Ethics and Leadership
Webster's Dictionary defines ethics as "the principles of conduct
governing an individual…" Some ethical issues arise in more than one
context. One of the ethical themes is the treatment of vulnerable
people. Social work, nursing, and even the military all interact with
people on a daily basis who have some sort of an expectation or
dependence on their leadership and behavior. The workers in these
fields make decisions that directly affect or influence the lives of
other people. This is a huge responsibility that must be taken
seriously. In the profession of social work, the counselor tries to
listen and help the client who may talk of very delicate issues. These
clients could be children, prisoners, elderly, or the mentally ill.
These people are vulnerable by their position in society and they may
depend on the social worker to provide shelters, job training,
service, and to protect them while they get help. The entire
relationship depends on the client's trust in the counselor. Trust for
confidentiality and anonymity. Ethical issues come into the scene if
the social worker should commit boundary violations, or expect
something in return for helping the client. This might occur in rural
communities where everybody knows everybody, and the client happens to
be a teacher of the counselor's children. How the social worker reacts
to this type of situation and maintains her professional obligation
reflects her code of ethics. Another profession that deals with the
vulnerable (and sometimes dying) is nursing. The topics of bioethics
and beneficence are discussed and taught throughout nursing school and
provide a great deal of controversy in the medical world. How long do
we keep a person on life support? Sometimes the patient's request
conflicts with what the medical staff thinks is best. The ethical
question posed is which do you listen to, the patient who knows what
they want for their life, or the medical staff who have received years
of specialized training? It all comes down to the respecting the
patient's requests. They are completely vulnerable to the decisions
you make and actions taken. Another issue when dealing with vulnerable
people is learned in the medical...
