Plinio (2009) reviewed three commonly correlated leadership theories to ethical leadership. The first classical leadership theory that associates with ethical leadership is transforming leadership. “Transforming leadership ultimately becomes moral in that it raises the level of human conduct and ethical aspiration of both leader and led, and thus it has a transforming effect on both” (Burns, 1978, p. 134). The second is servant leadership, which emphasizes the need to serve followers and devote oneself to the ethical development of followers. The third classical leadership theory is authentic leadership. Plinio (2009) states that the very essence of ethics is being true to oneself and authentic.
Sandel (2009) notes three common historical approaches to ethical leadership. The first approach is the leader maximizing the welfare of followers as defined by Utilitarianism Theory. The second is a leader protecting the freedom of individuals, which is noted in Libertarianism Theory. Third, a leader is focused solely on promoting the right thing to do, regardless of consequence, as seen in Kant’s Ethical Theory. A leader’s decision making process and determining what is ethical often stems from a variation of one of these three historical approaches to ethics, according to the author.
Skovira and Harmon (2006) developed the idea of ethical ecology within organizations. The authors define this concept as the moral landscape or ethical environment in which leaders operate. This landscape influences the leader’s decision-making within the organization. The author identified common constructs that help identify an organization’s ethical environment. These are “corporate policy, codes of conduct, financial affairs, environmental concerns, human resources, organizational reputation, relationships, and the leader’s personal moral frame” (p. 164).
Ethics develop standards by which a leader can judge the effects different behavior have on one another (Hickman, 1998). In summary, ethics comes down to a choice to influence oneself and others in doing the right thing. Ethical leadership is not about a process but rather a way of being and making the right choice (Darcy, 2010). As a result, the inner morality of a leader will be examined.