STATEMENT OF BELIEF AND INTENT

Ethical leadership is grounded in the belief that people live and work and prosper through relationships of respect, trust and co-operation.  The most important energy source in the world is not the oil or electricity that drive our industries and support our life styles, but rather the power of human relationships.  When these are focused on service and concern for others, they become an unstoppable force for good.

In the 21st century humanity has come to a turning point in its affairs as societies are challenged to live more responsibly in an interconnected global community struggling to find its way into a sustainable future.  The hard choices on this agenda will be ethically based and societies everywhere are in need of strong ethical leadership to ensure that the right choices are made.

This is an issue of competence.  We are required as individuals, organizations and society as a whole to become ethically competent.  We now understand that human beings are endowed with multiple intelligences, one of which is ethical intelligence—the ability to know what is the right thing to do in a given situation.  Ethical competence, therefore, is a learned capability based on ethical intelligence that results in choices of right action to build smooth, harmonious, powerful relationships at every level in society.

The Institute for Ethical Leadership was created to bring a focus on this need for ethics in leadership.  It serves as a beacon to raise the consciousness of society about the importance of ethical leadership and to develop the necessary programs of education, learning and community action.

The Institute recognizes that the agenda to bring such learning into every part of society is both important and urgent.  We are committed to advance this work as a contribution to creating a successful and sustainable future and legacy for future generations.