Leading in Context

Unleash the Positive Power of Ethical Leadership

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Ethical Values are Good For Business (Part 1)

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Even if a company has clear values, applying them is not as easy as leaders might think. According to Gallup (2016), just 23% of U.S. employees strongly agree that they can apply their organization’s values to their work every day, and only 27% strongly agree that they “believe in” their organization’s values.  In 2022 Gallup reported that “Without strong, lived and embedded values, it is difficult for employees to find meaning in their job.”

Ethical Leadership Development: Global Awareness

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Laws serve as he minimum standards for society, but responsible leadership requires that we go well beyond those minimum standards.

This post explores resources that help us understand (1) what it means to be a globally responsible leader and (2) what kinds of learning opportunities help leaders develop a global sense of responsibility.

Ethical Leadership Development: High Level View

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

What is Ethical Leadership Development?

Ethical leadership development is the ongoing process of guiding leaders to become ethical people and ethical leaders. It is not the same thing as compliance training or following legal requirements, although those are also important. This is the human development that happens over time to bring leaders to the point of being able to handle what the world throws at them using ethical thinking and action. The way we develop leaders impacts their growth and readiness to make successful and ethical choices when faced with challenging situations.

5 Phrases to Watch For: Ignoring Ethical Boundaries

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Boundaries can be simply described as lines that we don’t cross when doing business.  Respecting these (sometimes clear, sometimes hazy) boundaries is an important part of today’s ethical leadership.

The 5 phrases below signal that the speaker is ignoring an important ethical boundary:

Ethical Thinking and Decision Making for Leaders (Part 5)

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

While change is a constant reality, it doesn’t always factor into leadership thinking. In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, I explored the Depth of our thinking, and the importance of understanding Context. In Part 3 and Part 4, I looked at embracing Complexity and the importance of full Inclusion. In Part 5, I’ll describe how embracing Change helps us make ethical decisions. 

Responding (Ethically) To An Overwhelmed Employee

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

“The issue of the overwhelmed employee looms large” according to Josh Bersin, Bersin by Deloitte. (Are You an Overwhelmed Employee? New Research Says Yes, LinkedIn). Employees are having a hard time managing an overload of information and tasks, and the problem is not getting any better.

Teach Every Child These 5 Things

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Our successful shared future depends on how we raise children now, as they will become our future leaders. There is no way to know which children will be the ones to solve the problems our current leaders are unwilling and/or unable to solve in the future. How we teach and inspire them now will impact their ability to interact with others and lead others in ethical ways.

Leadership Questions For The New Year

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

What will 2023 be like? We’ve been through so much over the past few years. Will things be better? Whatever happens, the start of a new year is a great time to take stock of our leadership strengths and areas for improvement.

Regardless of the leadership challenges we may face this year, there are important things we should be doing to make it easier for others to succeed, and our teams are counting on us to do them so that they can do their best work.

Conquer These Leadership Temptations In The New Year

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

We’re starting a new year, with fresh possibilities, and it is a good time to think about our leadership values. What do we believe? How do we treat others? What matters to us? Can people determine our values by watching how we treat people?

5 Easy-To-Spot Hallmarks of (Un)Ethical Leadership

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Quibbling about terminology –the words used to describe unethical behaviors as they are uniquely defined by different groups – just misdirects our attention away from some foundational, easy-to-spot signs of unethical leadership.

Navigating Ethical Complexity

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Developing ethical leaders and building ethical cultures have become critical business priorities. As if that weren’t already challenging enough, managing ethics well also requires systems thinking and a broad understanding of ethical responsibilities. Why is ethics such a challenge for organizations? It has many dimensions, and while we are sorting them all out, expectations for how well we handle day-to-day challenges are increasing.  Keeping up is a formidable challenge. 

Elements of Ethical Leadership Development

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Ethical leadership development is the ongoing process of guiding leaders to become ethical people and ethical leaders. It is not the same thing as compliance training or legal requirements, although those are also important. This is the human development that happens over time that brings leaders to the point of being able to handle what the world throws at them using ethical thinking and action.

5 Factors Ethical Leaders Control

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Ethical leaders can’t really “control” organizations, but there are specific things they can do to bring out the best in others and teams to move the organization forward. Here are five things ethical leaders can and should control to have a positive impact on the organizations they lead.