Reader Question: Why Did You Include Profit as One of the 7 Lenses?

By Linda Fisher Thornton

Recently, a 7 Lenses reader told me she loved my leadership book but she had one question – “Why did I include Profit in the 7 Lenses?”

This is a question that has come up before, so I will answer it in today’s post.

Profit is Included in the 7 Lenses® of Ethical Responsibility Because:

I wanted to help leaders get past thinking that profit and proactive ethics are mutually exclusive.

I wanted to help leaders move beyond the Triple Bottom Line (Profit-People-Planet) which many people have mistakenly interpreted as the full scope of ethical business responsibility.

I wanted to help leaders realize that Integrity, Profitability, Sustainability and Community Service can be accomplished simultaneously.

I wanted leaders to see all the dimensions of ethical responsibility that they would be missing if they stopped after considering profit alone.

The question about profit’s place in ethical leadership is a good one. At its best, ethics requires setting aside concerns about money and personal gain and doing what is best for others.

But business leaders also have to keep their organizations afloat, and that requires thinking about money.

Have you read 7 Lenses yet? What are your thoughts about its holistic approach to balancing ethics and profit?