Digital
Article
Leadership & Managing
People
Don’t Try to Be the “Fun
Boss†— and Other Lessons
in Ethical Leadership
by Kimberly Nei and Darin Nei
This document is authorized for use only by Natasha Mills in WMBA-6010B-1/WMBA-6010-1/MSPM-6010-1/COMM-6504-1/MGMT-6010-1/MMSL-6010-1/MHRM-6611-1-2021-Fall-SEM-Termwks-9-thru-16-(11/01/2021-12/26/2021)-PT4 at Laureate Education – Walden University, 2021.
Don’t Try to Be the “Fun
Boss†— and Other Lessons in
Ethical Leadership
by Kimberly Nei and Darin Nei
Published on HBR.org / September 10, 2018 / Reprint H04HHY
Juj Winn/Getty Images
Just becoming a leader is enough to exacerbate some people’s
unethical tendencies. But power does not corrupt everyone. Our
research suggests that key personality characteristics predict unethical
leadership behavior.
We collected personality data and supervisor ratings of ethical behavior
(e.g., integrity, accountability) on 3,500 leaders across 30 organizations
we had worked with. The organizations included in our study were
HBR / Digital Article / Don’t Try to Be the “Fun Boss†— and Other Lessons in Ethical …Leadership
Copyright © 2018 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. 1
This document is authorized for use only by Natasha Mills in WMBA-6010B-1/WMBA-6010-1/MSPM-6010-1/COMM-6504-1/MGMT-6010-1/MMSL-6010-1/MHRM-6611-1-2021-Fall-SEM-Termwks-9-thru-16-(11/01/2021-12/26/2021)-PT4 at Laureate Education – Walden University, 2021.
largely multinational, represented several industries, and varied in size
from medium to large. We combined data across these 30 independent
studies to examine the relationship between personality and ethical
leadership across a range of different settings and situations. We found
that characteristics related to certain traits have stronger relationships
with unethical behavior.
So, what should today’s leaders do to build trust with their teams and
the public? Here are a few tips, based on our findings:
1. Be humble; not charismatic. It is natural that we are attracted to
people whom we perceive to be inspiring, fun, and engaging. It
makes sense that you need a little charisma or pizzazz to stand out
from others and get noticed. Charisma can also be useful for
engaging and inspiring others towards the organizational mission.
However, too much of this may be a bad thing in the eyes of your
team members. Unchecked charisma will lead to a reputation of selfabsorption and self-promotion. When team members get the sense
that you are focused on your own concerns and ideas, they feel
unsupported. The team may start to worry that you will no longer do
what is best for the team or organization, and that you will instead do
what is best for your own agenda.
2. Be steady and dependable; it will get you further. While you may
have been noticed and promoted based on your charisma, being
reliable, rule-following, and responsible is more important for your
team. As a leader, you have a tremendous amount of autonomy and
decision-making power. If we are to entrust our leaders with such
power, we need to be confident in their ability to remain true to their
word and to do what’s right for the organization. Showing your team
that you exercise caution, take calculated risks, and will adhere to
HBR / Digital Article / Don’t Try to Be the “Fun Boss†— and Other Lessons in Ethical …Leadership
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This document is authorized for use only by Natasha Mills in WMBA-6010B-1/WMBA-6010-1/MSPM-6010-1/COMM-6504-1/MGMT-6010-1/MMSL-6010-1/MHRM-6611-1-2021-Fall-SEM-Termwks-9-thru-16-(11/01/2021-12/26/2021)-PT4 at Laureate Education – Walden University, 2021.
organizational principles will go a long way toward gaining their
trust.
3. Remember that modesty is the best policy. At times, we may all
enjoy working in an environment that is less formal, or working for a
boss who knows how to keep things light-hearted. However, there is
still a degree of responsibility and professionalism that people come
to expect from those in charge. Trying to be liked and known as “the
fun boss†can tarnish your reputation in the long run. It’s OK to stay
out of the limelight and keep some space between you and your
team. It sends signals that you are there for their professional benefit
and that they can rely on you when needed.
4. Balance analysis with action. Although people appreciate a degree
of logic and rationality in the decision-making process, be careful to
not get so focused on data and analysis that you forget the larger
context or the impact of your decisions. Spending too much time
analyzing data can hold you back from making important decisions,
especially in high-pressure situations that call for quick action. The
data may indicate the best course of action for the bottom line, but
this may not be the best decision for the broader team or relevant
stakeholders. Leadership must be able to make a decision and take
corrective action quickly, even if it initially hurts the bottom line.
5. Be vigilant; vulnerability increases over time. Learning and
adjusting to a new role, especially a high-visibility leadership role,
can take some time. It’s during the first few months in a new role that
we usually spend more time observing what’s going on around us. We
also tend to be more mindful of our interactions with others and may
spend more time managing the impressions we make on others. Over
time, we become more comfortable in our surroundings and we stop
paying attention to our reputations. It’s usually after the six-month
HBR / Digital Article / Don’t Try to Be the “Fun Boss†— and Other Lessons in Ethical …Leadership
Copyright © 2018 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. 3
This document is authorized for use only by Natasha Mills in WMBA-6010B-1/WMBA-6010-1/MSPM-6010-1/COMM-6504-1/MGMT-6010-1/MMSL-6010-1/MHRM-6611-1-2021-Fall-SEM-Termwks-9-thru-16-(11/01/2021-12/26/2021)-PT4 at Laureate Education – Walden University, 2021.
mark where we see an increased risk of our dark-side tendencies
impeding our success or derailing our careers. Keep your guard up,
stay vigilant, and continually seek feedback.
The personality characteristics that will get you chosen as a leader are
not always the same as the ones that will make you effective in that role.
Spending too much time trying to get noticed or having a “win at all
costs†mentality to get ahead can put you (and your team) at a higher
risk of engaging in unethical behavior. Having awareness of your
surroundings and an understanding of the ways you influence your
team will help to keep yourself (and your team) on track.
KN
Kimberly Nei is a manager of client research at Hogan Assessments
where she manages the design and implementation of legally
defensible assessment-based selection and development solutions.
DN
Darin Nei is a senior consultant with Hogan Assessment’s Global
Alliances team where he works closely with international consulting
partners to deliver science-based solutions and ensure assessment
quality across a variety of cultures and languages.
HBR / Digital Article / Don’t Try to Be the “Fun Boss†— and Other Lessons in Ethical …Leadership
Copyright © 2018 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. 4
This document is authorized for use only by Natasha Mills in WMBA-6010B-1/WMBA-6010-1/MSPM-6010-1/COMM-6504-1/MGMT-6010-1/MMSL-6010-1/MHRM-6611-1-2021-Fall-SEM-Termwks-9-thru-16-(11/01/2021-12/26/2021)-PT4 at Laureate Education – Walden University, 2021.
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