Clarity with regards to ethical foundations can propel us out of dilemmas, by granting us freedom, which bypasses the shackles of acquiescence and confusion.

1. P A T H T O F R E E D O M
E T H I C S L E A D E R S H I P B U S I N E S S I T

2. Flying fish can make powerful, self-propelled leaps out of
water into air, where their long, wing-like fins enable gliding
flight for considerabledistances above the water's surface.
This uncommon ability is a natural defense mechanismto
evade predators.
We will discuss how clarity with regards to ethical
foundations can propel us out of dilemmas, by granting us
freedom, which bypasses the shackles of acquiescence
and confusion.

3. General Approach
1. Walk in with your own understanding of ethics in leadership,
perhaps without having deconstructed its pieces
2. Explore collaboratively the foundationalcomponents of it
3. Walk away with a greater ability to analyze the ethical
arguments and the ethical posture of leaders, in order to
negotiate, influence, and lead

4. • Not as commonly implemented as one would think
• Not as easy to execute without a price
• Not always immediately profitable
• Worthy of deep investigation, especially when faced with the
digital disruption & AI

5. Focus Areas
• Deep dive into the components of ethics
• Who is a leader? Hireling or shepherd?
• What are the tools of an ethical leader?
• Why is it particularly important in IT today?
• What is your personal formula for ethical behavior?
• Scenarios in business
• Scenarios in IT

6. Definition of ethics
according to academia
Ethics or moral philosophy is the
branch of philosophy that
involves systematizing, defending,
and recommending concepts of
right and wrong conduct.
The term ethics derives from the
Ancient Greek word ἠθικός
ethikos, which is derived from the
word ἦθος ethos (habit,
"custom").

7. Historical Perspective (west)
• Utilitarian Approach
• Rights Approach
• Fairness or Justice Approach
• Common Good Approach
• Virtue Approach
• Ethical Problem Solving
Approach

8. Popular definitions today
Manuel Velasquez, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, S.J., and Michael J. Meyer
Sociologist Raymond Baumhart asked business people, "What does ethics mean to you?"
Among their replies were the following:
Ø"Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell me is right or
wrong.“
Ø"Ethics has to do with my religious beliefs.“
Ø"Being ethical is doing what the law requires.“
Ø"Ethics consists of the standards of behavior our society
accepts.“
Ø"I don't know what the word means."

9. Popular definitions today
Wikipedia:
ØEthical leadership is leadership that is
directed by respect for ethical beliefs
and values and for the dignity and rights
of others. It is related to the concepts
such as trust, honesty, consideration,
charisma, and fairness.

10. Popular definitions today
Wikipedia:
ØYour leadership ethics and values
should be visible because you live them
in your actions every single day. This
yields trust in the workplace.

11. The Components of the Framework
Framework of Reference
Values & Principles
Virtues

12. Example of how to reference components
Joe took a promotion in a company to
whom he has been loyal for many
years. The promotion package as
Senior X was appealing and he liked the
salary increase, which was comparable
to fair market value. He looked forward
to the new responsibilities, as well, since
they were to strengthen his posture.
Three months later, the company hires
two new senior X just like his, rendering
them a much higher salary and fewer
responsibilities than his.
No explanation is given for the disparity.
Framework of Reference
Values & Principles
Virtues

14. The importance of knowing what framework you are
referencing
• Cultural differences in a global market
• Examples of collisions:
• Pirated materials
• Illegal downloads
• Dissimilar appreciation for property
• Where necessity overtakes rights and privileges

15. Ethical Leaders

16. Being a strong leader is different from being a popular
leader, and being a popular leader is different from
being a righteous leader; and the ethics of leadership in
business requires that you make a choice about the
kind of leader you want to become, exhibit, and follow.

18. The framework of
reference
The value system Character to embrace it Courage to execute it
Determination and
perseverance to endure
the consequences
Validation

19. - The only thing a man owns is his reputation -
What does courage look like?

20. Decision presents itself
Reference the framework
Prepare, anticipate, and
expect negative repercussions
if ruling entities do not
reference or apply the same
framework
Work through a mental worse-
case scenario, and decide to
continue referencing the
framework
Remove personal agendas,
even if they are based on
positive outcomes
Remove the choice of ease of
action, versus difficult path
Act according to the
framework

21. Ethical behavior gets built from practicing a series of small instances, where the
person confirms the validity of behaving in the chosen manner

22. Status check…
• Are you able to identify your framework?
• Are you able to clearly define the values within it?
• Are you able to extract a prioritization mechanism based
on the framework and values?
• Are you able to articulate it?
• Are you able to communicate it in business?

23. Are you sounding like this?
…I just feel like it is the right thing to do…
…I believe that people would appreciate it if we went in this direction…
…I think it is fair to do it this way…

24. Is everyone that you are leading today
speaking the same language,
or understanding yours?

25. The strength of communication in ethics

27. Why is ethics particularly important in IT today?
• Instead of replacing manual labor, we
are automating cognitive work
• Second order technologies, such as:
genomics, nanotechnology, and robotics
will take the center stage
• Digitization of everything, privacy
assurance gaps, cybersecurity measures,
internet of things sprawl, artificial
intelligence
• 4 paradigm shifts:
• From the chip to the system
• From applications to architectures
• From products to platforms
• From bits to atoms

28. Some ethical steps feel like this

30. Caught in the wave and forced to ride it?

32. When nobody is watching…

33. Is there something out of order?

34. Leadership or charisma? Is there character growth seen in the individual or a
decay or ethical behaviour, masked underneath an engaging disposition?

35. Shepherd or hireling?
True leaders emulate proper following first, so that the
team is protected by behaving with wisdom and
prudence.

36. Engaging leaders
appeals to the masses
Leader utilizes emotion,
popular trends and calls
on how to benefit from
looking at ‘self’
followers begin to miss
the unspoken qualities
of reliability, decency,
true honesty, integrity
trust collides with sense
of awe about leader
truth is missed and
followers begin to
complain
with the economy of
trust shaken, the
currency of truth gains
value
Followers decide on
what is more important
to them, based on their
framework of reference
camouflage

37. Scenarios for Discussion

38. Man sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money in order to recuperate his health;
And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy
the present
The result being that he neither lives in the present nor the future;
He lives as if he were never going to die, and then dies having
never really lived