By Linda Fisher ThorntonThere are many ways to define "ethical leadership" but there is increasing global interest in learning "ethical leadership" in a holistic and authentic way. This authentic ethical leadership takes us beyond laws and regulations, beyond respect for others and beyond traditional definitions of a business "win." It generates a positive leadership legacy and a better shared future. If this sounds like the kind of leadership you want to learn, you've come to the right place. The Leading in Context Blog now includes 500 articles on high-level, holistic and global ethical leadership. This blog started off as a way to organize and share emerging research in my leadership classes. Ten years later it has become a "go-to" site for organizational leaders across industries, university professors and seekers looking for a better way to lead.
Category: Context
Respect, Interpreted Part 2
By Linda Fisher Thornton This is the second post in a series called "Respect, Interpreted." Respect, Interpreted Part 1 described respect as a "structural beam" in organizations that holds the culture together. This week we'll look at how to take two very different kinds of leadership actions that are both required for building and maintaining a culture of respect. Requiring respectful behavior (putting in expectations and support) AND Eliminating negative behavior (stopping disrespectful behavior quickly)
Respect, Interpreted Part 1
By Linda Fisher Thornton I believe that respect is a key structural beam supporting the organizational "house." Without it, trust falls, productivity falls, engagement drops and turnover increases. It becomes harder to attract top talent for open positions in organizations where respect is not a minimum standard. Without respect, an organization's culture becomes structurally unsound and devolves into "a house of cards" at risk of many negative impacts beyond those mentioned here. With respect as a minimum standard for which people are held accountable, an organization creates a "positive shield' that deflects a wide range of negative interpersonal behaviors.
Ground Rules for Talking About Controversial Topics
By Linda Fisher Thornton Talking about controversial topics has become a daunting task. There are some things we can do, individually and collectively, to improve those difficult conversations. Use the important points below as ground rules for discussing potentially emotionally charged issues:
3 Steps For Dusting Off Your Leadership in the New Year
By Linda Fisher Thornton When we start a New Year, it's is a wonderful time to take stock of our leadership. The intense, conflicted global environment we face is formidable. Sitting still won't keep our leadership up to the task. It's definitely not a good time to let our leadership get dusty from a lack of attention. It's time to take action. Here are three things you can do to dust off your leadership and discover your best capabilities this year:
Top Post Series of 2018: Leading in Context Blog
By Linda Fisher Thornton The Top Post Series this year reflects a concern I have that many other people must share. It is a concern about what can happen when we don't use ethical thinking. This series answers the important…
Systems Thinking: Using the 5 Whys
By Linda Fisher Thornton In my Applied Ethics Class last fall, I introduced my students to the Five Whys. This is a simple and valuable tool for getting to the root cause of problems. We may think we understand why something happened but when we "fix" whatever we think is the sole cause we don't always get the intended result. The reason for that is that problems tend to have multiple causes. They happen in the context of multiple processes. Singling out one "cause" is rarely sufficient for understanding what really happened.
Context Matters: What We’re Learning About Food
By Linda Fisher Thornton A day when so many people eat too much candy seems just right for sharing new research that turns conventional wisdom on healthy eating inside out. This new research will begin to change the thinking and practices of the food and restaurant industries. Here is a sneak preview:
The Seductive Power of the Status Quo
By Linda Fisher Thornton Why do we have such a powerful negative reaction when we find out that we need to change? The status quo literally has a grip on us.
Ethical Thinking Requires Dialogue
By Linda Fisher Thornton Ethical leadership requires us to understand the context and embrace the natural complexity of issues. One of the pieces that we can't be successful without is learning from the widely varying perspectives of others.
5 Things I Learned From a 6th Grade Bully
By Linda Fisher Thornton October is Bullying Prevention Month. Most of the people I know were bullied at some point in their lives. As I look back on dealing with a 6th grade bully, I realize that I learned some things from that difficult time. Today I share that story along with resources for preventing bullying.
MindTools Expert Interview Podcast With Linda Fisher Thornton
By Linda Fisher Thornton I recently did an interview with Rachel Salaman for the MindTools Expert Interview Podcast. We had a lively conversation about ethical leadership and the concepts from my book 7 Lenses: Learning the Principles and Practices of Ethical Leadership. Click on the graphic below to read the MindTools blog post featuring highlights from that interview and an excerpt of the podcast.
70 Trends to Watch in 2019
By Linda Fisher Thornton Each year I curate a list of sites that write about trends that will change how we do business in the coming year. This year's list includes some ongoing trends from last year and some fresh ideas and new directions. Take a look at the 70+ trends at the links below and start getting ready for what's ahead!
Grey Areas: Our Choices Define Us (Part 3)
By Linda Fisher Thornton There will always be grey areas that aren't covered by the ethics code. In grey areas, leaders "paint the boundary" of ethical choices others will make by how they navigate the ethical complexity when the boundaries are not clear. Part 3 of this series Grey Areas: Our Choices Define Us includes cases to get you talking about interpersonal grey areas, and related articles for learning.
What is Meaningful Leadership? – 4 Common Threads
By Linda Fisher Thornton What is meaningful leadership? I recently wrote a 5 part blog series exploring different facets of that question... There are four common threads that emerged from exploring the topic that I want to share today.
Leading in Context 