Assignment #6

1.     I found an example of ethical leadership when Mandela decided to save the rugby team. It was very clear that the rest of the citizens not affiliated with the team wanted it removed because it wasn’t a good representation of their country; however, Mandela used it to bring the country together. This could be looked at as a necessary evil because only 12 citizens voted for his cause, but he went on with it anyways. It obviously showed in the end of the movie that his actions brought the entire country of South Africa together. This is an extreme case of leadership because he is a president, but it proves just how important it is to trust that the leader you voted for has the people’s best interests in mind when making decisions.

Furthermore, the captain of the rugby team is another ethical leader because he motivated his teammates to stick together even though the country was against them. Instead of giving into their complaints about teaching rugby at the orphanage or listening to Mandela’s plans the captain kept the team focused on the bigger picture. Together, Mandela and the captain were both able to work towards a new South Africa despite peoples’ different views and unwillingness to work together.

2.      In my BJC Hospice club at school each year a person is appointed to take charge and be the student leader. However, this previous year, a senior who has been in the club all of her high school career and a sophomore who has been in the club for one year were fighting for the position of leader. Both were extremely qualified, but the position went to the sophomore because the club adviser did not like the senior girl as much as she liked the sophomore girl. This is an ethical dilemma because the adviser resorted to favoritism instead of solely considering qualifications. Something she could have done is given the senior the opportunity to lead this year and the sophomore the opportunity in later years because she had more years left in high school. 

      At school, we have an Honor Council, which is a student run group that deals with honor violations like cheating and plagiarism. Each day, the student representatives on Honor Council deal with ethical dilemmas because when they see someone violating the honor code they are required to report it. However, this can be particularly difficult when dealing with classmates and friends.