5 Suggestions for Using Experiential Learning Methods to Develop Ethical Leadership

Can experiential learning methods contribute to the development of more ethical leadership?

We generally think of leadership as setting direction, building commitment, influencing others and creating the conditions in which change can be implemented.

But what underpins this, in order to make our leadership ethical and sustainable?

Social media has opened up and drawn attention to leadership behaviour that may be effective in achieving the results that the leader wants but is questionable in terms of its integrity and ethics. Those in powerful positions as leaders of countries, businesses and even charitable institutions, who should be role models for our societies and future leaders, are in the spotlight more than ever before and behaviours that may have been acceptable in the past are no longer deemed to be acceptable.

As our communities (including professional organisations and businesses) become more diverse, and the problems we face more inter-connected and complex, conventions change and values shift, and this creates a huge challenge to ethical leadership. What used to be universally accepted as good, true, right and just, is now questioned continually, creating an environment that makes it very difficult for values-based leaders to identify, and stick to, their guiding principles and beliefs.