A Re-Contextualization of Ethical Leadership: Decentering Dominant Characteristics With Compassion in Leadership Preparation Programs

Abstract

The Educational Leadership and Administration discipline requires a more expansive theoretical understanding of ethical leadership, contextualizing ethics with the ideological and structural premises of dominant culture. With critical analysis of ideology, the perception of normal order in the social world, and its function within disciplines, is questioned for a deeper understanding of ethical leadership. As a result, an interrogation of the implicit characteristics of dominant culture may prompt future educational leaders to re-evaluate their own personal guiding principles along with the ethical principles that influence their organizational climate. This article aims to critically examine dominant characteristics with the intention to facilitate a more critical understanding of ethical leadership and disrupt existing traditions that work against transformational change. An additional goal of this article is to advance counterculture principles like compassion by accentuating interdependence and intentionality in leadership preparation programs. An emphasis on compassion may positively affect advocacy skills in support of the communities that future leaders will serve, facilitate deeper understandings about empathy and how it influences interpersonal relationships, reduce the likelihood of professional burnout, and positively impact the performance of future leaders in the workplace. Practical suggestions are shared to support counterculture principles like compassion and self-compassion for leadership development.