Ethics and Young Leaders
Introduction
The advent of technology and the incorporation of technological advancement in the running of today’s major corporations and other public entities have thrust young leaders into positions of leadership. Their influence is critical in significant decision making and implementation of policies and investment options of major corporations in the world today that touch every sector of the economy, such as telecommunication, transport, and others. As compared to the older employees and business leaders who, according to societal factors, are considered conservatives on matters of ethics, young public leaders due to the dynamic nature of the current business environment and inexperience may compromise on business ethics.
According to the Ethics Resource Center, which is a nonprofit organization study on Generational Differences in Workplace Ethics, young people are more likely to break ethical rules in workplaces as compared to older generations. This may be due to the integration of personal life into the workplace environment, which may compromise ethical standards, for example, the inability to differentiate between family and workplace issues and how best to overcome them.
Leaders, irrespective of the generational divide, make ethics an essential part of their leadership agenda. Power and status, which come with leadership positions, may at times prove difficult to young leaders in maintaining ethical standards due to inexperience (Brown & Trevino 2006). Moral standards are supposed to be set for others to follow, and young leaders are expected to follow these themselves, but due to inexperience, they may find it difficult.
Most young leaders, due to inexperience, also tend to lack skills in social and emotional intelligence, problem-solving and conflict resolution mechanisms, and the ability to inspire and motivate others (Redmond & Dolan, 2016). This may compromise workplace ethical standards, especially among the older generation who may look down upon such leaders and in the process disregarding set rules and regulations.
Additionally, young leaders maybe are motivated by a personal desire to succeed with the societal pressures, and the potential rewards that may exist may make them engage in ethical practices. Also due to inexperience and lack of connection to an organization may make young leaders try to accrue personal power in any way they can and consequently involve themselves in vices such as fraud, biasness which may go against organizational ethics and values. In my professional experience, I have witnessed deliberate violations of company policies in different areas, which I consider unethical; some of them include theft, coercion, bribery, and manipulation of accounts, especially youthful managers who are motivated by quick wealth.
However, on the contrary, young leaders have also shown exemplary leadership skills in many sectors. They have created many opportunities in different organizations where they have conclusively demonstrated their leadership skills. This has made many organizations to prioritize attracting, retaining, and motivating these young leaders and to align their personal values to the professional expectations and ethical standards (Lechner et al., 2018). With the newly acquired skills, especially in the technology sector, many young people all over the world have become influential leaders in the public industry and also in private corporations, and their services are highly sought after.