[This post is based on a message Paul gave at a leadership retreat in early 2008]

“What is ethics in leadership?”  This is one of the most significant questions an aspiring leader can ask.  It is one of the most significant questions they can ask themselves.  Because, the heart of good leadership is not the ability to move many of people or even just move people…it is the ability to move people well while not compromising values and identify. And it begs two questions:  1) What is Leadership?  2) What is ethics?

What is leadership?  What does it mean to lead?  How you define terms speaks to your future ability and the leadership ceiling you give yourself.  Most of us would define leadership based on what we have seen in other leaders, people who have influenced us in the past.  In them we saw leadership as perhaps the the large mahogany desk, success and/or position.  It was power and suits and recognition.  A common misconception of leadership is that it is power and position.

You can have power and not be a leader.  The most “powerful” person on a football team is often not the leader.  Compare a Penn State Linebacker to Joe Paterno.  Who is more powerful?  Now, many have used power to acquire or take leadership.  A Middle East quo is a maneuvers of power to acquire leadership.  It is negotiations with tanks and armies.  But still the person with the most power might not be the leader.  Neither is leadership is about position.  A “lame-duck” president has all the position he could ever have but be unable to move legislation or execute his agenda.  

John Maxwell defines leadership best.  Leadership=influence.  The person who can move, impact, change, and effect others is a leader.  The leader brings change.  If you are an agent of change you are a leader and it has nothing to do with power or position.  It is leadership suicide to assume that because you have been given a position you now posses leadership.  You are not the leader until you have influence.  It is a leadership fact, people will always follow the leader.  The question remains, “Are you the leader?”  Do you have influence?  How you acquire influence will be the measure of your humanity, morality and leadership.  You can gain it by fear and you can acquire it by friendship.  But you are not the leader until you have influence.

Why are leaders tempted to compromise integrity for influence?  Can you have both?