6.1

Ethical Leadership Toolkit – Tools

Ethical Leadership Self-Assessment Tool

About this self-assessment tool

This self-assessment tool is designed to be used in conjunction with the ethical leadership
video and primer, Ethical Leadership: Fostering an Ethical Environment & Culture. The
tool will help you identify areas in which you’re successfully modeling behaviors that foster
an ethical environment and culture, as well as highlight opportunities for improvement. It’s
designed for leaders at the senior executive and mid-manager (division/department/service
line manager) levels as defined in VA’s High Performance Development Model (HPDM).
For more information about the competencies for each level, please see the “Competency
Definitions” (http://vaww.va.gov/hpdm/pdf/corecompetencydefinitions.pdf).

How to use the tool

This tool will challenge you to think about your own leadership behaviors. Each question
suggests a behavior or skill you may wish to develop. Each leader’s situation is unique—
think about your local situation and whether increasing your use of the behavior or skill
could improve your leadership practice and thereby your local ethical environment. There
are no right or wrong answers. For this reason, no mechanism is provided to enable you to
calculate an overall score or compare your responses to those of other leaders.

After you complete the tool

Immediately following the self-assessment questions, you’ll find an action plan. Use it to
identify opportunities to improve your leadership practice and local ethical environment and
culture.

Ethical Leadership Self-Assessment

Please check one answer for each of the following items:

I. Demonstrate that ethics is a priority Almost
Never Occasionally Frequently Almost

Always

I tell my staff to make ethics a priority.

I use examples or stories from my facility or my
experience to illustrate the importance of ethics.

I initiate discussions of ethical concerns.

In a typical day, I think about ethical issues.

I demonstrate that I am sensitive to ethical issues in
my everyday work.

I object when someone seems to be ignoring, avoiding,
or smoothing over an important ethical issue.

6.2

Ethical Leadership Toolkit – Tools

Section I–continued Almost
Never Occasionally Frequently Almost

Always

I explicitly acknowledge staff contributions to
promoting ethical practice.
I include specific expectations for ethical practice in
staff performance plans.

I hold my staff accountable for meeting high ethical
standards.

In conversations with staff, I invite comments about
ethical concerns.

When staff members raise an ethical concern, I thank
them for sharing the concern.

When staff members raise an ethical concern, I ask
them to say more.

I encourage discussion of conflicting values related to
organizational decisions.

I create opportunities for staff discussion of ethics
topics.

II. Communicate clear expectations
for ethical practice

Almost
Never Occasionally Frequently Almost

Always

I make a conscious effort to serve as a role model for
ethical practice.

I clearly communicate my expectations for ethical
practice to my staff.

When I communicate my expectations for ethical
practice, I explain the values that underlie those
expectations.

When I communicate my expectations for ethical
practice, I use examples that illustrate what I mean.

When I communicate my expectations for ethical
practice, I make sure those expectations are realistic
and achievable.
When I communicate my expectations for ethical
practice, I make a point to address obstacles that staff
might encounter.
When staff members receive “mixed messages”
that create ethical tensions, I take responsibility for
clarifying my expectations for ethical practice.
I encourage staff to talk to me if they feel pressured to
“bend the rules.”

6.3

Ethical Leadership Toolkit – Tools

III. Practice ethical decision making Almost
Never Occasionally Frequently Almost

Always

I explicitly consider ethical issues when making
management decisions.

I use a standardized process to make decisions on
management issues with ethical implications.

When faced with a tough decision, I look to VHA mission
and values statements (or similar documents) and use
them to evaluate various options.

When faced with a tough decision, I think through the
short-term and long-term effects on various individuals
and groups.

When faced with a tough decision, I make sure that I am
not unfairly favoring a particular individual or group.

When I need advice on an ethical issue, I go to a person
with ethics expertise.

When I need advice on an ethical issue, I refer to
published sources

When making important decisions, I involve those who
will be most affected.

When important decisions are made by a group, I
ensure that someone is specifically tasked to call
attention to ethical considerations.

When I announce important decisions to staff, I take
time to explain the decision-making process and who
was involved.

When I announce important decisions to staff, I take the
time to explain the rationale for the decision.

6.4

Ethical Leadership Toolkit – Tools

IV. Support your local ethics program Almost
Never Occasionally Frequently Almost

Always

I talk to staff in my facility about how the ethics program
works, including:

– ethics consultation

– preventive ethics

– ethical leadership

– compliance and business integrity

– research compliance and assurance

– government ethics
I receive and review updates about local ethics program
activities.

I seek help from the local ethics program.

I act to ensure that local ethics activities are adequately
funded.
I act to ensure that local ethics activities are adequately
staffed.
I inform my staff about current local ethics program
activities.

I highlight successes in local ethics program activities
for staff.

I encourage my staff to use the local ethics program
when they have an ethical concern.

6.5

Ethical Leadership Toolkit – Tools

IV. Support your local ethics program Almost
Never Occasionally Frequently Almost

Always

I talk to staff in my facility about how the ethics program
works, including:

– ethics consultation

– preventive ethics

– ethical leadership

– compliance and business integrity

– research compliance and assurance

– government ethics
I receive and review updates about local ethics program
activities.

I seek help from the local ethics program.

I act to ensure that local ethics activities are adequately
funded.
I act to ensure that local ethics activities are adequately
staffed.
I inform my staff about current local ethics program
activities.

I highlight successes in local ethics program activities
for staff.

I encourage my staff to use the local ethics program
when they have an ethical concern.

Action Plan

Once you have completed the self-assessment questions, complete this action plan to
identify opportunities for improvement, taking into account your organizational role. To
monitor your progress, repeat this exercise yearly to help you assess whether you have
achieved your improvement objectives.

Steps:

Based on your responses, choose one action in each of the four points of the Ethical
Leadership compass (section I, II, III, or IV) to focus on this year.
Within this area, identify several concrete steps you will take to demonstrate your ethical
leadership and thereby improve your facility’s ethical environment.

Example:

Ethical Leadership Compass III. Practice ethical decision making
Ethical Leadership

Action
Current

Frequency
Goal

Frequency
Action Steps

I explicitly consider
ethical issues when
making management
decisions.

Almost Never Frequently • Change format for executive
decision memorandum
(EDM) to include reference
to ethics (e.g., just as
document references
financial considerations,
it should reference ethical
considerations).

• Ask myself “Are there ethical
issues in this decision?” for
at least three management
decisions per week for which
an EDM is not used.

1.

2.

6.6

Ethical Leadership Toolkit – Tools

Ethical Leadership Compass
I. Demonstrate that ethics is a priority

Ethical Leadership
Action

Current
Frequency

Goal
Frequency

Action Steps

Ethical Leadership Compass
II. Communicate clear expectations for ethical practice

Ethical Leadership
Action

Current
Frequency

Goal
Frequency

Action Steps

Ethical Leadership Compass
III. Practice ethical decision making

Ethical Leadership
Action

Current
Frequency

Goal
Frequency

Action Steps

Ethical Leadership Compass
IV. Support your local ethics program

Ethical Leadership
Action

Current
Frequency

Goal
Frequency

Action Steps