A good Leader is Creative but a Great Leader is Ethical
In my years as a business/board executive, I have invariably found that good leaders are not only creative but seem to have more energy, are more impulsive and are more responsive to emotions and feelings than the less creative manager.
The successful, creative business leader will usually possess fluent and flexible thinking and can generate numerous ideas rapidly.
Sometimes I have experienced working relationships with people such as this where there has been gradual operational improvement, including growth and profit which has pleased the board and shareholders immensely. Of course the trick with these creative managers is to ensure controls are in place to make the gains not only sustainable, but to bring everyone in the business along with the improvements and in fact make them an integral part of the decision making process.
The most successful leaders I have worked with, for, and been mentored by, are those with creativity which is underpinned by business and personal ethics. These are the leaders who can lead by example and motivate others to achieve with them.
I look at business ethics in today’s volatile and challenging market place, and I am somewhat amazed at the extent of how corporate leadership will compromise their ethics for short term gain. Maybe there is a bonus on the end of their decisions?
The success of a business goes well beyond creativity and financial accounting. Ethics in business along with culture and inclusive management could be seen as the driving force which determines how well the business performs.
There is no doubt that when the management philosophy is based on a balance of creativity and ethical practices the benefits to operational performance will be enormous. Running a business on an ethical basis will build a stronger culture of cooperation between individuals in management which has a flow on effect right through every level of the organisation.
When the people at the top lead the company in an ethical manner, the rest of the employees will follow suit. This has a resultant positive effect on productivity and overall levels of morale.
But business ethics reaches far beyond employee morale and morale. The ethical business relates to sustainable improvements in profitability, image, and reputation.
All of this approach in creativity, underpinned by uncompromised ethical standards, must form an integral part of your strategic business plan. No matter what the business is, whether it is a factory, supermarket, or even a NFP organisation, although the products and processes may differ, the principles of sound management remain the same
