By Linda Fisher Thornton Author's Note: This post is in honor of the many people who have had to fight to get credit for their own work. Giving Credit and Taking Responsibility As our understanding of good leadership continues to advance, we are rapidly moving away from leaders "giving responsibility and taking credit" in leadership and moving toward "giving credit and taking responsibility." This change is overdue, and is part of a bigger change in our understanding of the purpose of leadership.
Category: Context
Talking About What Matters (Part 3)
By Linda Fisher Thornton I have heard from readers that this topic is timely and they hope this series will not end with just 2 posts - so here is Part 3! Talking About What Matters In the post Talking About What Matters (Part 1) I explored how talking about ethical values engages people, helps them find meaning and improves the organization’s metrics. In Talking About What Matters (Part 2), I explored how leaders need to "not have the answers" and be ready to engage in conversations about applying values. In Part 3, I want to offer some questions that lead to meaningful conversation. These are not questions that have known answers, but questions that dig into what is weighing on people's hearts and minds, and identify gaps and opportunities in applying ethical values.
Talking About What Matters (Part 2)
By Linda Fisher Thornton In a previous post Talking About What Matters (Part 1), I explored how talking about ethical values engages people, helps them find meaning and improves the organization's metrics. This week I want to begin to explore what the conversation should include. You may be surprised to learn that it’s not all about what WE COMMUNICATE about values - it's their questions that will help us bring values to life.
Talking About What Matters (Part 1)
By Linda Fisher Thornton This post begins a series on talking about what matters. Great attention is often paid to values in defining and marketing an organization. But what happens after that? It's the ongoing dialogue about how to apply those values that brings them to life. Some leaders assume that if the values are written down, they will be followed. The problem with that assumption is that while people may WANT to follow the organization's stated values, they may not know how.
Reflections on Truth: Why Is It So Elusive?
By Linda Fisher Thornton Why Is The "Truth" So Elusive? Last summer, I explored what great thinkers have said about truth in this post: "Reflections on Truth: Are You a Seeker?" Today I'm going to dig a little deeper into the question "What is truth?"
The Missing Domain: Ethical Thinking
By Linda Fisher Thornton Using the commonly-taught types of thinking is very useful in life, and helps us be better professionals and business people. But there's a catch.
Ethics-Rich Leadership: Why We Need It
By Linda Fisher Thornton I was originally going to used the words "ethics-infused leadership" in this post, but I realized that would treat ethics a little bit like a lime twist in a cold drink. The drink would hint of lime, but it wouldn't be FULL of lime. So I chose to use "ethics-rich" leadership instead. I think you may already be looking for the ethics-rich leadership I'm talking about.
How You Can Stop The “Fake News” Madness
By Linda Fisher Thornton We all need to know how to tell what's real news and what's not. While a headline may be compelling, we can easily damage our personal reputation and brand if we share it and it turns out to be "fake news." It's our job to "check stories out" to be sure that what we share is real. Our "Human Software" is Buggy While it's important for us to tell the difference between the real and the fake, our "human software" comes with bugs. One type of bug we all have is cognitive biases, and one of our biases causes us to readily believe headlines we already agree with (confirmation bias).
Do Laws Set the Standard For Ethics?
By Linda Fisher Thornton "Do Laws Set the Standard For Ethics?" may be a simple question, but the answer is complicated. They do and they don't set the standard.
Yes, Leaders. Behavior Matters
By Linda Fisher Thornton As leaders, we are expected to uphold the highest standards of ethical behavior, and that includes interpersonal behavior (HOW we get the results we get, and how our behavior impact others). This week I'm sharing a review of behaviors that are a "NO GO" for ethical leaders. Click on each link to learn about why the behavior is outside the bounds of ethical leadership.
Everyone is a Stakeholder at Some Level
By Linda Fisher Thornton "Everyone is a stakeholder at some level, and all stakeholders are important. We should consider all stakeholders as we lead – those we serve, those we lead, the powerless, the silenced, the planet, and all of humanity." I shared this important statement in a previous post - it was an aha moment from a Tweetchat I guest-hosted on Leading With Ethics. To reflect on where you are in the journey to leading with the mindset that "everyone is a stakeholder at some level," explore the answers to these important questions:
Ethical Leaders Take The Hidden Path
By Linda Fisher Thornton Ethical leaders seek shared value. They look for ways to meet the needs of others while they champion their own projects and ideas. Why? Because they understand that they are responsible for making choices that honor their well-being AND the well-being of others. Because they see beyond the one-dimensional false dichotomy "I Win, You Lose" that is based on the zero-sum mentality "I can only win if you lose."
9 Ethical Roles: Is Your Leadership Team “All In”
By Linda Fisher Thornton I blogged a while back about the Critical Roles of the (Ethical) CEO. I realized later that these important ethical roles apply not just to CEOs, but also to all senior leaders in an organization. And if the leaders they manage don't carry these roles throughout the organization, there will be gaps in the culture.
Labels Divide, Values Conquer
By Linda Fisher Thornton I have noticed that when people speak from LABELS (their group identity, their belief system, their affiliation), they are talking from the interests of that label. This can quickly become divisive if that label doesn't include everyone. If a label is broad enough - like the label "human" - it can automatically be an ethical and inclusive conversation. But since most labels aren't that broad, we need to use ethical values to guide us.
How Do You Make Better Decisions?
By Linda Fisher Thornton How do you make decisions? Do you consider a series of important questions? Do you find out the needs of the people involved? Do you consult a diverse group of advisors? Or do you just wing it? Some of the ways we may be tempted to think through our challenges (how to stay within budget or how to be most profitable, for example) leave ethical values out of the equation. Ethical thinking helps us make good leadership decisions. When we use intentional ethical thinking, we make decisions based on ethical values. Using ethical thinking doesn't just help us do the right thing. It also helps us resolve our most difficult leadership problems by broadening our awareness.
Leading in Context 