10 Ways Leading With Ethics is Transformational

10 Ways

By Linda Fisher Thornton

What are some of the ways that ethical leadership transforms people and brings out their best? And how does bringing out people’s best transform organizations?

Here is a list of 10 ways, inspired by the participants in the Leading With Ethics #leadfromwithin Tweetchat that I co-hosted with @LollyDaskal earlier this month.

10 Ways Leading With Ethics is Transformational

1. It brings out people’s best by creating a safe work environment where everyone can do great work.

2. It helps people pursue a higher purpose, and makes work meaningful and fun.

3. It creates a supportive environment that helps people learn and grow.

4. It develops employees who understand why ethics is so important and who tend to make good choices.

5. It develops ethical leaders who foster respectful behavior and know how to build high-trust cultures.

6. It reduces fear by making it clear that negative interpersonal behavior is not permitted.

7. It lets people know where they stand, and how much they are valued.

8. It creates a culture where ethical choices and integrity are the norm.

9. It makes treating all stakeholders with care the minimum expectation.

10. It makes conversations about things that matter part of daily life.

Ethical cultures are mutually beneficial for leaders, employees, customers and other stakeholders. Work environments with ethics as a core value tend to bring out the best in people. The Ethics Resource Center finds that employees in ethical cultures are more loyal, feel more engaged in their work, and are more committed to their companies.

According to The SHRM Foundation Report Shaping an Ethical Workplace Culture “The most effective ethical workplace cultures weave ethical values seamlessly into every aspect of their work…Simply put: High ethics creates high trust. High trust creates great performance.”

How many of these 10 ethical practices are you implementing in your daily leadership?