10 Quotes to Inspire Leaders in 2024 (Part 1)

By Linda Fisher Thornton

This series includes 10 quotes (linked to blog posts with leadership guidance) to inspire you and help you improve your leader development as we head into the new year. Part 1 includes the first 5.

If we assert individual rights without also taking responsibility, we are asking for more than we are willing to give. We are conveying that what we want is more important than what others want. We are demanding that our needs be met without caring about what happens to others. Under those circumstances the answer to “Can rights and responsibilities be separated?” is ‘Yes, but not ethically.’”
Linda Fisher Thornton in Ethical Perspectives: Rights, Responsibilities, and Freedom

With so many ethical scandals in the news, consumers have become quite aware of risks. They are more actively protecting their interests, even though they are not invited into the closed meetings where decisions that affect their health and safety are made.
Linda Fisher Thornton in Hallmarks of Ethical Leadership (Part 5)

Young people need help learning how to succeed in living positive ethical values in a world filled with distractions, conflict, and negative messages. Our job is to help them center themselves in positive ethical values and get to know themselves as good people. We can be a filter, an interpreter and a beacon for them as they find their way.
Linda Fisher Thornton in Help Young People Center Themselves in Values

Leaders who receive separate ethics training that is not an integral component in the rest of their leadership development may think of it as they would think about a vaccination, as a one-time booster, but not something that should govern their thinking, choices and behavior every day.
Linda Fisher Thornton in Ethics and Leadership Should Be Learned Together

Leading ethically requires staying competent as a professional and as a leader. The speed of change in today’s global economy may cause leaders to fall behind even while they are diligently working to stay on top of trends and industry knowledge.
Linda Fisher Thornton in 5 Phrases to Watch For: Resistance to Change

As we begin 2024, this is the right time to have important conversations about values. A grounding in ethical values will help leaders successfully navigate the inevitable challenges the new year will bring.