In business, employees learn what your company expects from them by how you behave. You should be the one to display acceptable behavior.
To have a more principled company, Forbes suggests that you demonstrate the following ethical behaviors.
Stay accountable and lead by example
Employees and clients appreciate a leader who can admit his or her shortcomings. If you make a mistake, do not blame someone else. Instead, admit your wrongdoings and better yourself.
Remain consistent in morals and values
Never exchange your ethical standards for convenience. If you want your business to respect others, to show integrity, then it must begin with you. Use your values as a foundation for major decisions and when you hire other leaders, ensure that they share your values. When it comes time to make a tough call, let your morals guide you to the correct decision and remain consistent about it. Your decisions should be predictable based on your values.
Remember to put others first
Selfish business owners do not think about how their actions affect those around them or their community. External awareness shows that you can think of more than yourself and that you value being an ethical leader.
Some ways that you can commit to strong ethical leadership are to:
- Invest in your employees
- Support your community
- Provide value to your customer
- Remain fair and ethical with suppliers
How you treat others will tell the clients, potential business allies and others a lot about your character. Think less about what a person or relationship can do for you but who they are as a person.