Morals are the principals of right vs wrong and ethical behavior is behavior that is morally acceptable to the community in which it occurs (Jones, 1991). Overall, what is considered “moral” varies from place to place and over time. What we may consider morale today, could have been immoral in the past and vice-versa. For example, women having their hair uncovered is acceptable in many countries, but unacceptable or even illegal in other countries. Another example could be stealing. Inherently stealing is wrong, but a starving person taking a sandwich from a large food chain might pass as acceptable to many people.

• Stress
• Fatigue
• Pressure
• Anger
• Fear
• High emotions
• Lack of self-control
• Low self-efficacy: the belief we have in our own abilities, specifically our ability to meet the challenges ahead of us and complete a task successfully (Akhtar, 2008)

All of these factors can hinder an individual’s ability to distinguish ethical behavior from unethical behavior. A leader who behaves unethically can influence followers to behave unethically and this can create a cycle that is hard to break

Subordinates that have ethical leaders are more likely to show accommodating behavior toward their peers, leaders, and subordinates. Accommodating behaviors could be actions like seeking input from a variety of people, considering coworkers’ personal needs when planning celebrations, consciously developing respect for different cultures, and self-reflection on inclusivity practices. These accommodating behaviors decrease instances of hazing, the effects of toxic leadership, and sexual assault and harassment. Accommodating behaviors also increases inclusion practices. All of these improve trust in leadership and the organization and reduce attrition.

Leaders who make ethical decisions increase credibility and respect for the organization they represent both from the public and those within the organization. Ethical leaders also promote a desirable climate which improves mission success. All of these factors increase recruitment and retention of skilled and quality individuals.

Everyone. Subordinates are just as responsible as leaders are in making ethical decisions. Leaders will likely make ethical decisions that affect larger groups of people, whereas subordinates will likely make ethical decisions that affect smaller groups or just themselves. Everyone is responsible for making ethical decisions, because even just one unethical decision can lead to disastrous results. Eventually, subordinates become leaders, so practicing ethical decision making early on will help prepare individuals for leadership roles.

The DoD’s standards of conduct (2022) list four categories of ethical dilemmas that individuals might encounter:

• Showing courage: standing up to power, intervening, repairing wrongs.
• Getting the job done: sacrificing personal values, using questionable means, skirting the rules, concealing the truth.
• Balancing competing interests: conflict of interest, staying loyal, keeping promises when circumstances change.
• Judgement calls: suspicion withough enough evidence, dealing with unfair advantages, showing mercy.

These four steps are ways to train self and subordinates to make ethical decisions:

1. Perspective taking: think about how a decision will affect those around you, both Service members and civilians.
2. Goal setting: before deployment, training exercises, or any group interaction, think about any ethical dilemmas that might occur. Set goals on how you want to react to those dilemmas and what the outcome of the mission, exercise, etc. is
3. Affect-labeling: train self in acknowledging emotions before acting. This will prevent strong emotions like anger and disgust from triggering and justifying unethical decisions.
4. Core Values: ask self if the action aligns with DoD and branch specific core values. If not, it might be an unethical decision.

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