Across various industries, ethical leadership has gained increased importance among employees, professionals, and organizational leaders. In recent times, even the most financially profitable and long-standing organizations have confronted widespread ethical failures. The most pressing ethical leadership challenge facing social scientists is when organizational policies and rules force them to act against what they believe, know, or feel is right. This situation, a moral paradox, is common when circumstances do not present clear-cut answers. In such a case, a leader fails to apply his integrity for status, personal, or monetary gain. Therefore, the most pressing ethical leadership challenge facing social scientists is a lack of moral clarity.
However, exercising positive leadership can help combat this ethical challenge. One way to do this is by always being vigilant in assessing one’s own decision making and behavior in every ethical dilemma while searching for transparency and consistency. Under these circumstances, a leader can consider the outcomes of the decisions. It is always important to contemplate these actions’ consequences from other people’s perspectives to be well-positioned to make the right decision which does not adversely impact others. Another way to combat the challenge of a lack of moral clarity in leadership is to build distinguishable criteria and remaining aware of the interrelationships between personal values and beliefs and organizational standards. This approach will help the leader close the ethical gap between morals and actions by applying ethically sound judgment through solicitation of various perspectives and establishing professional boundaries. Moreover, a leader in this situation can follow an ethical culture by remaining focused on achieving morally supported outcomes. Therefore, combating this ethical challenge can be achieved by exercising positive leadership.