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Leadership is essential in any organization whether it is for-profit or not-for-profit. The way one leads will determine the success or failure of the organization. The organization´s success depends on whether the organization´s leadership is ethical or unethical. In this study, the Delphi method was used to identify unique and essential characteristics of effective ethical leadership in for-profit and not-for-profit organizations in New York City. Surveys were used to solicit the opinion of the panelists who were leaders from different for-profit and not-for-profit organizations in New York City. There were three rounds of survey questions conducted. In round 1, the leaders were given two open-ended questions. In round 2, the panelists were asked to prioritize the ethical and effective characteristics generated from round 1 using a constant sum scale. In round 3, the results of round 2 were used to formulate the question for round 3. Recommendations were made as to how the information gathered from the different rounds of surveys could be used in selecting effective ethical leaders in the hiring process for the efficient operations of businesses.

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Dr. Ionie Pierce is a professor at Colleges in New York City for many years. She worked as a chair of the Business and Computer department and is teaching Accounting, Business and Computer Courses. She earned her Bachelor´s and Master´s degrees in Computer Science, Economics and Accounting, and her Ph.D. in Organization and Management.

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