159: How Good Leaders Slowly Compromise Their Values
From Human Centred Leadership Podcast with Kul Mahay by Kul Mahay
March 24, 2026 · 16 min · Episode 159
About this episode
Kul Mahay explores how good leaders can slowly drift away from their values under pressure, examining the process of ethical fading.
In this episode, Kul explores how good leaders can slowly drift away from their values under pressure. He examines the subtle process of “ethical fading,” where targets, performance demands, and organisational pressure begin to overshadow moral judgment. Through real-world examples and leadership insights, Kul shows how small compromises can accumulate into major ethical failures. Kul Mahay has over 3 decades experience in the leadership space. He works with organisations and leaders to develop powerful cultures of high value, and performance which is built all around their people. _____________________________ ABOUT THE PODCAST SERIES During these shows, you‘ll hear Kul chatting with fellow leaders from around the world, who are recognised as being at the top of their game. Together they‘ll explore what emotional intelligence in practice actually looks like, and the benefits it could bring to your teams. It‘s a movement to transform the way we see leadership, and to create powerful cultures where people feel seen, heard, valued and appreciated. Please join the movement and FOLLOW/SUBSCRIBE to this Podcast. FOLLOW ► https://www.linkedin.com/in/kulmahay-leadership/
People in this episode
Host: Kul Mahay
Topics covered
- leadership
- values
- ethical fading
- performance demands
- moral judgment
- organizational pressure
Keywords
- leadership
- ethical fading
- values
- compromise
- moral judgment
- performance
- organizational pressure
More episodes of Human Centred Leadership Podcast with Kul Mahay
- 165: The Slow Death of Courage in Organisations · May 5, 2026 · 19 min
- 164: The Loneliness of Being the Only Honest Voice in the Room · April 28, 2026 · 21 min
- 163: Why Leadership Teams Become Echo Chambers · April 21, 2026 · 18 min
- 162: When Loyalty Becomes Dangerous in Leadership Teams · April 14, 2026 · 20 min
- 161: How Do You Show Up When The Fear is Real? : Maria James · April 7, 2026 · 31 min
- 160: The Leadership Illusion - Why Smart Leaders Still Make Terrible Decisions · March 31, 2026 · 16 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Human Centred Leadership Podcast with Kul Mahay podcast page.