The William G. McGowan Ethical Leader of the Year Award

Welcome

The William G. McGowan Ethical Leader of the Year Award, in its inaugural year in 2022, aims to recognize a national business leader who embodies the values and principles of ethical leadership in a for-profit business setting.

Recognized in front of his/her peers, the winner will be given a $25,000 grant, which will support a nonprofit or social cause of the recipient’s choice. The McGowan Award will be presented between June 12-15, 2022, at the Society for Human Resource Management Annual Conference & Expo in New Orleans.

Here’s how to apply.

To be eligible for the McGowan Award, the recipient must be:

a CEO of a U.S.-registered business,
nominated by a current or former colleague, associate, or close business partner who can speak clearly and authentically about the nominee and describe in great detail the actions -- both material and immaterial -- that have promulgated an organization-wide approach to work focused on principles, and
willing to receive the award at a public-facing event, and to speak to the media about the award and their values-orientation and approach to leadership.

You’ll be asked to write about your nominee’s work. You should choose one of the McGowan principles to guide your statement. They are:

Accountability: Absolute acceptance of responsibility for one’s behavior, resisting blaming external agents for one’s choices.

Character & Integrity: The internal guide for an individual’s consistent behavior, which informs what a person stands for and how the person behaves in leadership. The courage to do the highest ethical and moral good without concern for cost to self. Integrity is “wholeness” and consistency of being in all things. One’s rhetoric and behavior are aligned.

Courage: The mental, moral/ethical, and emotional strength to persevere in the face of adversity (danger, fear or difficulty) and act for the good of others despite the perceived or actual risk to self.

Empathy: The unconditional respect for another human being that drives consistent behavior for the long-term good (rational compassion) with others in mind.

Resilience: The capacity and courage to persist in the face of adversity, setbacks, or failures. To learn from failure and never give up.

Self-Awareness: The capacity to reflect deeply and learn from one’s life experiences and to transform that learning into behavioral change toward a more authentic self.

Thanks for joining in this effort to raise awareness of ethical leadership in business.