3. Can you carry out the action without forcing or manipulating others to go along? If you have to trick an employee or twist someone’s arm to get that person to cooperate with an action, it may be a red flag that something is wrong. If you have to use the power of your position as supervisor to force your employees to carry out your decision, you are taking away their dignity and ability to reason as humans can and should do. Certainly, as a supervisor, you have rights and duties to direct work, and there are consequences of employees’ choices. But if you have to coerce people, it tends to signal that you are not using your power as ethically as you might.