Unleash the Positive Power of Ethical Leadership
by Linda Fisher Thornton Human Rights and Morality Business leaders have a clear responsibility to honor universal human rights. In their article The Moral Foundations of Ethical Leadership in the Values Based Leadership Journal, Hester and Killian remind us that…
By Linda Fisher Thornton
I had the privilege of hearing award-winning author Blanche Wiesen Cook speak at The University of Richmond last night. Her topic was “Toward an Inclusive Democracy: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Legacy.” During the inspiring talk, she noted that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Eleanor Roosevelt championed, is turning 70 this month.
Honoring Human Rights
As business leaders, it is our responsibility to honor human rights in all that we do. Article 1 of the The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that:
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights
By Linda Fisher Thornton
I spoke with Human Resource leaders attending a Richmond SHRM Strategic Leadership Conference about The Future of Ethics and Business Leadership. The lens I used to frame the discussion was leadership development – how we can prepare leaders to lead ethically in a highly complex, connected future.
Here are some highlights from my presentation – a few of the important success principles for developing “Ethical Leader Future.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
This collection from reader favorites on the Leading in Context Blog will help you explore the scope and dimensions of today’s ethical leadership. As you will see, ethical leadership requires much more than following laws and regulations. We have to take on a global mindset and an openness to learning, and much more.
Which levels described in this graphic represent ethical leadership?
Is Following Laws Ethical Leadership?
Diversity 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. 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.
by Linda Fisher Thornton
On Thursday, I spoke about The Future of Ethics and Business Leadership at the Richmond SHRM Strategic Leadership Conference. My lens was leadership development – how to help leaders be ready to lead ethically in a highly complex, connected future.
Here are some success principles for developing “Ethical Leader Future:”
What is Ethical Consumerism?
Ethical consumerism means that more customers are choosing to purchase goods that are ethically sourced, ethically made and ethically distributed. In her article “Ethical Consumerism and Conservatism: Hand in Glove” in the Heinz Journal, Jacqueline Payne describes the ethical consumer this way:
Ethical leaders are fixed and flexible at the same time. They stay anchored to ethical values AND adapt as the world changes. Both are critically important aspects of ethical leadership success.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
We are globally connected and becoming more aware of the complexity of our connections. We need a robust understanding of ethics – what it means, what it requires of us, and what we need to know and do to be ethical.
As we learn about ethics, we need to understand it in a multidimensional way. One-dimensional definitions lead us down a single path and prevent us from seeing our broad responsibilities as citizens and leaders. Here is a quick tour of ways to think about ethics.
Leading in Context 