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:
Category: Ethical Thinking
Great Leaders Unite
By Linda Fisher Thornton The most capable and ethically competent leaders reach for unity, which represents the highest levels of interpersonal and global responsibility. While it would be much easier, the best leaders don't just aim for "getting along" or "getting by."
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."
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.
The “Less Than” Fallacy
By Linda Fisher Thornton Anytime we think about another person or group as "less than," or treat another person or group as "less than," we are unethical. It's very simple, really. We are all human, and as humans, we all have rights and dignity. We all have a right to be here and to be treated with respect and fairness.
400th Post: The Journey to Meaning (Growth Required)
By Linda Fisher Thornton I didn't set out to become a top blogger or thought leader. I set out to answer a question. In the process of answering the question, I started a journey that has changed my life. There's no fairy tale story here (is there ever?). It wasn't all by conscious choice, and it wasn't always a logical progression. It happened the way that life happens to all of us.
Ethical Leadership: The “On Switch” For Adaptability
By Linda Fisher Thornton The post "Leader Competence: Will It Be A Multiplier or Divider?" generated some great discussion on social media. Here's a quote from the post: "Leader competence is either going to be a multiplier or a divider. When you have it, you multiply performance and trust, with exponential results. Without it, you divide your possible results by the incompetence factor." After reading it, one reader requested that I write more on the topic. This week I'm digging deeper into the multiplying and dividing effects of leader (in)competence, looking at how a leader's ethical competence impacts trust, people, bottom line results and organizational adaptability.
Inclusion: The Power of “Regardless”
By Linda Fisher Thornton Some inclusion statements begin with "we respect all people and treat them fairly, regardless of..." and then include a long list of differences that we should overcome. These lists are hard to communicate, difficult to remember and ever-changing as we expand our understanding of human rights.
Ethical Leadership is About Service, Not Privilege
By Linda Fisher Thornton I was noticing how many drivers seem to be in a hurry, and I realized that some people are rushing so quickly that they don't stop to consider their impact on others (on the road or elsewhere). They just want to get wherever they're going as quickly as possible. Some (who aspire to be) leaders act this way, too. While their purpose should be to enable the success of those they lead, they stop their circle of purpose at themselves and don't let concern for anyone else's well-being slow them down. I wonder what values are at the center of that kind of leadership? Speed? Money? Power? Efficiency?
A Message of Hope
By Linda Fisher Thornton Thank you, friends, for reading and sharing this Blog in 2016. I appreciate all the ways you have helped forward the movement toward authentic ethical leadership. Only by bringing out our best as leaders are we able to bring out the best in those we lead. As we head into this holiday season, I wish you hope.Hope is what keeps us going when problems seem impossible to solve, when time is short, and when solutions are distant. If your hopefulness should ever falter, remember these important words:
Ethical Leadership is a “Fear-Free” Zone
By Linda Fisher Thornton Fear is insidious. It changes how we see the world and how we treat others. Here are 5 important reasons why fear has no place in our workplaces, our families or our communities:
A Message of Gratitude
By Linda Fisher Thornton There have been several great leaders who helped me find my best self, and who inspired me to want to lead others. This message is for them: "Thank you for being a great leader. You may never know just how deeply your kindness and support have impacted my life.
Prevention or Cure? Your Choice
By Linda Fisher Thornton Senior leadership teams and boards have a choice. In their ethics strategy, they can focus on prevention or cure. The cure approach is reactive and messy. It involves waiting for something bad to happen, then scrambling to do damage control. Then you have to build an ethical support system (perhaps at the insistence of a regulatory body) to prevent it from happening again. The prevention approach is proactive and positive, and it helps prevent those messy problems. It involves building the ethical support system up front, while things are going well.
Great Leaders Are Other-Focused
By Linda Fisher Thornton There are many important roles leaders play. They are supporters, developers, guides, team builders, and imaginers. They are culture caretakers, roadblock removers and inspirers.
Leading in Context 