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ETHICS AND LEADERSHIP - SOC355/SOC555 Spring 2025
Course
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Joshua Hayden
One of the most universal cravings of the human spirit is for leadership that is grounded in character, one that reaches beyond success to significance. Many say that our times are defined by a leadership crisis, a void of courageous voices that inspire through the integrity of their lives. Contemporary leadership theorists have sought to define this inner quality that is the bedrock of values-based leadership, refusing to describe it as an amoral activity. Our purpose is to create a bridge between the ability to lead others and moral character. Using an interdisciplinary approach to understand leadership, we will explore the lives, values, and philosophies of eight leaders, examining both successes and failures. This course seeks to hone students’ analytical capabilities, to foster their understanding of key concepts of the leadership literature, to help them develop a set of systematic ideas regarding moral leadership, and to stimulate their capacity for self-awareness as potential leaders and as informed and responsible followers.
“Character matters, we believe, because without it, trust, justice, freedom, community, and stability are probably impossible.”
– James Davison Hunter, sociologist
Spring 2025 Syllabus is here: /files/6204760/SOC355-555-Ethics_and_Leadership-S25-Hayden(2).docx
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Date |
Class Agenda |
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Session 1 January 30 |
Topic: The Challenge of Ethical Leadership Description: We begin this course with a case study from which to draw out some challenges involved in good leadership. This will set the tone for the framework of this course, which includes the intersection of learning from history, sociology and philosophical ethics—the lived experiences of leaders and their followers within historical, social, and cultural contexts. Also to include a short introduction to the field of leadership ethics. Assignments/deadlines: ● Read this syllabus |
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Session 2 February 6 |
Topic: Charismatic Leadership and the centrality of trust: Angela Merkel Description: We explore and critique sociologist Max Weber’s view of the charismatic leader in this session. We are inspired or magnetically drawn to certain figures and the Western obsession with heroes is a powerful myth many grow up with. When we talk about leadership we often talk about people with a vision they want to impart to others. Yet, is charisma a helpful notion when it comes to understanding the emotional relationship that is at the heart of leadership? We consider in this session the dynamics of trust and the justification based on ability or virtue that can drive leaders and followers to unethical ends. In part, we do this by exploring the life and leadership of Angela Merkel, 16 years the Chancellor of Germany, noticing how contrary she is to the charismatic mold, but yet how effective and stable she was as a leader. Readings: 1. Solomon, “The Myth of Charisma” from Ciulla The Ethics of Leadership 2. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany ch. 11 in Howell & Wanasika (2019) Snapshots of Great Leadership. 3. Weber, “Legitimate Authority and Charisma” from Ciulla The Ethics of Leadership Assignments/deadlines: · Critical reading questions on NEO (post 2 according to the criteria shared in class) |
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February 13 NO MEETING |
[NO CLASS MEETING; WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT] Reading: 1. Ciulla, “Habits and Virtues: Does It Matter if a Leader Kicks a Dog?” from Rivista Internazionale di Filosofia e Psicologia, 5 (3). |
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Session 3 February 20 |
Topic: Ethics and Effectiveness: Steve Jobs and Self-Control Description: Jobs was a brilliant person and innovator but the record is not so good in terms of how he treated people. On the other hand, Jobs espoused the discipline of simplicity and self-control of Zen Buddhism, to which he ascribed throughout his career. Self-control is the virtue that keeps the other virtues grounded as it implies a long-term perspective and patience towards others and one’s work. Yet his biographer, Walter Issacson explains that Jobs often treated his employees as means to an end. We will consider here Immanuel Kant’s deontological ethics and apply it to Job’s leadership as well as our own. Reading:
Assignments/deadlines:
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Session 4 February 27 |
Topic: Transforming Leadership and Wisdom: Queen Elizabeth I Description: Among the modern leadership theories that does taken into account the morality of leadership, political scientist James MacGregor Burn’s classic theory of Transforming Leadership positions the leadership relationship not only as reciprocal but as elevating morally. Relying on social scientists like Abraham Maslow and Lawrence Kohlberg, leadership for Burns is about rising above the rhetoric, conflict and nastiness of human relationships in the pursuit of social reform. In this session we will be joined by historian, Dr. Gerald Power of AAU who is currently teaching a course on Elizabeth I and will have dialogue with us about her life and times, and lessons about moral leadership. Reading: 1. Burns, “The Structure of Moral Leadership”, in Leadership. 2. Read Sprott, “Lessons from Elizabeth” at https://kyliesprott.com/top-10-leadership-lessons/ Assignments/deadlines: ● Critical reading questions on NEO ● Discussion leadership #2 (Nesa) |
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Session 5 March 6 |
Topic: Ubuntu and Magnanimity: Nelson Mandela Description: Ubuntu in South African culture is the concept that means “my selfhood is contingent upon your selfhood: I am well if you are well.” It is a unique contrast to the Western cannon of virtues that tend toward individualism and cognitive principles. Magnanimity implies a kind of generosity especially towards rivals, and a prudence in moving forward in relationship with those formally alienated. This was certainly needed after Apartheid ended and Mandela was one who led the way, but also built the capacity of his black and white countrymen, “the rainbow nation”, to build the country’s future together. Reading: 1. Boehmer, “Mandela’s Ethical Legacy” from Nelson Mandela: A Very Short Introduction. 2. Watch: “Nelson Mandela, Anti-Apartheid Activist and World Leader” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyfOrbO0xf4
3. Irwin, “Magnanimity as Generosity” pgs. 1-6 (excerpt) from Measures of Greatness. Assignments/deadlines: ● Critical reading questions on NEO ● Discussion leadership #3 (Josie and Kateryna) |
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Session 6 March 13 |
Topic: Courage, Followership and Strategy: Delores Huerta & Caesar Chavez Description: Delores Huerta was a somewhat overlooked and vital leader in the Farm workers movement in California in the 20th Century. Along with Caesar Chavez, she led a small group of dedicated Mexican-Americans who worked strategically for impoverished worker communities launching a movement for labor rights among powerful growers and state government. We will watch a recent documentary called Delores, which captures her dedication and sacrifice but more importantly her practice of the virtue of courage. Reading:
Assignments/deadlines: · Critical reading questions on NEO · Discussion leadership #4 (Lillian) |
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Session 7 March 20 |
Topic: Bad Leadership: Sepp Blatter Description: Sepp Blatter was the President of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) for 17 years brought down by scandal and corruption charges. Though we have been studying good leaders for the most part, it is instructive to draw lessons from bad leaders—whether corrupt or incompetent or lacking in self-awareness of their weaknesses. Barbara Kellerman’s book Bad Leadership offers some insights into why bad leadership happens and how we can avoid it. Reading: 1. Kellerman, “How Bad Leadership Happens” in Leader to Leader. Executive Forum. 2. “Sepp Blatter: Past President of FIFA”. In ch. 33 Howell & Wanasika (2019) Snapshots of Great Leadership. Assignments/deadlines: ● Critical reading questions on NEO ● Midterm test |
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March 27 |
Mid-term break: Enjoy! |
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Session 9 April 3 |
Topic: Justice and Leadership: Leymah Gbowee Description: Leymah Gbowee is a Liberian social worker who led a women’s movement for peace during a civil war between the Liberian government under the dictator Charles Taylor and warlords in Sierra Leone. Her nonviolent struggle brought together Christian and Muslim women from the refugee camps who succeeded in forging a peace deal, the exile of Charles Taylor, and election of the first female African president. We will examine her tactics and how she practiced justice in the midst of bloodshed and crisis. Reading: 1. “Leymah Gbowee: Liberian Leader of Women in Peacebuilding Network”, ch 25 in Howell & Wanasika (2019) Snapshots of Great Leadership. 2. Price, ch. 5 “Permission and Consent” from Leadership Ethics: An Introduction. Assignments/deadlines: ● Critical reading questions on NEO ● Discussion leadership #5 (Ava & Mariia) |
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Session 10 April 10 |
Topic: Responsible Leadership: Indra Nooyi Description: As CEO of PepsiCo, Indian-born Indra Nooyi introduced social responsibility into her multinational corporation in a way few have done before. Some say the purpose of business is simply to maximize profits, some say the balance of profits and social responsibility, but Nooyi found ways to take a soft drink company and make it responsive to a health and environmental crisis. We will discuss how she accomplished this and why in a competitive business environment. Reading:
Assignments/deadlines: ● Critical reading questions on NEO ● Discussion leadership #6 (Temur) |
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Session 11 April 17 |
Topic: The Ethics of Hope: Václav Havel Description: We will discuss the life of Václav Havel as a playwright, community-builder, founder of Charter 77, failure and imprisonment, intellectual influences, and Civic Forum facilitator and moral force. He was nicknamed “The Carbon” because of his ability to bond people together for a common purpose, but he also challenged his countrymen to take responsibility and shoulder the work of recovery from 40 years of a repressive communist system. We will discuss the theological virtue of hope in the context of spiritual leadership in the dissident actions of Havel that brought him into the Presidency of the Czech Republic. Reading:
Assignments/deadlines: ● Critical reading questions on NEO ● Discussion leadership #7 (Nadia and Keston) ● Ethics Application Project due |
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Session 12 April 24 |
Topic: Faith and Leadership: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Description: German pastor and professor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer is considered one of Europe’s all-time greatest theological thinkers, but he was more than that. A life-long pacifist, he became involved in a plot during WWII to assassinate Adolf Hitler and resisted Nazism in underground communities during the war. He was one of the few to protest the German church’s (Catholic and protestant) capitulation to Hitler’s regime. He has been called a “prophet” and a “martyr” for his life work and imprisonment and execution weeks before the war ended. Reading:
Assignments/deadlines: ● Critical reading questions on NEO ● Discussion leadership #8 (Martha) ● Evaluative Framework for Comparative Leadership Analysis due |
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May 1 and May 8 |
State Holidays |
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Session 13 May 15 |
Topic: Compassionate Leadership: Jacinda Ardern Description: As the youngest prime minister in New Zealand’s history, Jacinda Ardern could be seen as an example of a new paradigm of leadership in government. She faced several crises including a terrorist attack on a NZ mosque and COVID-19. Leading right up to her resignation as Prime Minister, Ardern also faced misogynistic assertions of her opponents, as well as the media, as she sought to address some of the most difficult issues facing any government. We will discuss the ethics of compassion in public leadership in this session. Reading:
Assignments/deadlines:
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Session 14 May 20 |
Topic: Ethics and Leadership: The lessons from experience Description: Students will share their insights from their comparative ethical leadership analysis research papers. We will draw out some commonalities and students will be asked to write in class about the dominant themes about ethics and leadership that they have observed across the leaders we have studied. Reading:
Assignments/deadlines: ● Comparative Leadership Analysis Paper due |
Here is the course outline:
1. The Challenge of Ethical Leadership
3.26
We begin this course with a case study from which to draw out some challenges involved in good leadership. This will set the tone for the framework of this course, which includes the intersection of learning from history, sociology and philosophical ethics—the lived experiences of leaders and their followers within historical, social, and cultural contexts. Also to include a short introduction to the field of leadership ethics. |
2. Charismatic Leadership and the centrality of trust: Angela Merkel
Feb 6, 3.10
We explore and critique sociologist Max Weber’s view of the charismatic leader in this session. We are inspired or magnetically drawn to certain figures and the Western obsession with heroes is a powerful myth many grow up with. When we talk about leadership we often talk about people with a vision they want to impart to others. Yet, is charisma a helpful notion when it comes to understanding the emotional relationship that is at the heart of leadership? We consider in this session the dynamics of trust and the justification based on ability or virtue that can drive leaders and followers to unethical ends. In part, we do this by exploring the life and leadership of Angela Merkel, 16 years the Chancellor of Germany, noticing how contrary she is to the charismatic mold, but yet how effective and stable she was as a leader. |
3. Ethics and Effectiveness: Steve Jobs and Self-Control
Feb 20, 3.10
Jobs was a brilliant person and innovator but the record is not so good in terms of how he treated people. On the other hand, Jobs espoused the discipline of simplicity and self-control of Zen Buddhism, to which he ascribed throughout his career. Self-control is the virtue that keeps the other virtues grounded as it implies a long-term perspective and patience towards others and one’s work. Yet his biographer, Walter Issacson explains that Jobs often treated his employees as means to an end. We will consider here Immanuel Kant’s deontological ethics and apply it to Job’s leadership as well as our own. |
4. Transforming Leadership and Wisdom: Queen Elizabeth I
Feb 27, 3.10
Among the modern leadership theories that does taken into account the morality of leadership, political scientist James MacGregor Burn’s classic theory of Transforming Leadership positions the leadership relationship not only as reciprocal but as elevating morally. Relying on social scientists like Abraham Maslow and Lawrence Kohlberg, leadership for Burns is about rising above the rhetoric, conflict and nastiness of human relationships in the pursuit of social reform. In this session we will be joined by historian, Dr. Gerald Power of AAU who is currently teaching a course on Elizabeth I and will have dialogue with us about her life and times, and lessons about moral leadership. |
5. Ubuntu and Magnanimity: Nelson Mandela
Mar 6, 3.10
Ubuntu in South African culture is the concept that means “my selfhood is contingent upon your selfhood: I am well if you are well.” It is a unique contrast to the Western cannon of virtues that tend toward individualism and cognitive principles. Magnanimity implies a kind of generosity especially towards rivals, and a prudence in moving forward in relationship with those formally alienated. This was certainly needed after Apartheid ended and Mandela was one who led the way, but also built the capacity of his black and white countrymen, “the rainbow nation”, to build the country’s future together. |
6. Courage, Followership and Strategy: Delores Huerta & Caesar Chavez
Mar 13, 3.10
Delores Huerta was a somewhat overlooked and vital leader in the Farm workers movement in California in the 20th Century. Along with Caesar Chavez, she led a small group of dedicated Mexican-Americans who worked strategically for impoverished worker communities launching a movement for labor rights among powerful growers and state government. We will watch a recent documentary called Delores, which captures her dedication and sacrifice but more importantly her practice of the virtue of courage. |
7. Bad Leadership: Sepp Blatter
Mar 20, 3.10
Sepp Blatter was the President of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) for 17 years brought down by scandal and corruption charges. Though we have been studying good leaders for the most part, it is instructive to draw lessons from bad leaders—whether corrupt or incompetent or lacking in self-awareness of their weaknesses. Barbara Kellerman’s book Bad Leadership offers some insights into why bad leadership happens and how we can avoid it. |
8. Justice and Leadership: Leymah Gbowee
Apr 3, 3.10
Leymah Gbowee is a Liberian social worker who led a women’s movement for peace during a civil war between the Liberian government under the dictator Charles Taylor and warlords in Sierra Leone. Her nonviolent struggle brought together Christian and Muslim women from the refugee camps who succeeded in forging a peace deal, the exile of Charles Taylor, and election of the first female African president. We will examine her tactics and how she practiced justice in the midst of bloodshed and crisis. |
9. Responsible Leadership: Indra Nooyi
Apr 10, 3.10
As CEO of PepsiCo, Indian-born Indra Nooyi introduced social responsibility into her multinational corporation in a way few have done before. Some say the purpose of business is simply to maximize profits, some say the balance of profits and social responsibility, but Nooyi found ways to take a soft drink company and make it responsive to a health and environmental crisis. We will discuss how she accomplished this and why in a competitive business environment. |
10. The Ethics of Hope: Václav Havel
Apr 17, 3.10
We will discuss the life of Václav Havel as a playwright, community-builder, founder of Charter 77, failure and imprisonment, intellectual influences, and Civic Forum facilitator and moral force. He was nicknamed “The Carbon” because of his ability to bond people together for a common purpose, but he also challenged his countrymen to take responsibility and shoulder the work of recovery from 40 years of a repressive communist system. We will discuss the theological virtue of hope in the context of spiritual leadership in the dissident actions of Havel that brought him into the Presidency of the Czech Republic. |
11. Faith and Leadership: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Apr 24, 3.10
German pastor and professor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer is considered one of Europe’s all-time greatest theological thinkers, but he was more than that. A life-long pacifist, he became involved in a plot during WWII to assassinate Adolf Hitler and resisted Nazism in underground communities during the war. He was one of the few to protest the German church’s (Catholic and protestant) capitulation to Hitler’s regime. He has been called a “prophet” and a “martyr” for his life work and imprisonment and execution weeks before the war ended. |
12. Compassionate Leadership: Jacinda Ardern
May 15, 3.10
As the youngest prime minister in New Zealand’s history, Jacinda Ardern could be seen as an example of a new paradigm of leadership in government. She faced several crises including a terrorist attack on a NZ mosque and COVID-19. Leading right up to her resignation as Prime Minister, Ardern also faced misogynistic assertions of her opponents, as well as the media, as she sought to address some of the most difficult issues facing any government. We will discuss the ethics of compassion in public leadership in this session. |
13. Ethics and Leadership: The lessons from experience
May 13 11:30am .. 2pm, 2.07
Students will share their insights from their comparative ethical leadership analysis research papers. We will draw out some commonalities and students will be asked to write in class about the dominant themes about ethics and leadership that they have observed across the leaders we have studied. |