Ethical values are sets of principles a leader has, which guides his/ her behavior and of those he/ she works with. These help a leader to decide what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in a work place, and what actions are to be taken when behaviors are not in line with those values. As outlined by De Hoogh and Dem Hartog in Ethical and Despotic Leadership (p 297), promotion of ethical leadership in organization is thought to be uniquely important because of the impact leaders may have on others in the organization. In 21st century we have experienced incidents of ethical leadership failure in both public and private sectors, and this includes political, finance and business institutions.
Lacking values based leaders has caused this failure in ethical leadership. Having leaders who are not self-serving, exploiting their subordinates, and lacking ethical values has caused both public and private sectors to experience failure as leaders are driven by profits and care little for the growth of an organization.
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