5.3 Perspectives and experiences of township school principals and post level 1 educators
5.3.5 Ethical leaders set the example by going an extra mile without expecting
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argue that there is a need for the leaders to view schools and communities as partners and that this can possibly be realised through conforming to ubuntu principles. African traditional governance underpinned by ubuntu was democratic as it embraced many elders in making decisions (Meylahn & Musiyambiri, 2017). Again, Msila (2008) avers that ubuntu leadership promotes inclusiveness of the stakeholders in decision-making processes within the organisation. Broodryk (2006) maintains that leaders need to involve stakeholders for the success of their organisations. Ubuntu as an African philosophy fosters communal approach to handling tasks at hand (Meylahn & Musiyambiri, 2017). Muzvidziwa and Muzvidziwa (2012) argue that people are naturally different, hence their views always differ. However leaders need to continually strike to strike a consensus rather than imposing common sameness in issues.
Muzvidziwa and Muzvidziwa (2012) further maintain that ubuntu values are the best principles for school principals to adopt with the view to bring about management of teaching and learning in schools that is both effective and efficient. Similarly, Nicolaides (2014) opines that what all responsible organisations ought to instil in their employees, amongst other principles, is integrity and care for others. These are contained in the ethics of ubuntu and can easily integrated into organisations’ values.
5.3.5 Ethical leaders set the example by going an extra mile without expecting
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right now that I acknowledge my teachers at the end of the year for excellence and those who deserve awards are chosen by their colleagues
(Mr Ngobese, the principal of Zakhele Primary School)
Similar sentiments were echoed by the principal of Iphothwe Secondary, who had the following to say:
... but you have to show that by leading by example, if I say lead by example I mean, whenever is my teaching time I always go there on time, I attend my workshops, there is never a time where learners will say the principal was not in class though at school unless I am attending principals’ meeting
(Mr Ndlovu, principal of Iphothwe Secondary School)
In line with these statements, Werner (2011) argues that leaders are role models in their organisations for their followers and at all times motivate their followers to look up to them.
Smit, de J Cronje, Brevis, and Vrba (2007) aver that there is so much that the leader of the organisation can do to create the environment that caters for the interest of the employees, with the view to stimulating their interest and commitment in serving the organisation as they come to see their interests coinciding with that of the organisation.
Meanwhile, Mnguni of Intuthuko Secondary posited that: “... I think is helping us in our institution is leading by example. Because for me ethical leadership is reciprocal, so people with whom I work look up to me so as to do as I do”. (Mr Mnguni, principal of Intuthuko Secondary School)
Mr Mnguni further posited that ubuntu is an important philosophy to guide leaders and had this to say:
Have ubuntu, I think that is a theory that we have to teach people. So that people will be able to understand other people and care, do things not because they will benefit themselves but the community, in our case the learners who are our clients.
(Mr Mnguni, principal of Intuthuko Secondary School)
Corroborating the aforesaid, Ahmad (2017) avers that ethical leadership is not only about the leader doing the right thing, but mainly is about leading others to do the right thing in the organisation which leads to the formation of organisation’s ethical culture. Meanwhile, Smit,
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de J Cronje, Brevis and Vrba (2007) posit that the foremost requirement for embedding a culture of good ethics in an organisation is through leading by example. Yates (2014) asserts that it is the mixture of role modelling and caring that the leader embraces in the organisation that gives birth to improved followers’ attitudes and behaviours towards their work in the organisation.
Moreover, ethical leadership manifests itself in a number of ways. For an example, teachers themselves sacrifice their holidays and weekends with the view to help their learners pass at the end of the year with good results. The latter surfaced in Mr Pelepele’s assertion that: “At any time you go to our school, there is teaching and learning that is going on, so those teachers I find them ethical that they sacrifice their time and go to school without expecting any payment”. (Mr Pelepele, principal of Ikhethelo Primary School)
Similar sentiments were echoed by Mr Mnguni who stated that:
We have extra-classes which range from mornings, afternoons, weekends, and on vacations to compensate for the context under which we operate. We fundraise for food that will be eaten by our learners when we want to keep them at school till late or on holidays as we understand their socio-economic backgrounds.
(Mr Mnguni, principal of Intuthuko Secondary School)
Meanwhile, the finding further suggests that some situations compel teachers to dig deep from their pockets to maintain the dignity of their learners by either buying them uniform or food.
This was uttered by Mr Ndlovu who had the following to say:
..., those learners that need more, teachers sacrifice, some of them even buy them uniform, this is part of ethics, to say look at your shirt is no longer appropriate, but because I am a teacher, I am employed and I am being paid, let me donate so that you will be accepted the way you appear.
(Mr Ndlovu, principal of Iphothwe Secondary School)
Likewise, Mr Ngobese of Zakhele reported that:
Ethics manifests itself in a number of ways. Like for instance, my teachers do not complain for us having our staff meetings till late. We hold our meetings outside contact time. I explained to them that we cannot sacrifice learners’ time of being taught by holding our meetings during contact time, and they understood and conformed to that norm. You know, ethical people never put themselves first instead
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they want to give help to others and are honest to themselves and to others. ... As an ethical leader, you need to show the way that people must follow through your actions.
(Mr Ngobese, principal of Zakhele Primary School)
Mr Mnguni, in underscoring the significance of leaders going an extra mile as they perform their duties, had the following to say:
Ethical leaders have a strong value of selflessness. They do not put themselves first, they put others first. They care for the people who work with them more than they care for profit. They don’t push for profit and performance to such an extent that they walk on people, they become considerate to situations.
(Mr Mnguni, principal of Intuthuko Secondary School)
The foregoing views were evidenced also in the literature reviewed. Yukl (2010) posits that strong integrity and high level of moral development are found in leaders whose main concern is the welfare of the followers and organisation, not their personal career advancement or personal benefits. Pushpa (2012) contends that ethical leaders go beyond personal egos and individual goals recognising that value is in the success of their organisational goals for the benefit of its stakeholders. Hansen (2011) states that ethical leaders are honest, caring, and principled individuals who make fair decisions. Moreover, they develop their followers by modelling behaviour. Gucel, Tokmak, and Turgut (2012) posit that ethical leaders do not just talk elegant language for good game, instead they practise what they preach and are proactive role models for ethical conduct. Andrew (2015) posits that ethical leaders are always available to offer the support needed by the stakeholders. Meanwhile, Kim and Brymer (2011) argue that leaders in every organisation need to be the primary influential models of ethical guidance for every member of the organisation. Smit, de J Cronje, Brevis and Vrba (2007) state that reciprocity is essential between the leader and the follower in terms of how they treat one another. A leader needs to be open, honest and trustworthy for the effective communication and followers to trust him/her. Yozgat and Mesekiran (2016) corroborate these findings, that leaders are the role models for their employees, because when leaders are displaying credibility, their followers tend to be attracted to them and thus they mimic their leader’s behaviour
Owens and Ennis (2005) argue that a caring teacher does not tell the learners to care but the teacher shows them how to care by creating caring relationship within them. Yozgat and
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Mesekiran (2016) opine that trust is enhanced by fair and caring treatment that is accompanied by clear and open communication by leaders. Kim, Ko, and Kim (2015) argue that the manifestation of leadership is when the influence of a moral leader permeates the family, the country and the world in its entirety. Broodryk (2006) contends that ubuntu makes a vital contribution to indigenous ways of caring, sharing, respect and compassion ensuring that there is a happy and complete family. Khoza (2011) avers that ubuntu underscores respect for others, helpfulness, caring, sharing and unselfishness and a sense of community. Ware and Dethmer (2008) argues that if leaders desperately want to maintain and sustain an ethical culture, they need communicate, embrace and practise firm ethics themselves. Nzimakwe (2014) posits that, in the true community, people do not pursue the common good instead of his or her own, rather they pursue his or her own good by pursuing the common good. Werner (2011) posits that ethical leadership starts at the top, therefore leaders of organisations are responsible for ethics in their institutions and should be exemplars of ethical conduct.