Exploring "Unethical Leadership" How do we define unethical leadership? While there are hundreds of stories that illustrate examples of unethical leadership in the news, those stories taken together still do not clearly define the boundaries of what unethical leadership includes
Category: Ethical Organization
How Not to Lead Through Conflict
By Linda Fisher Thornton Why do we tend to think that conflict is something negative, something that we must prevent? Why we Need Conflict Experienced leaders have learned that too little conflict in meetings is a warning sign that not all of the important points are being heard.
Civility is an Ethical Issue
by Linda Fisher Thornton The Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary defines civility as "polite, reasonable, and respectful behavior." These are the kinds of behaviors we use when we treat others with care. According to Michael Brannigan, The Pfaff Endowed Chair in Ethics and Moral Values at the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY., "Ethics deals fundamentally with how we treat each other on a daily basis. Indeed, our small acts of civility and incivility constitute the heart of morality."
What is the Greater Good?
What is the Greater Good? As leaders, we must think beyond our own interests to the interests of those we lead and serve, and the interests of communities and the world. We must take a long-term view, keeping in mind the broad effects of our day-to-day decisions. Many people refer to the "greater good" as an important part of leading ethically, and use different words to describe it. The descriptions collectively paint a picture of a responsibility to think beyond ourselves and to work for a better, inclusive society.
Don’t Separate “Ethics” From “Leadership”
Preparing For Ethical Leadership Preparing leaders for ethical leadership is a long-term process. It requires careful thought about the messages we are sending. For example, what message are we sending when we separate ethics training from other leadership training? The Risks of "Separate" Ethics Training I believe that we take an unnecessary risk when we separate ethics training from the rest of a leader's development. When we separate ethics training and leadership training, we may be unintentionally sending the message that ethics is separate from leadership. What could be the harm of separating ethics from leadership?
The Leadership Development Advantage
by Linda Fisher Thornton Developing Leaders Pays Off Ongoing development for leaders helps companies. According to several recent reports, businesses that invest in leadership development enjoy clear advantages. These advantages include improved bench strength, improved talent retention and greater market value over time.
Leading For Ethical Performance
Discouraging Unethical Leadership The senior leaders in an organization need to work together to create an organization where ethical leadership is rewarded and unethical leadership is quickly corrected. To build an ethical organization over time, Chief Learning Officers can work with leaders throughout the organization to build ethical competence in areas that support effective communication and leadership.
7 Reasons Ethics Matters in Brand Value
Customers shop globally now, and when they buy, they compare products more and more often based on ethics. In addition to shopping cautiously during the recession when money is tight, there's also a trend toward thinking about how each purchase impacts the global community and the planet.
5 Reasons Why Respect is an Ethical Issue
Is your workplace high stress? Do people treat each other in disrespectful ways? It just may surprise you to know that "behaviors that we once thought of as annoyances or different leadership styles are causing harm to people and businesses."
Developing Globally Responsible Leaders
Laws serve as minimum standards for society, but responsible leadership requires that we go well beyond those minimum standards. As the leaders who will help shape the future of our businesses and our societies through small actions and big decisions, we need a global sense of responsibility. This post explores what it means to be a globally responsible leader and what kinds of learning opportunities help leaders develop a global sense of responsibility.
Social Media for “Good”
The 5 reasons to engage in social media describe how social media can benefit us as leaders who are learning in complex times, but that's only one dimension of the benefit of connected communication through social media. In this post I'll explore some of the ways social media can be used for "good."
Leading Ethically Through Complexity: How to Prepare Leaders
Developing Business Leader Future In response to the post "Business Leader Future: A Sketch" Graham posted a question about how we support leaders who are learning to lead in the ways described in that post. ♦ Here are some of my thoughts on how to help business leaders lead ethically through the complexities of their role:
Assessing Corporate Ethics
How Well are We Doing? For those who want to be able to assess their progress toward ethical standards, this week I'm sharing tools for comparing business practices with global ethical standards.
The Learning Paradox: How Too Much Homework Harms
How Much Homework is Too Much? As we build awareness about learning, motivation and the general well-being of children, more people are beginning to wonder if the way we use homework is part of the solution or part of the problem.
Precautionary Principle: Profiting With Care
What is the Precautionary Principle? Simply stated, the Precautionary Principle asks us to err on the side of caution. Following the Precautionary Principle as business leaders, for example, we would avoid using product ingredients that may be harmful in addition to avoiding those that we know are harmful. We would do more than simply follow the law - we would make the decision that would be in the best long-term interests of our customers and other stakeholders.
Leading in Context 