What It Means to Be a "Moral" CEO

Would the people in your company think of you as a “moral” leader?

This may seem like a grandiose idea. Isn’t it always the leaders who work the hardest to portray themselves as “moral” who end up turning out to be anything but?

I sympathize with that view. But when moral leadership shows up in concrete actions observed by your organization rather than as mere words and posturing, it actually is important. It has measurable effects.

This morning, I read the 2025 State of Moral Leadership in Business report from the HOW Institute for Society. I found it commendable that HOW gauges moral leadership by how often employees reported seeing leaders display very specific actions. One could argue about which actions constitute moral leadership, but HOW picked ones that few would disagree with. They include:

• Upholding ethical standards when it is difficult

• Rigorously seeking the truth in nuanced situations

• Seeing the humanity in other people, including understanding their hopes and aspirations

• Demons…