What Happened to Ethics?

Many ethical questions follow on the heels of scandals such as major league baseball players' alleged steroid abuse and former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's prostitution fiasco. Who is lying? Who has integrity? Where are people's consciences?

In times like these, with everyone from baseball heroes to elected officials making questionable choices, how can good, ethical leaders set a positive example for society? According to some educators, they need to be taught.
Follow the leader
An unintended result of recent public ethical lapses has been a stronger focus on ethics in the classroom. Many schools are incorporating -- and mandating, in some cases -- ethics classes within various programs, including business and journalism, with the aim of creating leaders worth following.

"People follow they can trust and respect," says Kenneth Blanchard, co-founder of an international management training and consulting firm, The Ken Blanchard Companies. "A central core in leadership is being truthful."

As professor of leadership and organizational behavior at the Ken Blanchard Executive M.B.A. program at Grand Canyon University, Blanchard teaches a core theme of what he calls "servant leadership." The decision to serve rather than to be served is key to effective leadership, he says.

"We teach students that sometimes when the numbers look right, the decision is still wrong," he says. "A lot of ethics are instilled by operating on a set of values." For example, he conducts an ethics check when making decisions both in his company and in the classroom: Is it legal? Is it fair to everyone involved? Would you like to see what you have done published in tomorrow's newspaper?