ABSTRACT
When citizens send their taxes to Washington, they would like to trust that the money will be used for the common good. A review of Washington Post headlines, however, reveals that that there are many examples in which this trust is violated. The following are just a few of these headlines:
“The Altering of Wait Time Statistics at the VA” “GSA Rocked by Spending Scandal” “NIH Scientist Pleads Guilty in Accepting $285,000” “Teachers Cheating on Test in 11 DC Schools” “Seventh Official Suspended in Navy Corruption Probe” “Former Governor McDonnell and His Wife Maureen Convicted of Corruption
Charges” “The Pentagon Spent 9 Million to Professional Sports Franchises to Stage Phony
Paid Patriotism Events”
Some of these ethical transgressions, such as Navy corruption, were clearly illegal. “Paid patriotism,” however, is legal, but would be considered unethical by many reasonable observers. Honoring soldiers in uniform should not be a profitmaking venture for sports teams. All these headlines, however, shine a light on one undeniable reality: People often pursue their self-interest without regard to ethical propriety or social consequences. For this reason, transgressions of integrity are fodder for the media. In this chapter, I will be exploring the dimensions of integrity as it relates to leadership in the public sector.
