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Ethics and Leadership

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How do health leaders foster a culture of ethics, morality and social responsibility?
Ethics is the adherence to a set of values that an organization establishes. This process services as an instrument for facilities to address ethical issues regarding management and relationship decisions. It is the leader’s responsibility to drive the culture of the organization. Leader’s personal values and standards will drive the goals, policies and practices of an organization. Leaders must has a set of personal values that reflect the mission of the organization. How they set the example in responding morally to challenges within the organization will establish values and therefore norms and social relationships. Their views backed by actions will foster a culture of ethics, sense of social responsibility and morality for others to follow.

Is morality a legal issue or leader issue?
Morality is both a legal issue and leader issue. I asked one of my young six year old neighbors to tell me what it means to be moral. Her response was “do what is right.” This sounds very simple in concept. However, in legal context, it is not so much “black and white.” There are several examples of moral dilemmas relevant to the health care setting. End-of-life issues have been the topic of debate over countless years. Other more current examples involve the balance of service quality at the expense of business productivity and sustainability. Morality therefore becomes subjective, which is why we have a legal system in place to ensure compliance to a socially acceptable set of rules and guidelines of what is right. Within organizations, leaders have the ability to set the tone of the organization. It is the leader’s responsibility to set the example for others in the organization to follow. If a leader has no personal set of morals, then he has no ability to lead and shape

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