therefore, you should make a concerted effort to know and enforce Air Force and in some cases, joint policies, ethical codes, best practices, standard operating procedures and even environmental and safety laws. Situation test. Situational variables can exert powerful influences over human behavior, more so that we recognize or acknowledge. Philip Sombardo. Throughout your career, you may have encountered individuals that find it easy to justify their actions no matter the situation or others who prefer to perform the questionable act and seek forgiveness later. As a leader, you must ask yourself if your action is truly the ethical thing to do. This doesn't include basing your decision on what you or your small circle of influence considers the right thing to do. In order for your decision to pass the situation test, your special circumstance should be one that either hasn't been experienced by senior leaders before or one that consists of a unique set of factors that makes it fall outside the box of what's already known. God Test. Think of someone in your life that, in your opinion, possesses a strong character and exercises the best ethical judgment. This individual or role model could be a religious or spiritual leader, a prior supervisor or even appear whose opinion you value. Whoever your role model is, imagine what that person would do if he or she was in your shoes. If they would do something different or not agree with your decision, then it wouldn't pass this test. If your decision doesn't pass the God Test, go back and take a look at the three O's. Owing, Ordering and Aughting. Are you taking into account the people or institution you owe? Have you ordered your thinking using moral and ethical structuring? Is this what you really ought to do? Consider this statement by Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, James Cody. As airmen, we step to a higher calling and hold ourselves to the highest standards. We have certain beliefs and truths that strengthen our organization and our nation. At the very heart of this is our core values. They are a clear illustration of the price of admission to our Air Force and the common bond by which we win the fight, strengthen the team and shape the future. Our values must be much more than words. They must guide us and point us to what is universal and unchanging in our profession of arms. They are the very fabric that bonds our commitment and dedication to duty, honor, country, fidelity and competence. Your character is measured by your actions, decisions and behaviors. Making good choices serves to make you worthy of admiration and builds your reputation as an ethical leader. Consequences Test As a leader, your every action has a consequence. Make sure it is one you intended. Catherine Bryant Let's face it. Actions have consequences. An important question to ask before acting is, what will the potential second and third order effects of my decision be? Effects that were intentionally caused to produce a specific outcome can spawn an effect that was unintended and or unpredicted. When determining the consequences, don't forget to include the people that will be affected by your actions, subordinates, peers, senior leaders, etc. Don't discount emotional and or physical costs. Note, based on your decision and preferences, you can apply more than one test to see if your decision is based on Air Force guiding values and standards. According to the Comprehensive Fitness Chapter, consequences of your actions can impact your people in the following ways. A. Mental fitness might impact their ability to adapt to unique challenges, especially if your stance is that the ends justify the means. B. Physical fitness could impact their health and well-being if your decision needlessly puts your people in harm's way or requires them to work harder than they're normally expected to. C. Social fitness could cause communication breakdowns and impact their ability to work as a team if they feel as if your decision isn't justifiable based on the situation. D. Spiritual fitness might cause them to become discouraged in environments where perseverance can impact the success or failure of the mission. Additionally, according to the Critical Thinking Chapter, you can perform a risk analysis, decision analysis, to figure out if your decision is worth the consequence. Take a look at Senior Master Sergeant Johnson's possible COAs again. If you were to apply Dr. Toner's six tests, you might come to the following conclusion. Give all team members formal recognition, achievement medals. This COA could possibly fail the shame test. Giving everyone formal recognition might cause people to think you aren't being honest and further degrading an already contentious program. Give each team member the type, formal or informal, of recognition they personally earned. This COA could possibly pass the situation test. Since there were unique circumstances that prevented equal effort amongst team members, each one should get the type of recognition they deserve. Give each team member informal recognition at a voice on an individual basis. This COA could possibly fail the God test. You probably wouldn't want leaders in your unit to make the same decision. If that were the case, no one would get formal recognition. Once you apply the tests to your potential COAs, you are ready for the last step. Step 5. Decide most ethical course of action. At this point, you've applied Dr. Toner's six tests. Hopefully, you should now have a clear COA. However, your work isn't done yet. Now it's time to decide if your COA may potentially damage your organization's ethical climate. To make this decision, you can use the following set of principles, Dr. Toner's supporting principles. Dr. Toner believed leaders should create and promote an ethical climate and foster ethical behavior. Therefore, you should ensure your COA doesn't have a negative impact on your organization's ethical climate or tip it to the left on the continuum towards less professional behavior. The supporting principles are, there are no rewards for unethical behavior. Leaders shouldn't take action, make decisions, or display behaviors that reinforce unethical behavior or conduct. By doing so, you give the impression these are acceptable behaviors for your organization and could cause major damage to senior leader loyalty, faith in the system, as well as the overall organizational reputation. Sanctions and Forgiveness for Mistakes According to the FRL chapter, you can use transactional behaviors such as contingent reward or management by exception active as a way to handle mistakes. Leaders shouldn't always take disciplinary action for mistakes. In order to preserve an ethical climate, you could either forgive the individual or impose sanctions depending on the mistake. Consider this example. A subordinate provides a customer with incorrect information. As a result, the subordinate is provided remedial training on the topic and closely supervised with sanctions to ensure learning has occurred. If this were a one-time mistake, maybe the subordinate can be forgiven. If the subordinate has made the same mistake a few times, maybe sanctions, training, or closer supervision are more appropriate. Appropriate Action Taken for Derelection of Duty or Misconduct There is a difference between a mistake and misconduct. If you determine misconduct or dereliction of duty has occurred, disciplinary action is more appropriate in order to maintain an ethical climate. Disciplinary action can range from a verbal counseling to a court martial. The tool that's most effective depends on the situation. However, before acting, you should ensure all factors leading to the misconduct are explored. Applying Prudence First and Justice Second As a senior NCO, you need to consider what's right before what's possible. Just because something is legal or permissible doesn't mean that it's the right thing to do. Prudence is lawful behavior. However, it includes being wise and just. Consider this example. A commander who has Article 15 authority decides to throw the book at an individual, Article 15, before considering all the factors involved in the misconduct, such as family and financial situation, rank and time and grade, time and service, length of time in current position, current scope of responsibilities, and so forth. Punishment under Article 15 is just because the person must face consequences for his or her actions. But what if the individual had extenuating circumstances impacting his decision to violate standards? Not considering these circumstances and just throwing the book at him, which is legal, might not be the right thing to do. It might not be prudent. Prudence demands you consider all factors to make the punishment fit the misconduct or crime. Prudence is the intellectual habit of choosing the right means to achieve worthy ends. It involves reasoning, foresight, and caution. J. Steadman Justice establishes and maintains the laws required for the common good and advancement of society. R. Garagu Lagrange Let's go back to Senior Master Sergeant Johnson's COAs. Based on applying the tests, he decides that giving each team member the type, formal or informal, of recognition they personally earned, is the most ethical COA. He believes this COA is the most prudent thing to do in order to maintain an ethical climate in his organization. Some may find navigating through the moral minefield the gray area challenging. Following the five steps of ethical decision-making can provide a solid path for you to follow. Utilizing the supporting principles presented can also provide you with additional support as you strive to create and promote an ethical climate within your organization. These concepts have a direct impact on subordinate and mission accomplishment and can help you increase your effectiveness as a competent leader. Ensuring your decisions are ethical requires you to critically think about many details and moving parts. There are important questions you need to ask yourself and ethical traps you need to avoid. However, you can use Dr. Toner's six tests, Air Force guiding standards and principles, and Toner's supporting principles to help ensure your decisions or behaviors are ethical and don't have a negative impact on your organization's ethical climate. The consequences of your actions can have dire effects on those you lead within your organization. Senior NCOs can increase their effectiveness, impact their subordinates effectiveness, and ensure mission effectiveness by using ethical standards as a basis for good decision-making. Impact of Ethical Leadership Ethical Leadership is an ongoing process of earnest behavior and engaging in well-intentioned decision-making. As you learned in this chapter and have probably seen in your career, being an ethical leader isn't always an easy role to fill. However, it's imperative you understand how it directly impacts your effectiveness, your subordinates effectiveness, and your mission's effectiveness. In this section, you'll cover the impact of ethical leadership. Let's start by covering how ethical leadership can help your subordinates become and stay effective. Subordinate Effectiveness Effective leaders are fundamental to the success of any organization. However, they're also vital to the growth and development of the airmen within the organization as well. As an ethical leader, there are two key areas you should keep your airmen focused on, their commitment to the profession of arms, and their ability to make ethical choices. Air Force Core Doctrine Volume 2 Leadership Ethical Purpose By executing the oath of enlistment, airmen make a promise, an ethical agreement, or bond of a person's word. As a member of the profession of arms, your subordinates can be put in situations where they'll have to make ethical choices without any supervision. You can help them prepare for these situations by first reminding them of the reason they do what they do. Remembering their oath of enlistment can help them to order their actions by thinking about who or what they owe. Their oath should be the ethical foundation that everything else is built upon. If they internalize the oath, this should give them the foundation upon which to make good ethical choices. Additionally, as a result of our distinct subculture, we have rules and regulations that guide our profession. Impressing upon your airmen the importance of adhering to these codes, relying on them when faced with a choice between right or wrong, can help them make more ethical decisions. However, you should also caution them that in some cases, it's more effective to utilize prudence first when addressing the degree of right or wrong. Leaders at all levels should practice prudence first when making judgments about their own subordinates' behaviors. Institutional competency embodies airmen culture, warrior ethos. Reinforcing ethical codes can help you assist others in the development of the profession of arms. Finally, it's your responsibility to mentor your subordinates to help improve their ability to make ethical choices when the line between right and wrong isn't so easy to see. By using Dr. Toner's tests and his supporting principles, they can assess their potential courses of action to identify any second and third order effects, as well as to determine if they could reflect negatively on themselves, the organization, and ultimately the profession of arms. When operating in the gray area, your subordinates need to also be able to evaluate courses of action to determine if there are any risks associated with their decisions. In today's operational environment, the ends don't always justify the means. Sometimes the risk is just not worth the consequence. These lessons, weighing courses of action, determining risks, are skills that will require guidance from the Air Force and involvement from you. Institutional competency. Strategic thinking. Decision making. Establishing metrics and decision making criteria, example costs, benefits, risks, etc., to evaluate impact and results of COAs can help you identify any potential risks. Failure to help your people navigate through the gray area could cause them to make unethical choices or decisions. If this behavior spreads throughout your organization, it could cause your unit to tip to the less professional side of the continuum of professionalism. Senior NCOs must act and make decisions ethically. But more importantly, they must also lead ethically, in the ways they treat people in everyday interaction, in their attitudes, in the ways they encourage, and in the directions in which they steer their organizations. Ethical leadership is both visible and invisible. It becomes visible in the way the leader works with and treats others, in their behavior in public, in their statements and in their actions. The invisible aspect is in the leader's character, in their decision-making process, and in their courage to make ethical decisions in tough situations. Following the guiding principles you covered earlier should enable leaders to make the best decision possible when faced with ethical dilemmas. Institutional competency embodies airmen culture, ethical leadership. You should recognize, promote, and assess ethical leadership behaviors that reinforce the Air Force core values. As an ethical leader, you are expected to behave in ways that reinforce the Air Force guiding values and standards. You should have high self-esteem along with a healthy balance of personal pride and humility. Patience, persistence, and faith in decision-making skills can also help you act and lead ethically by promoting the behaviors that reinforce those of our institution. Additionally, it's your responsibility to assess the behaviors of others and determine if they're ethical or not. Due to the impact they can have on your organizational climate, you can't turn a blind eye to the unethical behaviors of others. This could give the impression that you aren't putting principle first, that you aren't ordering your priorities appropriately. For example, if your people believe you care more about yourself than others, an ethical trap that can certainly lead to breakdowns in trust and loyalty, you could open the door for more unethical behaviors to occur, impacting the profession of arms in a negative way. Leaders that are able to avoid ethical traps should be able to develop more appropriate courses of action when making ethical decisions. Remember, your subordinates will emulate your behavior. They're looking to you for guidance and leadership. It's your responsibility to be the positive example. Whether you lead a small section or are in charge of a large organization, the issue of ethical leadership is one you can't avoid. Only by embracing and applying what you've learned can you be absolutely certain that your actions will have a positive influence. Senior NCOs who don't demonstrate ethical behavior create a climate where unethical behavior is not only tolerated, it permeates through the organization resulting in loss of respect and trust. Mission Effectiveness Senior leaders should model ethical behavior in pursuit of mission effectiveness. If you want your organization to be seen as an ethically-minded organization, then it starts with you. Whether or not your organization tips toward less professional or more professional can depend on your actions and the actions of others you lead. Ethical leadership, or lack thereof, can have an impact on credibility and respect, both for you and the organization. Dr. Toner's shame test can help you put your actions and decisions into perspective by requiring you to consider if your actions would be humiliating or embarrassing to you and or our institution. If you've established yourself as an ethical leader, individuals within and outside the organization should respect you and the institution you represent. LA6 Joint Force Leadership Ethical behaviors can have an impact on the operational environment. When working with other service members and cultures, it's vital to exhibit ethical behaviors in order to maintain professional relationships. Gaining respect can lead to collaboration, something that might be vital to accomplishing your mission in either a cross-cultural or joint environment. Other organizations or cultures may be much more willing to collaborate with you if they know you'll always deal with them ethically, thus increasing your ability to accomplish your mission more effectively. As a leader, failing to act ethically can have a negative impact on the mission. For example, when dealing with others outside your organization, trust is a major factor in establishing relationships. If you can't be trusted or act unethically, others may make the assumption that, as a representative of your organization, this is behavior that can be expected from every member. This assumption may cause the relationship to suffer. If the relationship is important in order to conduct your mission and it breaks down, the mission may eventually break down as well. Consider a relationship with a sister service unit. How can you both share resources or build effective working relationships if there is a belief that you or your organization won't act ethically? Not only does this damage the joint relationship, it damages the essence of the profession of arms. In this section, you covered the impact that ethical leadership can have on subordinates, senior NCOs, and mission effectiveness. As a senior leader, you must hold yourself and others to the ethical standards of our institution. You should strive to exhibit ethical behaviors as a mentor for your people, commit to assessing ethical behaviors, making corrections if necessary, and fully embrace ethical leadership in all environments, joint and cross-cultural, in order to increase mission effectiveness. Being an ethical leader, leading ethically in all situations, isn't an easy task. However, everything we do as members of the profession of arms requires a dedication to doing just that, not just for your own integrity and character, but for the growth and development of your people and effective execution of your mission. Vinoba Bahave, an Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights, once said, a country should be defended not by arms, but by ethical behavior. Summarize Leadership is a privilege and a responsibility. It requires leaders to be ethical both in personal life and in performance of their duties. Leaders are role models whether they choose to be or not. They set the tone for the ethical stance of their subordinates and of the organizations that they lead. The principles discussed in this chapter provide an ethical framework that should guide actions, decisions, and behaviors not only in specific situations, but at all times. Among the most important characteristics that define an ethical leader are openness and honesty. The willingness to make the discussion of ethical issues and decisions a regular part of subordinate development and organizational success. When faced with ethical dilemmas, senior NCOs must find ways to develop the ability to put aside personal interest and ego while avoiding ethical traps in the interest of the situation or organization. When you act with professionalism, you help tip the entire organization to the positive side of the scale. As a leader, it's your responsibility to mentor others to lead. Your professionalism and leadership can move others to the right on the continuum of professionalism and have a transformational effect on the entire organization. Finally, and perhaps most important, an ethical leader never stops reexamining his or her own ethical assumptions and what it means to be an ethical leader. Like so many other important tasks, maintaining ethical leadership is ongoing. Ethical leadership doesn't end, and neither should your effort to continue to explore and practice ethical leadership. Key Terms Ethics, Page 3 Ethical Behavior, Page 3 Ethical Codes, Page 4 Ethical Dilemmas, Page 6 Ethical Leadership, Page 3 Ethically Minded Organization, Page 4 Ethical Principles, Page 9 Ethical Traps, Page 7 Five Steps of Ethical Decision Making, Page 14 Morals, Page 4 Values, Page 4