Many ethics courses focus on compliance and legal issues rather than character and moral issues.
Higher-powered executives are less likely to consider how their decisions affect people. Basically, once a leader receives power, this diminishes their ability to see from another person’s perspective.
In addition, they have a tendency to exploit others. They have entitled justifications for lying, cheating, and stealing. Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay explained his criminal behavior at his sentencing trial for fraud and corruption this way, “We had realized the American dream and were living a very expensive lifestyle, the type of lifestyle where it is difficult to turn off the spigot.” (Source: Kaiser & Curphy)
For your corporate leaders, do you focus on the character and moral implications of their decisions?
