We are living in times beset by the seemingly constant reporting of ethical scandals and corruption. The start of this century saw the collapse of corporations including Enron, HIH Insurance and WorldCom due to the fraudulent actions of their leaders. During the 2008 financial crisis, banking leaders were accused of hubris, greed, and even of being psychopaths. As the news stories of unethical leaders multiplied, some returned to leadership to suggest that it too was the solution. Far from calling leadership into question, many scholars and practitioners counteracted the mounting examples of ethical failures with ever more glorified characterizations of leadership as quintessentially moral and good. Under this prevailing logic, the antidote to bad leadership is always good leadership, where exceptional individuals are believed to be able to deliver their organizations from crises while conveying confidence, hope and optimism, and maintaining trust.

The glorified nature of leadership constrains the theorizing, development and practice of leadership. If leadership is believed to be intrinsically ethical, critical dialogues around the ways leadership perpetuates violence are silenced. Abiding fantasies about leadership can inflict harm on followers as well as leaders themselves. Particularly during times of crises or uncertainty, followers can experience a sense of alienation and helplessness. These feelings can also be exploited by leaders who may construct organizational or societal crises in order to foster followers’ reliance on heroic figures. Heroic ideals also promote leader narcissism and intensified identity work. Professionals from all levels of an organization can feel pressured to strive towards ‘leadership’ by anxiously pursuing a self-image more in line with contemporary corporate values. However, leadership fantasies continue to be perpetuated by corporations, the media, business schools and consultancy firms that trade in the valuable commodity of ‘leadership’.

This chapter introduces the range of theories that have sought to articulate the moral and ethical dimensions of leadership. It will focus primarily on ethical leadership, both philosophical and social scientific strands of this theory, and critique its promotion of individual heroism. It will illustrate the limitations of an individualist approach through the examples of benevolent sexism and racism, which reveal the structural and ideological machinations of white patriarchal power. In particular, the figure of the white saviour is explored in more depth, tracing its origins back to colonial discourses and showing how it has shaped contemporary ideas of ethical leadership.