Question 1
Character is a very important ingredient in ethical leadership. This is especially because leadership comes with certain powers and privileges that may be used for either personal benefits or public development or progress. Leaders have the opportunity to control the allocation of resources to various departments. Unscrupulous leaders are usually corrupt and involve themselves in grand embezzlement of funds. Therefore, character is especially crucial for managers since they have the power to control resources.
Cases of managers using their positions to acquire sexual favors from the opposite sex in exchange for job favors and raises are very common. Such scandals arise from the lack of character in the leaders- managers and CEOs. CEOs have to have character especially because they are a symbol of the organization. Anything they do and say is reflective of the company. Similarly, leaders act like a light and guide to other employees. They set the pace on how people should treat one another. A manager of good character will automatically cause junior employees to follow suit and strive to improve their mannerisms by induction (Monks and Minow, 2008).
Question 2
` I totally agree with the waiter rule as a way of analyzing a person’s character. Character is that trait that a person unveils when there is nothing to gain. It is what you do instinctively to others or just as an activity. It is similar to having a researcher pose as a passive observer under observation. The waiter rule to this extent clearly reflects whether one is suitable as a leader. The waiter’s rule may provide a lot of information on whether one is a moral or ethical leader. However, this is the case when the people under investigation are unaware of the study being conducted. Moreover, it is necessary to note that it is not a conclusive test as a person’s behavior may vary depending on other factors such as mood or environment. It is actually inaccurate to assume that a person will relate exactly the same way with everyone.
When corporate boards are hiring, the candidates are subjected to vigorous interviews to obtain a holistic view of the person to be hired. This may involve a test to determine their technical capabilities or a group activity to evaluate their effectiveness in working with teams. These aspects of the interview are easily measurable and it is not easy for the candidates to fake or cheat during this process (Lambs, Hair and McDaniels, 2012). However, there is no specific way to measure a person character especially if one knows that he or she is under scrutiny. This is known as the Hawthorne effect, and it affects very many research studies. Therefore, even though corporate boards may want to consider character when hiring, it may be quite complicated to establish how valid and true people are.
Question 3
Much as the waiter rule is effective in judging a person’s true character it is not sufficient as a factor in determining who to hire as a CEO. Factors that are more significant have to come into play. These include technical knowhow and even work experience. These important factors have to be considered since the major aim of hiring a CEO is to ensure efficient running of the organization. However, it is a very good way of choosing between two or three candidates of almost equal qualifications (Swanson, 2004).
References
Lamb, C. W., Hair, J. F., & McDaniel, C. D. (2012). Essentials of Marketing (7th Ed.). Mason,
Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Monks, R. A., & Minow, N. (2008). Corporate Governance (4th Ed.). Chichester, England: John
Wiley & Sons.
Swanson, W. H. (2004). Swanson's Unwritten Rules of Management. Waltham, MA: Raytheon.
