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.
Category: Ethical Organization
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.
Where Ethics Should Be
By Linda Fisher Thornton We need to be talking about where ethics should be... how and where it fits into real life. Too many leaders and organizations have crossed ethical boundaries and that seems to be all we're seeing in the…
Grey Areas: Our Choices Define Us (Part 2)
By Linda Fisher Thornton This post is an updated version of a reader favorite. There Will Always Be Grey Areas There will always be ethical grey areas. We see plenty of information about lying, cheating, stealing and other obvious ethical violations. It is more difficult to know what to do when we encounter behaviors that fall into ethical grey areas, particularly in term of relationships with other people. Grey areas are difficult for anyone to handle but leaders bear the additional weight of needing to set the tone for the organization. Each decision impacts the ethics of the organization.
What is Meaningful Leadership? (Part 5)
By Linda Fisher Thornton What is Meaningful Leadership? Making a Difference By Building a Better Society For the Future In Part 1 of this series we looked at how leaders generate meaningful environments where others can thrive. In Part 2 we explored a leader's own quest for authenticity. In Part 3 we looked at the role of powerful conversations and a focus on relational ROI. In Part 4, we examined how meaningful leadership requires truth-seeking based on ethical values. In Part 5 we'll take a look at how meaningful leadership makes a difference by building a better society for the future. Meaningful leadership sees the world in terms of building a better future together. The important focus on together requires not drawing lines around "better" or "worse" people or creating "in" and "out" groups.
What is Meaningful Leadership? (Part 4)
By Linda Fisher Thornton What is Meaningful Leadership? Seeking the Truth & Excavating Grey Areas Using Ethical Values In Part 1 of this series we looked at how leaders generate meaningful environments where others can thrive. In Part 2 we explored a leader's own quest for authenticity. In Part 3 we looked at the role of powerful conversations and a focus on collective success. In Part 4, we'll examine how meaningful leadership requires truth-seeking based on ethical values.
What is Meaningful Leadership? (Part 3)
By Linda Fisher Thornton In Part 1 of this series we looked at how leaders generate meaningful environments where others can thrive. In Part 2 we explored a leader's own quest for authenticity. In Part 3 we'll look at the role of powerful conversations and a focus on collective success.
What is Meaningful Leadership? (Part 2)
By Linda Fisher Thornton What is meaningful leadership? In Part 1 we explored how leaders create meaningful work settings so others can excel. In Part 2, we look at a leader's own quest for authenticity as a factor in meaningful leadership. What is Meaningful Leadership? A Quest For Authenticity Meaningful leadership is focused on authenticity, not just acquisition. That requires seeing beyond just portfolio growth to human growth. It means learning to see how the two are connected.
What is Meaningful Leadership? (Part 1)
By Linda Fisher Thornton In this 5-part "What is Meaningful Leadership?" series, we'll look at 5 different aspects of meaningful leadership, each one revealing opportunities for leader awareness and growth. In Part 1, we'll look at the importance of creating meaningful work settings.
Ethical Leadership: Complexity, Context and Adaptation
By Linda Fisher Thornton Ethical leadership requires growth, a willingness to acknowledge complexity and an understanding of the broader context in which we lead. Use these resources to improve your ethical awareness, learn about how the leadership context is evolving and check for learning blind spots.
What Happens When You Ignore Complexity?
By Linda Fisher Thornton Ignoring complexity reduces the number of variables considered in a decision. That may seem convenient (see last week's post) but it also removes the nuanced thinking that is necessary for ethical decision making. With all the information available in a socially connected world, it is easy to fall victim to the quick oversimplified understanding of issues. This "quick glance" way of gathering information doesn't reveal the breadth and depth of what's really going on.
50 Trends to Follow in 2018
By Linda Fisher Thornton What trends will impact your leadership and your business this year? Get settled in with your favorite morning brew and review these 50+ trend reports on what to expect in 2018. Adapting to these changes will require constant shifts in direction and focus, while staying grounded in positive ethical values.
Leaders: Can You Control Ethics?
By Linda Fisher Thornton The question for today is "Can we control ethics?" Leaders have tried to control ethics with compliance-based systems (based on rules and penalties) but that does not tend to inspire people to ethical action. Leaders have tried to control ethics by running a tight ship, closely managing workers, but that does not bring out the best in people and may lead to workers not caring about protecting the company's reputation.
Trust: The Force That Drives Results
By Linda Fisher Thornton
When leaders trust and are trustworthy, this brings out their best and fuels a virtuous cycle that brings out the best in others and releases the potential of the organization for great performance.
Ethical Leaders Are Trustworthy and They Choose to Trust Others
When we choose to trust, we access a higher level of capacity in ourselves and our organizations. When we are consistently trustworthy, people know they can count on us to support their success.
How Does Trust Drive Results?
Once thought by business leaders to be "soft," trust is now proven to be a "results-changer." Here is a sampling of the many ways trust transforms organizations:
Trends In Ethical PR
By Linda Fisher Thornton It is a difficult time to be in PR and Communications. The stakes are high and it's easy to miss the mark. I spoke at the Virginia Professional Communicators Conference on Saturday, as the group celebrated its…
Leading in Context 