Top managers in public and private organizations are those who promote and maintain an ethical work climate. An ethical work climate is defined as one of openness, respect, and dialogue. Exemplary leaders are those engaged in "moral processes" such as doing the right thing in the course of daily work, telling the truth, treating others fairly and discouraging prejudice. It was not only what these leaders did on a daily basis, but how they did it. "The organizational good" is a continuous process of practicing the basic rules of human conduct. These administrators were also actively and visibly involved in "moral projects" such as recruiting underrepresented minorities and women, supporting ethics training for all employees (including themselves), and seeking out and eliminating corruption. Where organizational leaders clearly practiced "the organizational good," a positive culture permeated the entire organization.

Exemplary leaders maintain congruence between what they say they will do and what they actually do. This is the real test of "the organizational good." Behavioral congruence should exist throughout an organization if what people do meshes with what the organization stands for. “The organizational good" is embedded in the organizational structure. Consistencies and discrepancies between what is said and done is noticed in organizations. When discrepancies occur, the virtues and bottom line of the organization are questioned. For example, why are some people rewarded for behavior that is ignored or sanctioned for others? Criteria for following "the organizational good" must be fair to all members of an organization. If the CEO exempts himself from following these criteria, he or she signals to everyone in the organization that "the organizational good" is merely public language. Perhaps the best example is that CEO's across the country continue to give themselves exorbitant salary increases (in 2002 the median annual salary for CEO's rose to $13.4 million) while they are laying off employees to cope with decreases in production and stock value.