By Linda Fisher Thornton Civility seems like a minimum standard or a fallback position, certainly not a desired end. We expect so much more from ethical leaders. Without civility, communication is chaotic and difficult (if not impossible). Civility adds choosing…
Category: Ethical Leader
Your Culture is Not A Secret (So Protect Your Ethics)
By Linda Fisher Thornton One of my favorite concepts for understanding how social media is changing the visibility of organizational culture is Trendwatching.com's report Glass Box Brands. As Trendwatching.com elequently explains, "In an age of radical transparency, your internal culture is your brand." The key point I take away from this important report is that we can no longer assume that our culture is private. In fact, it's completely public and it defines our brand.
Thinking Beyond Polarities To Both/And Thinking
By Linda Fisher Thornton In this video, Michael DePass of CCL gives a brief introduction to polarity thinking and how it affects our communication and relationships with others. Polarity Thinking Risks and Limitations Thinking in an either/or way about a problem that has multiple sides/variables/perspectives limits our effectiveness. That kind of thinking: Won't help us solve complex problems Can lead to "stuck" thinking and stalemate Can lead to arguing and conflict Compounds misunderstandings (potentially leading to irreconcilable differences)
500th Post: Index to 500 Articles on Authentic Ethical Leadership
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.
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.
Top 10 Posts 2018: Leading in Context Blog
By Linda Fisher Thornton Of the 52 individual posts published on the Leading in Context Blog in 2018, these 10 were the most popular. See if you notice a theme that connects these new topics that readers accessed most frequently:
Tis The Season
By Linda Fisher Thornton It's the season of giving and gratitude and celebration, and today I'm sharing a sampling of this blog's best seasonal messages. Each is meant to inspire us to become our best.
A Message About Togetherness
By Linda Fisher Thornton In What is Meaningful Leadership Part 5 I wrote about building a better society together for future generations. When I really stop to think about what it means to live and work together, here are some of the things that come to mind:
Ethical Thinking: 5 Questions to Ask in the New Year
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Each year I raise questions that help leaders stay current as ethical expectations change. Here are 5 new questions to tackle as we head into a New Year.
Human Rights: 70 Years
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.
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