Waiter Rule: What Makes for a Good Ceo?

Case Paper 1: "Waiter Rule: What Makes for a Good CEO?"

Professor Tom Van Buskirk

MBA 5310- Business Ethics

October 31, 2015

Waiter Rule: What Makes for a Good CEO? (pg. 624-625)

1. Is character an essential ingredient in ethical leadership? Is it especially important to managers? In leadership, especially among CEOs, is character important? Why?

I think character is a vital ingredient no matter what level of management. It should be important in employees, managers and CEOs. The character shows the moral qualities of a person. Having good moral qualities is being ethical.  We have discussed what ethics is and how important it is to any business. So you want someone who shows a good character, ethics and good moral traits. It makes for a good business when you have people like this. I always felt your character should speak for itself. You should always be nice to people, trustworthy and honest. The character is who a person is defined. It shows if you are a good person and can I trust you to work well with others.

1. Do you agree with the Waiter Rule? Does it provide useful insights into who might be an ethical or unethical leader? Should corporate boards consider character when hiring someone for the top position?

I agree with the waiter rule. I was always told greet the janitor the same way you greet the CEO. It shouldn’t matter the position the person of whether you respect them or not. I think it definitely provides insight. It really shows how they could treat others. When you are in higher up positions you are going to have people under you. You should be able to treat people well. I work in an office and I interact with the cleaning people and anybody else who it around. Corporate should always consider character when hiring someone in any position especially in top positions. Character is who the person is. It is the mental and moral qualities in a person. It shows how good or bad a person can be. It should always speak for itself as well. A person should posses a good character no matter the positions they have. It should always be something that people look for when hiring.