| Abstract: |
This paper offers an autoethnographic and ethical analysis of becoming an educative leader through six higher education roles and experience as a system policy advisor. Educative leadership is defined by its educative intent and outcomes and evaluated against both teleological and deontological criteria. Using an interpretivist methodology, autobiographical data were analysed to construct a practical theory of educative leadership that spans philosophy-in-action, strategy, politics, culture, management, and evaluation. The study identifies the application of diverse moral philosophies in practice, including Kantian deontology, rational consequentialism, pragmatism, relational ethics, social contract theory, and teleological ethics. Findings suggest that effective educative leadership benefits from integrating multiple ethical frameworks, enabling principled yet context-responsive decision-making across varied domains of practice. Pragmatic holism is highlighted as a particularly flexible and adaptive ethical foundation, allowing leaders to balance competing principles while remaining sensitive to institutional constraints, cultural diversity, and real-world complexities. Reflective practice emerges as essential for navigating tensions between moral commitments, practical outcomes, and relational responsibilities. While self-reporting limits generalisability, this study contributes to the development of ethical leadership frameworks and underscores the importance of ongoing research to refine and adapt moral philosophy for diverse educational contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |