Ethics, Morality, and Office Politics: A Call to Action
In our current world, questions of morality and ethics in leadership seem more pressing than ever. Whether we look to global politics, corporate scandals, or even the governance of community and voluntary organisations, too often we find ourselves questioning the integrity of those at the helm.
But leadership is not only about individual morality — it also plays out in the very real, and often messy, world of organisational politics. How leaders navigate those politics — with integrity or expedience, with wisdom or naivety — has a profound impact on culture and outcomes.
The answer lies not in rejecting politics altogether, but in reframing it. Politics is not always the dark art of House of Cards. It can also be a constructive arena where values, relationships, and organisational goals are negotiated ethically.
Moving Beyond Skills to Moral Courage
Traditionally, leaders have been assessed for their abilities — strategic thinking, decision-making, emotional intelligence, communication skills, resilience, and so on. These are essential, but without a moral compass, these qualities can be misused. Leaders who ignore ethics risk becoming foxes who manipulate, or asses who bumble along blindly, rather than owls who act wisely and ethically.
Sandy Cotter’s Five Lenses for Ethical Success offer a structured way to map out one’s political challenges. By engaging with both the rational and moral dimensions of leadership, leaders can better understand their own instincts — and how those instincts play out in organisational life.
Coaching Leaders Through the Swamp
Leadership often feels like “the swamp”: a terrain filled with competing interests, moral grey areas, and political undercurrents. Coaching provides a safe space to help leaders step into this swamp consciously and ethically.
Through frameworks such as Cotter’s five-step map, we can help leaders identify:
- The rational and moral blocks that prevent true engagement
- How their behaviours align (or clash) with their espoused values
- When they are operating like foxes, owls, asses, or sheep — and how to shift toward wisdom and integrity
These conversations can be challenging, but they are where growth happens. Leaders who engage with their political challenges ethically not only protect themselves from risk — they also create environments of trust, fairness, and sustainable success.
A Broader Responsibility
Ultimately, leadership does not happen in a vacuum. Every organisation is a political system, and how leaders navigate it sets the tone for everyone else. By reframing politics as an arena for ethical action — rather than a necessary evil — we empower leaders to take responsibility for both their choices and their methods.
This is the heart of Cotter’s work: politics can be ethical, and ethics can be political. To support leaders, we must encourage them not to avoid politics, but to approach it wisely, courageously, and with integrity.
Final Thoughts
At a time when questionable leadership dominates headlines, it is tempting to despair. Yet this is precisely the moment to double down. By assessing not just skills but moral courage, by coaching leaders to step into the swamp with clarity, and by equipping them with practical frameworks like Cotter’s Five Lenses, we can help shape a new generation of leaders.
Leaders who are not foxes, asses, or sheep — but owls.
Join the Conversation
We’ll be exploring these themes further in our upcoming interactive webinar: Office Politics: Are you a Fox, an Owl, an Ass or a Sheep?
- 📅 10th October 2025
- 🕒 13:00
- 🎙️ Facilitator: Glenn Treacy
In this session, Glenn will draw on the work of Sandy Cotter, Kim James, and Simon Baddeley to reframe organisational politics.
With real-life case studies, demonstrations, and Cotter’s Five Lenses for Ethical Success, we’ll explore how leaders can engage ethically and effectively — even in the swamp of organisational life.
👉 https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/1683437008409?aff=oddtdtcreator
