February 2024 BC

The world needs Ethical Leaders now more than ever, but why is acting ethically so important for Leaders? This was the conversation for our first Breakfast Club of 2024 on Leaders & Ethics.

We all recognize ethics as important, but what does acting ethically mean? How can we learn to act ethically? What are the consequences if we don’t? And in a world where we can feel powerless to help, how can we take an ethical approach to our own actions?  

To unpick some of these questions, two Leaders will joined us with their own expertise in Ethics: Jane-Ann McKenna, the CEO of Dóchas and Níall Fitzgerald, Head of Ethics and Governance for the Chartered Accountants Ireland. 

There were some great take-aways from the event including: 

• Ethics is personal, it starts with you as an individual and your values. To be an ethical leader, you need to understand your own ethics 

• The best way to ‘learn’ to become more ethical is taking time to reflect if your actions match your values. Attend events like the Breakfast Clubs (*not even embarrassed of that shameless plug) and talk with your teams, unpick the actions. 

• Sometimes the very low voice is the one need to listen to, so in spaces with many voices, try and make time for some silence or some open space for dialogue when making decisions.  

Here is a link to Dóchas recently released a Guide to Ethical Communications. And the link to Chartered Accountants Ireland Concise Guide of Ethics & Governance for the charity and not-for-profit sector.