Compliance With Laws Isn’t Ethical Leadership (There’s More)

February 6, 2013 7 Comments

12013CWord

By Linda Fisher Thornton

Beyond Compliance

I have intentionally avoided using the C-word (Compliance) in most of my posts, and I decided that it was time to explain why. In this post I’ll explain why laws are not enough, and why complying with laws does not mean that we are leading ethically.

Laws Are Not Enough

Many people equate compliance with ethics. Actually, compliance with laws is the minimum standard and does not adequately represent  ”ethical leadership,” which is at a much higher level. Laws are the minimum threshold  - below which people are punished. When we settle for this level of ethics, we are simply working toward staying out of jail – and that is not enough to make us good corporate citizens.

Why is compliance with laws not enough when it comes to leading ethically? What else is there?

Here is an example that illustrates the broader responsibilities that ethical leadership includes. Which of these two views of ethical leadership do you think is the most ethical view?

‘Ethical Business’ Means Making as Much Money as I Can Without Going to Jail

If I tend to think in a win-lose way, then I may be more likely to seek gain for myself without concern for my impact on other stakeholders.

‘Ethical Business’ Includes the Responsibility to Respect and Serve 

If I tend to think in a win-win, service-focused way, then I may be more likely to seek positive solutions for others and consider my responsibilities to them more broadly.

Linda Fisher Thornton, Our Thinking is an Ethical Driver, Leading in Context Blog, December 12, 2012

Clearly, the second example demonstrates a higher level of ethical thinking and a broader sense of responsibility than the first. There are laws that say that I should not attack another person in the workplace. The ethical issues about how I need to treat others are at a much higher level than just restraint from physical violence. They include the need to respect others, demonstrate care and concern for them, and treat them with civility.

Learning Beyond Compliance 

Why don’t laws (that represent the “punishment threshold”) represent ethical leadership? Settling for compliance with laws might mean that we would not physically attack each other, but we may still be disrespectful in ways that erode trust and affect the well-being of employees, customers and other stakeholders.

If we focus just on compliance in our ethics training for leaders, we are aiming too low and we will always be scrambling to catch up as laws change. How can we move beyond just complying with laws (the minimum standard) to leading ethically in organizations (optimal)? These posts provide some guidance:

Developing Globally Responsible Leaders        Ethical Leadership Context

Developing the Ethical Leader of the Future

Instead of focusing on teaching leaders how to stay out of jail, let’s focus on teaching leaders what we want – the optimal level of ethical leadership.

© 2013 Leading in Context LLC

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Linda Fisher Thornton is CEO of Leading in Context LLC, a leadership development consulting firm, and was recently named one of the 2013 Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior. Her mission is to clarify what it means to lead responsibly in a complex world.

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Wishing You Peace

December 26, 2012 1 Comment

The Peace Paradox

Extend Peace In Order to Receive It

In this Joyous Season, it seems like a good time to reflect on our leadership role in building peace and trust. Peace is one of those things that requires reaching out. Just as we must extend trust to receive it from others, we must also extend peace in order to receive it. When each side watches and waits for the other party to extend peace, they create a stalemate that is unresolvable…until someone takes the first step and reaches out.

Peace is More Than the Absence of Violence

What is peace? Below is the Wikipedia definition. Notice that this definition describes  multiple dimensions that go well beyond the absence of violence.

“Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict and the freedom from fear of violence. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the establishment of equality, and a working political order that serves the true interests of all. In international relations, peacetime is not only the absence of war or violent conflict, but also the presence of positive and respectful cultural and economic relationships.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace

Peace is about much more than a lack of violence. It is about positive and respectful relationships. In order to resolve the “waiting for the other party to extend peace” stalemate, we must work toward peace even when that seems impossible. We cannot force it, but must tend it like a garden, nurturing good behaviors and weeding out those that generate dischord or show disrespect.

Reflecting On Leadership, Power and Collaboration

In The Power Paradox, Dacher Keltner explains that force is not equivalent to power anymore:

“As we debunk long-standing myths and misconceptions about power, we can better identify the qualities powerful people should have, and better understand how they should wield their power. As a result, we’ll have much less tolerance for people who lead by deception, coercion, or undue force. No longer will we expect these kinds of antisocial behaviors from our leaders and silently accept them when they come to pass…We’ll also start to demand something more from our colleagues, our neighbors, and ourselves.”

Dacher Keltner, The Power Paradox, GreaterGood.Berkeley.edu

One of my favorite books about how leaders can move from conflict to collaboration is Leading Through Conflict by Mark Gerzon. He provides a set of leadership capabilities that we can develop that help us move from wherever we are now to positive, collaborative relationships.

Peace is Something We Create

Peace is not something we simply hope for or wait for. It’s something that we create through our everyday actions and relationships. As we enter the New Year, may we all:

  • Be open to learning from others
  • Understand that power in leadership means humility, compassion and social intelligence, not force
  • Respect others and differences, and
  • Actively extend trust and peace

Extending Peace to You This Holiday Season

I hope that you enjoy the timeless quotes about peace that follow. Notice how they focus on individual action, mutual understanding  and individual responsibility.

Reflections On Peace

Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it.

Thomas Jefferson

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
Mother Teresa

Those who are at war with others are not at peace with themselves.
William Hazlitt

Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.                                                                          Ralph Waldo Emerson

Peace is liberty in tranquillity.
Marcus Tullius Cicero

Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.                                                                                                                                                                                                                        John Lennon

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_peace2.html#Sem4THUdpjTlG5bc.99

Many thanks to all of you who have connected this year to share ideas about leading ethically in a complex world. Have a Joyful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!

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Linda Fisher Thornton is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Leadership for the University of Richmond School of Professional and Continuing Studies. She is also CEO/Owner of Leading in Context LLC, a leadership development consulting firm helping business leaders lead responsibly in a complex world.  

Current Leading in Context® Publications:

Testimonials - Learn about the Leading in Context difference from satisfied customers, readers and fans!

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© 2012, Leading in Context LLC. All rights reserved.

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“Ethics” Means Acting Beyond Self-Interest

November 7, 2012 8 Comments

By Linda Fisher Thornton

“Ethics” Means Acting Beyond Self-Interest

Ethics is fundamentally about acting beyond our own self-interests. Can we be ethical without considering others and acting in ways that benefit them? Here are some interesting questions and quotes on the subject.

As you read, think about the business leader’s responsibility to act beyond the interests of the business and beyond personal gain.

Questions About Ethics, Ego and Acting Out of Concern for Others

1. Is ethics moving beyond the ego to show concern for others?

“While egoism may be a strong motivator of human behavior, ethics traditionally assumes that human beings are also capable of acting from a concern for others that is not derived from a concern for their own welfare.”

“The moral point of view goes beyond self-interest to a standpoint that takes everyone’s interests into account. Ethics, then, assumes that self interest is not the basis for all human behavior, although some philosophers, e.g., Hobbes, have tried to base ethics on self-interest. Their efforts, however, have not been widely accepted.”

Andre and Velasquez, Unmasking the Motives of the Good Samaritan, Ethics and Self-Interest, Santa Clara University

2. Can we define ethics based on reason, when reason doesn’t involve others?

“Justice can’t be determined by examining a single case, since the advantage to society of a rule of justice depends on how it works in general under the circumstances in which it is introduced.”

“Thus the views of the moral rationalists on the role of reason in ethics, even if they can be made coherent, are false.”

David Hume, Stanford.edu, quoting from Hume’s autobiographical essay, “My Own Life”

3. If we serve others now, will we benefit long-term?

“Enlightened self-interest is a philosophy in ethics which states that persons who act to further the interests of others (or the interests of the group or groups to which they belong), ultimately serve their own self-interest.[1][2][3]   It has often been simply expressed by the belief that an individual, group, or even a commercial entity will “do well by doing good”.[4][5][6]“

“Enlightened self-interest also has implications for long-term benefits as opposed to short-term benefits to oneself.[7] When an individual pursues enlightened self-interest that person may sacrifice short-term interests to maximize long-term interests. This is a form of deferred gratification.”

Enlightened Self-Interest, Wikipedia.com

4. Are we at our best when we consider others?

“The motives which lie behind our behaviors are often mixed and complex. But studies such as these are among the challenges to the long held view that even at our best, we are only out for ourselves. Rather, at our best, we may only be out for others.”

Andre and Velasquez, Unmasking the Motives of the Good Samaritan, Ethics and Self-Interest, Santa Clara University

5. What, then, is ethical behavior?

“In some ways, putting the greater good before your own can be thought of as the definition of ethical leadership, since it underlies so many of the other components.”“Ethical behavior reflects a value system that grows out of a coherent view of the world, based on equity, justice, the needs and rights of others as well as oneself, a sense of obligation to others and to the society, and the legitimate needs and standards of the society.”

The Community Toolbox, University of Kansas, ku.edu

What does all of this mean for leaders?

We are all responsible for acting beyond our own self-interests. In this age of ‘infotainment’ and information overload, we have to know ourselves, know our responsibility to others, and choose to act beyond self-interest and short-term gain.

About The Author:

Linda Fisher Thornton is CEO/Owner of Leading in Context, a leadership development firm that helps clarify what it means to lead ethically in a global society. Leading in Context®Publications help you develop leaders who understand ethical thinking and behavior as defined by global leadership, business and human rights guidelines. For more information, contact Linda at Linda@LeadinginContext.com.

 
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Differences or Inclusion – Which Are We Focusing On?

October 31, 2012 3 Comments

by Linda Fisher Thornton

A Diversity Focus Can Be Divisive

When we talk about diversity, we are noticing differences. That may not seem like a profound statement at first, but think about it for a moment. In a work environment, diversity is about having different types of employees, right? And that’s a good thing for productivity and innovation, isn’t it? It is a good thing. But it’s not enough.  

Managing diversity without inclusion as the ultimate goal can make a big difference in the way employees experience our organization. We choose a way of thinking that represents what we’re trying to do and then build a process/program/structure or measurement based on that foundation. If diversity is our way of thinking, we may get an approach based on “differences,” rather than one based on creating an inclusive culture where a diverse group of people can do their best work.

How we Perceive “Different” Has Ethical and Organizational Implications

“There are a number of ways to perceive people who are different from us and ideas that are different from ours. Some are more positive and productive than others” (Linda Fisher Thornton, “Ethical Implications of How Leaders Perceive ‘Different’”).”

As leaders, how we choose to handle people who are “different” from us in some way shapes our organizational culture in important ways. Tamara Erickson, McKinsey award-winning author, calls for a higher level of diversity understanding in organizations:

“There is a third stage of diversity, perhaps aspirational for most today, represented by a fundamental shift in attitudes toward people who are in any way different… My wish for 2011 is that more organizations will include programs aimed to reach this stage as an important component of their diversity goals.”

Tamara J. Erickson in Level Three Diversity: Moving Beyond Political Correctness,” Diversity Executive, January/February 2011

As leaders, we need to understand our choices and the potential ethical impact of those choices on our employees and our organizations. Honoring human rights fundamentally means honoring everyone, regardless of background or perspective. Are we living that every day in our organizational leadership?

In Inclusive Organizations, Differences are Seen as Enhancing Organizational Innovation

The excerpt below is from Leading in Context® Training Module “Ethical Implications of How Leaders Perceive Different” which provides a framework for thinking and talking about how we handle “different” in our organizations.

Perceptions of “Different” Impact Our Behavior

“How we think as leaders directly impacts our leadership behavior.  It compels us to act and to make decisions in the context of the value judgments we make.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t always use the word “different” to describe things and people and ideas that are new to us. We often use less friendly words that indicate that the person or idea is wrong, misguided or harmful. When we are perceiving “different” as wrong, misguided or harmful, we are more likely to treat people in ways that are not respectful. When we are open to hearing “different” perspectives we are more likely to lead in responsible, inclusive ways.”

“Because our thinking process shapes our decisions, as leaders we must be careful to use thinking processes that are inclusive and that respect the rights of other people to have their own perspectives and opinions.”

Excerpts from “Ethical Implications of How Leaders Perceive Different” by Linda Fisher Thornton

As Howard Winters said, “Civilization is the process in which one gradually increases the number of people included in the term ‘we’ or ‘us’ and at the same time decreases those labeled ‘you’ or ‘them’ until that category has no one left in it.”

“The ‘different’ perspectives and opinions of those we lead do not undermine our leadership position. In fact, it is those new ideas and perspectives that will help us keep our company adaptable, engaging and competitive in a global marketplace.”  (Linda Fisher Thornton, “Ethical Implications of How Leaders Perceive ‘Different’”).

At its highest level, inclusion is about honoring human rights. Consider whether you are managing diversity or working toward full inclusion in a way that respects human rights. These resources will help you explore the differences between leading with a diversity-based approach and leading for full inclusion.

Resources for Moving From Differences to Inclusion

ILR Impact Brief: Diversity and Inclusion: Is There Really a Difference? Cornell University, ilr.cornell.edu

The Netter Principles: A Framework for Building Organizational Inclusion The Workplace Diversity Network, Cornell University, ilr.cornell.edu

A Framework for Building Organizational Inclusion, Working Paper Number 2, Bormann and Woods, The Workplace Diversity Network, Cornell University, ilr.cornell.edu

What is Inclusion? Inclusion Network, Inclusion.com

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About the Author Linda Fisher Thornton is CEO/Owner of Leading in Context, a consulting firm that also publishes leadership development modules, graphics, case studies, discussion guides and videos. Her mission is to clarify what it means to lead ethically in a complex world. Visit LeadinginContext.com/About for more information about Linda, her background and her mission. Linda is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor teaching Leadership for the University of Richmond School of Professional and Continuing Studies.

The Leading in Context LLC Store sells a related training module “Ethical Implications of How Leaders Perceive Different”   – this is an advanced leadership development module for teaching and training ethical thinking and behavior.  The module includes 5 Leader Perceptions of “Different” and the resulting leadership behaviors, a full page context diagram and case study with group discussion questions. Review Contents and Sample Pages.

© 2012, Leading in Context LLC. All rights reserved.

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What is the Greater Good?

August 1, 2012 1 Comment

by Linda Fisher Thornton

What is the Greater Good?

As leaders, we must think beyond our own interests to the interests of those we lead and serve, and the interests of communities and the world. We must take a long-term view, keeping in mind the broad impact of our day-to-day decisions.

Many people refer to the “greater good” as an important part of leading ethically, and use different words to describe it. The descriptions they use collectively paint a picture of a responsibility to think beyond ourselves and to work for a better, inclusive society.

These are some of my favorite observations on the question “What is the Greater Good?”

“In terms of power and influence you can forget about the church, forget politics. There is no more powerful institution in society than business… The business of business should not be about money, it should be about responsibility. It should be about public good, not private greed.”

Anita Roddick, Business as (Un)Usual: My Entrepreneurial Journey, Profit With Principles, Anita Roddick Books

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“People are autonomous individuals who may rightfully strive to achieve outcomes and goals that will personally benefit them, but as members of a human community are they not obligated to consider other’s outcomes, variously termed the public interest, the greater good, or the common good?”

Jepson School of Leadership Studies, The University of Richmond [Symposium Announcement], For the Greater Good of All: Perspectives on Individualism, Society, and Leadership, online at  jepson.richmond.edu

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“…an underlying moral presence shared by all humanity – a set of precepts so fundamental that they dissolve borders, transcend races, and outlast cultural traditions. English scholar and author A. H. Halsey, from his office at Oxford University, calls it ‘a moral dimension’ that permeates all of human activity. Father Bernard Przewozny, from his monastery outside of Rome, speaks of ‘certain absolute norms.’ Stanford University’s John Gardner simply calls it ‘common ground.”

Rushworth M. Kidder in Shared Values for a Troubled World: Conversations with Men and Women of Conscience, Jossey-Bass

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“If the world were to agree on a vision of the common good, what might it be? Frances Hesselbein argues that to some extent such a vision already exists, one that embraces healthy children, strong families, good schools, decent housing, and work that dignifies, all in the cohesive, inclusive society that cares about all of its people.”

John C. Knapp in For the Common Good: The Ethics of Leadership in the 21st Century, Praeger

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“The common good, then, consists primarily of having the social systems, institutions, and environments on which we all depend work in a manner that benefits all people. Examples of particular common goods or parts of the common good include an accessible and affordable public health care system, and effective system of public safety and security, peace among the nations of the world, a just legal and political system, and unpolluted natural environment, and a flourishing economic system. Because such systems, institutions, and environments have such a powerful impact on the well-being of members of a society, it is no surprise that virtually every social problem in one way or another is linked to how well these systems and institutions are functioning.”

Manuel Velasquez, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, S.J., and Michael J. Meyer, The Common Good, Santa Clara University Website, online at scu.edu 

Clearly, when leaders consider the “Greater Good” they are taking a level of responsibility that extends far beyond their corporate walls.

  • Responsibility
  • for things that are greater than ourselves
  • that benefit others, and
  • that represent standards of well-being for all of us.
  • Responsibility
  • for being respectful to others,
  • for being inclusive, and
  • for acting as a citizen of the global community.
  • Responsibility
  • for supporting justice and peace,
  • for supporting healthy social systems,
  • for protecting the environment, and
  • for contributing to the well-being of society
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About The Author: Linda Fisher Thornton is CEO/Owner of Leading in Context, a leadership development firm providing leadership consulting and learning publications that address complex ethical issues. She also teaches leadership as Adjunct Assistant Professor for the University of Richmond School of Professional and Continuing Studies.

Leading in Context® Publications:

“Ethical Implications of How Leaders Perceive ‘Different’”  Training Module
“Ethical Interpersonal Behavior”  Graphic
“The Evolving Leadership Context: Respectful Workplaces”  Video
 
Testimonials - See what customers, readers and fans are saying!
 
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The Leadership Development Advantage

July 18, 2012 1 Comment

by Linda Fisher Thornton

Developing Leaders Pays Off

Ongoing development for leaders helps companies. According to several recent reports, businesses that invest in leadership development enjoy clear advantages. These advantages include improved bench strength, improved talent retention and greater market value over time.

Here is a list of some of the financial and non-financial advantages of investing in leadership development, and the white papers that document them. As you read, consider how improving leadership improves the entire organization in ways that benefit companies, leaders, customers, employees, and communities.

Advantages of Investing in Leadership Development

  • Improved business growth
  • Improved bench strength
  • Improved employee retention
  • Improved bottom-line performance
  • Improved ability to attract talent
  • Solving problems earlier and at lower levels
  • Increased organizational agility
  • Improved business sustainability
  • Greater market value over time

Reports Documenting the Benefits of Leadership Development

Bersin & Associates found that businesses that invest in leadership development enjoy improved business growth, bench strength and employee retention. (New Bersin & Associates Research Shows that Organizations with High-Impact Leadership Development Strategies Build a Different Breed of Leader and Generate Seven Times Greater Business Impact, online at Bersin.com).

JP Dolan wrote in 40 Best Companies for Leadership Development: How Top Companies Excel in Leadership Development that companies that excel in leadership development generate dramatically greater market value over time (online at ChiefExecutive.net).

The Center for Creative Leadership report Driving Performance: Why Leadership Development Matters in Difficult Times (online at ccl.org) says that leadership development during difficult economic times helps companies emerge stronger than the competition, improves bottom-line financial performance, improves ability to attract and retain talent and increases organizational agility.

The Career Management Consultants in “Enhancing Leadership Capability” (nwacademy.nhs.uk) reported that The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) “found that high performing organisations are five times as effective at leadership development than low performing organisations and 86 per cent of respondents cited leadership development as a critical business issue” (The Best Get Better: Critical Human Capital Issues of 2012, i4cp, April 2012). The report also noted that “leadership capability has a direct impact on bottom line results and business sustainability.”

The Growthwave White Paper “Unleash Leadership Talent – Increase Business Performance (online at growthwave.com) reports that “Companies that focus on developing leadership abilities deep into the organization are able to identify and solve problems earlier and at lower levels. This allows higher-level leaders to not get distracted by the details at the expense of strategic performance. Unleashing leadership potential deep in the organization creates capacity to significantly increase business performance.”

Questions for Reflection

1. How well does our leadership development prepare leaders for successful leadership in our organization?

2. What problems are we experiencing that improving leadership competence would help resolve?

3. What are we going to do about it?

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About the Author Linda Fisher Thornton is CEO/Owner of Leading in Context, a consulting firm that also publishes leadership development materials. Her mission is to clarify what it means to lead ethically in a complex world. Visit LeadinginContext.com/About for more information about Linda, her background and her mission. Linda is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor teaching Leadership for the University of Richmond School of Professional and Continuing Studies.

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150th Blog Post – Learning Out Loud

June 13, 2012 4 Comments

By Linda Fisher Thornton

Humble Blog Beginnings

The journey to a 150th blog post starts with a single post.

This ethical leadership blog had a very humble beginning back in 2009. I had decided to start a blog and took a WordPress class at the University of Richmond.  The possibilities were promising.

Then came those nagging thoughts…

  • what should I write about?
  • who will read it?
  • what if I make a mistake?
  • what if it’s not good enough?
Other bloggers may be able to relate to these initial thoughts.
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Finding the Courage to Learn Out Loud
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My doubts were powerful, but I had decided to do it, so I gathered the courage to post something on my new blog, found a link to share and composed a draft! It was May of 2009.
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After posting the very simple link, I expected that the sky would fall in. Why in the world would I have any business blogging? I’d been writing corporate training materials for over 25 years, I’d been writing articles and teaching, but blogging felt different – more raw, more personal, more exposed somehow… way out of my comfort zone. I was thoroughly amazed when a week went by and nothing bad happened.  So I started working on another short post. Most of the early posts on this blog were just links to good resources for leadership developers and human resource managers.
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It was 6 months later in November when I learned how to upload an image to go with the post (and the first image was pretty dismal).  To see the progression yourself, here is the Leading in Context Blog Index, with the oldest posts listed at the bottom.
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Being Transformed
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Since the humble beginnings of this blog in 2009, I have grown into being comfortable with learning out loud.  The journey has transformed me. This work,  helping leaders understand what it means to lead ethically in a complex world, has become my life’s work.
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Over time I have found the courage to question and explore the meaning of ethical leadership out loud. With time and practice, I have learned to express that meaning more clearly.
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Yes, now I can own it – in addition to being a leadership development consultant, publisher, teacher, facilitator and speaker, I have learned my way through and now I am an ethical leadership blogger.
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Special thanks to all the people who have encouraged me, shared resources, connected, followed, retweeted, commented and otherwise engaged in learning around the important issues that this blog explores. Thanks also to those who disagreed with me at times. You helped me grow as well.
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The journey to a 150th Blog Post starts with a single post and the courage to learn out loud.
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What are you waiting to do? What’s stopping you?
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About The Author: Linda Fisher Thornton is CEO/Owner of Leading in Context, a leadership development firm providing leadership consulting and learning publications in an ethical context. She publishes compelling workshop materials that help leaders understand complex ethical issues. For more information and sample content, see “Ethical Implications of How Leaders Perceive ‘Different’.”

You are invited to access the full benefits that Leading in Context provides to customers and subscribers:

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7 Reasons Ethics Matters in Brand Value

June 6, 2012 4 Comments

By Linda Fisher Thornton

Ethics Impacts Brand Value

In the article Brand Promise: What’s Your Ethical Brand Value, Ethisphere.com highlights a shift in corporation value from predominately tangible value to intangible value:

The way in which corporations conduct business has changed dramatically in recent decades. The industrial complex, traditionally based on hard assets, has evolved. Three decades ago, according to a report published by Thomson Reuters and Interbrand, 95 percent of the average corporation’s value was composed of tangible assets. Today, 75 percent of the average corporation’s value is now intangible. Accordingly, the most valuable asset for most corporations is their good name, or their brand and reputation.

Brand Promise: What’s Your Ethical Brand Value,  Ethisphere.com

The report “Brandz™ Top 100: Most Valuable Global Brands 2011″   at MillwardBrown.com describes consumer trends and how ethical behavior impacts a company’s brand value. Customers now shop globally, and when they buy, they compare products more and more often based on ethics. In addition to shopping cautiously during the recession when money is tight, there is also a trend toward thinking about how each purchase impacts the global community and the planet.

“The new ethos frowned on flaunting and encouraged awareness of how one’s purchases, whether diamonds from African mines or apparel stitched in Asian factories, impacted the environment and people all along the supply chain.”

“Brandz™ Top 100: Most Valuable Global Brands 2011″  MillwardBrown.com

Ethical Businesses Benefit From the New Ways Consumers Shop

Millward Brown uses the term ‘considered consumption’ to describe the current trend in consumer behavior.

Frugality eased last year, but consumers didn’t spend frivolously, suggesting that brands will continue to feel the impact of the recession-accelerated shift to considered – rather than conspicuous – consumption.  “Brandz™ Top 100: Most Valuable Global Brands 2011″  MillwardBrown.com

7 Practical Reasons Why Ethics Impacts Brand Value

  1. Customers are thinking more before buying
  2. They are evaluating the ethics of companies and products
  3. They are making responsible consumption a priority
  4. They place their “vote” for ethical business by purchasing from ethical companies
  5. They value trust
  6. They expect ethical behavior
  7. They spread the word when companies are responsible and offer quality and value
Advice to Build On
Alexander F. Brigham and Stefan Linssen highlight the importance of reputation in brand value in their article Your Brand Reputational Value is Irreplaceable. Protect It! at Forbes.com:
In a recent survey released jointly by the World Economic Forum and the Fleishman-Hillard public relations firm, three-fifths of chief executives said they believed corporate brand and reputation represented more than 40% of their company’s market capitalization. That value is the organization’s brand reputational value.
In addition to reporting about global brand value and industry changes, “Brandz™ Top 100: Most Valuable Global Brands 2011″ includes advice for companies and their brands about how to reach today’s consumers during difficult economic times.
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About The Author: Linda Fisher Thornton is CEO/Owner of Leading in Context, a leadership development firm providing leadership consulting and learning publications in an ethical context. She publishes compelling workshop materials that help leaders understand complex ethical issues. For more information and sample content, see “Ethical Implications of How Leaders Perceive ‘Different’.”

You are invited to access the full benefits that Leading in Context provides to customers and subscribers:

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Complexity and Childhood Education

January 25, 2012 Leave a comment

We are Beginning to Understand the Kind of Educational Leadership that Prepares Young Students for Success in Our Complex World. Many forward-thinking leaders are advocating the following educational approaches and roles that lead to creativity, learning, growth and innovation:

The Teaching Approach is more organic, flowing, rather than rigid and fixed. It is responsive and based on where the learners and learner groups need to go to take their learning to the next level.

The Teacher functions more like the “media specialist” – a supportive, human hub of information used when needed as learners explore subjects in their own way to integrate information. A human guide to “how to learn what you need to know to succeed in tomorrow’s world” and not ”how to memorize” or “how to pass a test.”

The Measurement considers individual and group progress and learning, not just measurement to a “minimum standard.” We measure what we want them to do – grow, learn, deepen knowledge and understanding, think about and solve complex problems, and treat one another respectfully. Discussion of “right” and “wrong” answers is avoided. Complexity is embraced and discussed openly – when could something be right and when could it be wrong? How does thinking about the question in terms of “right and wrong” oversimplify it?

The Environment is respectful, safe, engaging and low-stress. The joy of learning is apparent and anything that can make students feel “not good enough” has been removed. People support each other’s learning and place that first, ahead of any other external measures of success. Students are encouraged to find out what they love to learn about and pursue that learning with a passion. Movement and music are used as ways to explore learning and sitting still is not considered necessary for learning to happen.

The Leadership puts the well-being of the whole child in first position when making decisions, and one of the top goals is to nurture a love for learning, fun, exploration and wonder. Leaders understand that learning is an organic process and that memorization alone does not prepare learners for life and work in our complex world. Technology and social media are embraced for their ability to help meet learner’s needs but not used as an “end” in themselves. Grades are considered a form of judgement and are used minimally or phased out in favor of measures of learning progress.

The Learner is engaged in following curiosity, developing individual gifts and talents, respecting and helping others and preparing to use individual gifts and talents in service to others as healthy and productive citizen of our global society. Basic skills are learned in that context, providing meaning and the intrinsic motivation for learners to excel. In this scenario, homework gradually becomes an outdated construct and learners have more time to explore the natural world, stay physically active and participate in community service.

The Possibilities

I believe that students are capable of achieving much more than we realize when the restrictions on learning are removed and they are free to explore our complex world with their own curiosity and love for learning. There are many courageous principals and teachers who are making these changes in their classrooms and schools, even within an educational infrastructure that is struggling to adapt to a new model of learning.

When we believe that innovative educational leadership is attainable – instead of accepting things as they are – everything changes.

Sources for Learning:

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Linda Fisher Thornton is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Leadership for the University of Richmond School of Professional and Continuing Studies. She is also CEO/Owner of Leading in Context LLC, a consulting firm helping business leaders lead responsibly in a complex world.  Her background includes:

  • Executive Leadership Experience as Chief Learning Officer of a Virginia Bank
  • 26 Year Record of Engaging Training Design, Curriculum Planning and Group Facilitation 
  • Bachelors Degree in Communication and Linguistics from the University of Virginia
  • Masters Degree in Adult Education and Human Development from George Washington University
  • Award-Winning History of  Community Service and Training Relevance
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You are invited to access the full benefits that Leading in Context provides to customers and subscribers:

  • Subscribe to the Leading in Context® Blog, which addresses ethical leadership issues in engaging weekly posts designed for business leaders
  • Access selected publications via Slideshare
  • Develop ethical leaders using materials purchased from the  Store
  • Participate via twitter @leadingincontxt
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  • Contact Linda Fisher Thornton about your consulting, custom design, group facilitation, research or writing projects at Linda@LeadinginContext.com

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Thinking Ethically: 5 Sources

December 7, 2011 Leave a comment

How Will People Learn to Think Ethically if We Don’t Teach Them?

While we place a heavy emphasis on corporate education and childhood education as a nation, we don’t often see “learning to think ethically” on the classroom agenda or the corporate training schedule. How can people be expected to navigate the complexities of life and work responsibly without learning how to think ethically?

Ethical Thinking Helps us Behave Ethically

The most responsible and ethical response to a situation only becomes obvious by applying ethical thinking.

If you are teaching in a classroom or corporate setting and ethical thinking is not yet on your agenda, review these interesting sources and evaluate their application. See if you agree that ethical thinking needs to be one of the foundations included in childhood and corporate education.

5 Sources for Thinking Ethically

Five Ways to Think Ethically  Video Featuring Kirk O. Hanson, Executive Director, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University

The Ethical Mirage: A Temporal Explanation as to Why We Aren’t as Ethical as We Think We Are - a Harvard Business School Working Paper by Tenbrunsel, Diekmann, Wade-Benzoni and Bazerman, hbs.edu

Should We? How to Think Ethically by Mary Ann Cutter Ph.D., University of Colorado

The Importance of Responsible Thinking by Bob Korn, truthpizza.org

Teaching Children to Think Ethically by Susan Gardner, published in Analytical Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, posted online at viterbo.edu

Questions for Reflection

1. Have we made it a priority to help people think ethically about their work?

2. How well are we teaching people the process of thinking ethically?

3. Do our leaders understand that ethical thinking does not just “happen” and that they need to coach people through it?

4. How will ethical thinking help our company in the future, in areas that include risk prevention and customer service?

5. How will we incorporate ethical thinking into our meetings and leadership training programs in 2012?

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Linda Fisher Thornton is CEO/Owner of Leading in Context, a leadership development firm providing leadership development in an ethical context.

You are invited to access the full benefits that Leading in Context provides to customers and subscribers:

  • Access selected publications via Slideshare
  • Develop ethical leaders using the materials in our Digital Store (via Payloadz.com).
  • Subscribe to this blog via email or RSS (in upper right corner of this page)
  • Subscribe via twitter @leadingincontxt
  • Connect via the Leading in Context Facebook Page
  • Contact Linda Fisher Thornton at Linda@LeadinginContext.com

How Leading in Context® Publications Meet Your Needs:

#6: “We need leaders who can think ethically, both day-to-day and long term.”

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In the Leading in Context® Store Now, Backed With a One-Year Money-Back Satisfaction Guarantee:

EBK #L001  Module  ”Ethical Implications of How Leaders Perceive ‘Different’”

This leader learning module helps leaders understand:

  • The importance of inclusion and respect for others, and how differences enhance business innovation
  • Which behaviors are we seeing in response to ‘different’ people and ideas? Engaging Full-Page Graphic of 5 Leader Perceptions of “Different” and Behaviors Associated With Each
  • Ethical implications of the 5 leader perceptions – which are most ethical? Least ethical? Visual Continuum for Discussion
  • How do I treat people who are different from me?  Individual Reflection Questions
  • How can we see past differences and use different perspectives as assets?  Discussion Questions and a Case Study for Group Learning
        Purchase includes rights to use the module to train employees on the payroll of one company

VID #001  Video  “The Evolving Leadership Context: Respectful Workplaces”

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100 Communication Future Articles

November 2, 2011 Leave a comment

Where is Communication Going?

Our understanding of communication is changing rapidly and these articles preview what the future of communication may look like (and a history of where it’s been).

What Do We Need to Know?

Successful communication requires new approaches in a connected global society.

Some of the trends and changes that we need to keep up with are featured in these articles including:

  • collaboration
  • complexity
  • channels
  • control
  • change
  • connection
  • cause
  • authenticity
  • creativity
  • clarity
  • value and
  • innovation.
As you read, think about these questions:
  1. How will we need to change the ways we’re now doing business?
  2. How will we make those changes?
  3. What new skills will we need to build in order to communicate effectively in this new arena?
  4. How can we build on the communication skills we already have in order to succeed in the future?
  5. What help will team members need as they adapt to new communication approaches?
(More Than) 100 Communication Future Articles:

Ten Trends Shaping the Communications Agency of the Future by Index B

The End of Blogs (and Maybe Websites) as We Know Them by Scott Gillum

100 Blog Posts on the Future of Communication by Johann Ronnestam Posted Between 2005 and 2011 by Johan Ronnestam

Communication Through the Ages Infographic  atlassian.com/c4

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Linda Fisher Thornton is CEO/Owner of Leading in Context. She can be reached at Linda@LeadinginContext.com.

Her leader module titled “Ethical Implications of How Leaders Perceive ‘Different’” helps leaders learn a new way of thinking about the impact of leadership bias and includes a case study for discussion.

You are invited to access the full benefits that Leading in Context provides to customers and subscribers:

  • Access selected publications via Slideshare
  • Develop ethical leaders using the materials in our Digital Store (via Payloadz.com).
  • Subscribe to this blog via email or RSS (in upper right corner of this page)
  • Subscribe via twitter @leadingincontxt
  • Connect with Leading in Context on our Facebook Page
  • Contact Linda Fisher Thornton at Linda@LeadinginContext.com

Ways That Leading in Context® Publications Meet Your Needs #2:

“I want to follow leadership and learning trends.”

Filed under Ethical Organization, Trends Tagged with , , , , ,

Understanding Leader Bias: 5 Sources

October 12, 2011 Leave a comment

5 Sources for Understanding and Avoiding Leader Bias

1. “The Vision Renewal Process: How to Achieve Bias-Free Leadership” Sondra Thiederman, Ph.D. Worforce Diversity Network

2. “Your Leadership Bias” Dave Jensen, Dave Jensen on Leadership

3.  ”How do Leaders Avoid Bias?”  Richard Charkin, Common Purpose Blog

4. “Avoiding Bias” Bob Korn, Responsible Thinking: Principles

5. “APA Stylistics: Avoiding Bias”  Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

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Linda Fisher Thornton is CEO/Owner of Leading in Context. She can be reached at Linda@LeadinginContext.com.

Her leader module titled “Ethical Implications of How Leaders Perceive ‘Different’” includes a framework for thinking about the impact of leadership bias and includes a case study for discussion.

You are invited to access the full benefits that Leading in Context provides to customers and subscribers:

Filed under Ethical Thinking Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Ethical Leaders Care

October 5, 2011 5 Comments

 

 

Ethical Leadership Involves Much More Than Avoiding  Risk

Ethical leadership is about much more than making good decisions and abiding by laws and regulations. One of the elements of ethical leadership that may be overlooked when we view ethics using a “legal lens” is supporting and developing the potential of the people we lead.

While many leadership ethics programs focus on the risk side of ethics – compliance with laws and regulations, avoiding lawsuits, etc., there is an equally important side of ethics that involves care.

The Importance of Caring Leadership

Caring for others is an important element of ethical leadership that is gaining attention.

“Originally conceived as most appropriate to the private and intimate spheres of life, care ethics has branched out as a political theory and social movement aimed at broader understanding of, and public support for, care-giving activities in their breadth and variety.”

“Care Ethics” Page in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy at Arizona State University, online at iep.utm.edu

Caring is Part of Ethical Leadership

Care ethics focuses on the fact that we are all connected and have a responsibility to care for one another. We need to care because leadership is at its core about relationships.

A care ethic de-emphasizes the idea of the independent individual and instead stresses that persons exist in a web of relationships.

Care Theory, Western Kentucky University online at wku.edu.

We do “exist in a web of relationships.” We are more connected now than ever due to fast information exchange and a better understanding of our global economic and social systems. When we apply the care ethic, we act as if how we handle situations and how we treat people is just as important as following laws and making ethical decisions.

Leadership is about relationships. When we lead with care, we honor those relationships. Using ethics of care helps us think differently about any potential workplace conflicts, reminding us to use relationship-based means instead of only legal means for resolving touchy issues.

“A care ethic also seems to favor adopting procedures from Conflict Resolution and Dispute Mediation as alternative ways to approach an apparent ethical conflict.”

Online Guide to Ethics and Moral Philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University, online at phil.cmu.edu

Leading With Care

Using ethics of care changes how we think and act as leaders. It helps us remember that each person is important and that treating each other with care is part of our shared human experience. Caring shows that we know that people are more than task-doers and that leading is more than tactical, more than obligatory, more than just a job.

Questions for Reflection

1. How well do we demonstrate as leaders that we care for others?

2. In what settings are we not currently demonstrating ethics of care?

3. How will we help our leaders know what caring leadership looks like?

4. How will we incorporate the concept of care ethics into our leadership development?

For Further Reading

The Moral Psychology of Business: Care and Compassion in the Corporation by Robert Solomon, Business Ethics Quarterly v.8 no3 (July 1998)

Care Ethics Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Caring in Education by Nel Noddings

Leadership and the Ethics of Care by Joanne Ciulla

 Ethics of Care Online Guide to Ethics and Morality at Carnegie Mellon University, online at phil.cmu.edu

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Linda Fisher Thornton is CEO/Owner of Leading in Context, a leadership development firm providing leadership development materials in an ethical context.

You are invited to access the full benefits that Leading in Context provides to customers and subscribers:


Filed under Ethical Leader, Ethical Thinking, Trends Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Leading Ethically is the New Leading

September 21, 2011 Leave a comment

All of us who lead and develop leaders need to be tuned in to the “New Leading.”  To embrace the “New Leading,” we need to realize that leadership and ethics are joined in important ways.

Many leaders have traditionally thought of ethics and leadership as separate. That fragmented way of thinking is part of why we’ve reached a point where there are so many examples of ethical violations in the news.

What Really Happens When We Separate “Leading” From “Ethically?”

When you separate “leading” from “ethically,” you get a form of  ”leadership” that ignores responsibility to others and would look like this:

  • greedy
  • callous
  • harmful
  • insensitive
  • controlling
  • lax about safety
  • overly demanding
  • refusing to change
  • and other unsavory things.

…and a general lack of concern for…

  • other people
  • the community
  • the environment
  • natural life
  • responsible business practices
  • and the long-term good of society

How Is “Leading Ethically” Different From “Leading” in General?

Leading Ethically isn’t different from “Leading” at all.

It’s an integrated view of leadership that incorporates ethical thinking and ethical behavior.

It’s a view that keeps the “responsibility” in leadership.

It’s a kind of leadership that acknowledges that there are other constituents that matter and that how we treat them defines us as leaders.

It’s a broad set of evolving expectations for how to lead responsibly in a global society.

It’s not different from leadership.  It is the new leadership. It’s leadership done responsibly in a global society.

© 2011 Leading in Context LLC. All rights reserved.

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Linda Fisher Thornton is CEO/Owner of Leading in Context, a leadership development firm providing leadership development materials in an ethical context.

You are invited to access the full benefits that Leading in Context provides to customers and subscribers:

 

Filed under Ethical Leader, Ethical Thinking, Complexity Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Shared Ethical Values Part 2

September 14, 2011 Leave a comment

Shared Ethical Values Part 2  - A Reader Asked for More!

At the request of a reader via a comment on Linked In (thanks for the suggestion Jan!) this post features more sources and more recent sources of information about shared ethical values on a global scale.

The Names Vary, But it’s All About Ethical Values

While the titles vary, including “corporate social responsibility” or “global business” they are addressing shared values and principles of responsible business in a global economy.

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“The Manifesto was drafted by a working group of business leaders and experts in economic ethics, convened by the Global Ethic Foundation. On 6 October 2009, it was presented to the public in a symposium at UN
Headquarters in New York under the joint sponsorship of the UN Global Compact Office, the Swiss Permanent Mission to the United Nations and the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development.”

Global Economic Ethic – Consequences for Global Business, Global Ethics Foundation (2009)

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“The United Nations Global Compact, also known as Compact or UNGC, is a United Nations initiative to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation. The Global Compact is a principle-based framework for businesses, stating ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption. Under the Global Compact, companies are brought together with UN agencies, labour groups and civil society.”

The United Nations Global Compact (2004)   Wikipedia.com

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Linda Fisher Thornton is CEO/Owner of Leading in Context, a leadership development firm providing leadership development materials in an ethical context.

You are invited to access the full benefits that Leading in Context provides to customers and subscribers:


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