Leadership and Ethics: The Central Role of Human Qualities – August 2024

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I train and coach leaders every week. The most common mistake I encounter is confusing reasons and objectives. The French language doesn’t help in this regard, as “Pourquoi” and “Pour quoi” sound identical. Yet, the first questions the causes, the reasons, while the second questions the goals, the objectives. This nuance may seem minimal, and yet it is the source of many confusions.

The crisis of values and the human qualities in leadership

We are living in an era marked by the “Great Resignation“, an ethical and values crisis, exacerbated by the gap between the promises of companies and daily reality. This leads us to reflect on the essential qualities of a leader. During my sessions, the answer is unanimous: human qualities are essential. Empathy, listening, kindness, honesty, communication skills, availability, and humility are regularly cited. A “good leader” is therefore above all a “good person.” These human qualities are crucial for inspiring trust and respect, without which no leadership is possible. The current era mainly requires human qualities and a sincere commitment to ethical values.

Attracting and retaining talent through ethics

Attracting and retaining talent depends essentially on employees’ daily experiences. Often, organizations invest in costly strategies without consulting those who are most affected: the employees. The consultations I conduct reveal that management is often the main reason for departures. The most frequent complaints concern a lack of autonomy and trust. This reinforces the idea that a company cannot hope to retain its talent or achieve optimal performance without a clear commitment to ethical and human management. It is possible to effectively make the paradigms of complication (technique, technology…) and the complexity of the living (nature, human relations…) coexist. To do this, one must know how to distinguish them and use the appropriate tools for each.

Ethics as the compass of leadership?

Leadership is not an intrinsic quality but is recognised by others. That’s why it is acquired. Traditional management is losing its appeal, with many employees reluctant to accept promotions that position them between the conflicting demands of management and teams. This trend reflects an outdated view of leadership, seen as authoritarian and punitive. Current management training often focuses too much on technical skills and not enough on leadership skills suited to a complex environment. This imbalance leads to management problems, affecting team well-being and manager effectiveness.

At the heart of a changing world, where contradictions between stated values and observed behaviours are increasing, the ethical leader emerges as the central pillar of a new professional harmony. Through their actions, they connect the ethical aspirations of the company to the personal values of employees, creating an ecosystem where commitment and performance naturally arise from this alignment.

Laurent Romagny

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