By Linda Fisher Thornton Reflections on Truth We've heard the expressions "truth is in the eye of the beholder" and "the truth shall set you free." What is this truth that so many have spoken of? How do we find it? How does it relate to ethics? Ponder those questions as you explore this collection of quotes about truth.
Category: Ethical Thinking
5 Insights Into Leadership Development Future (Part 2)
By Linda Fisher Thornton This post is Part 2 in a series called “5 Insights Into Leadership Development Future.” Each post in this series will address trends in leadership development and how to prepare leaders for success in a complex, connected global society (In case you missed it, Part 1 addressed trends in ethical awareness, leading with values and changes in the learning landscape).
The Future of “Leadership” (Do We Need a New Word For It?)
By Linda Fisher Thornton While we are experiencing many global challenges, there is also a gradual global push toward better leadership.
Are You Squeezing Every Drop Out of Your Talent?
By Linda Fisher Thornton You may have been thinking that this post was going to be about how to get your people to do more and to achieve more. It is about that, but not in the way you might think. In my experience, when the leader improves, everybody can do more. Bear with me as I describe for you how you can get the most out of your people by squeezing every drop out of YOUR OWN talent and potential.
What Does “Good Leadership” Mean?
By Linda Fisher Thornton We need to talk openly with leaders about what "good leadership" means. Without those conversations, they might think it means making the sales numbers and meeting aggressive work deadlines, being knowledgeable when people come to them for help, or staying within budget. Those things are all important, but "good leadership" requires much more.
350th Post: A Zoom Lens Won’t Help You See “Good Leadership”
By Linda Fisher Thornton Leadership is multifaceted, but leadership books are not often written about that. Many use a "zoom lens" approach to take you very close to one aspect of leadership. This close-up view can be helpful for fine-tuning our leadership skills, but then we may begin to think that this close-up view is all there is to good leadership.
Leaders Influence First By Who They Are
Linda Fisher Thornton If you are in the Richmond, Virginia area, please join me for a Book Talk on April 7th at the Tuckahoe Library.
Advice For Leaders: John Mattone Blog Interview
By Linda Fisher Thornton This week I am honored to share with you an Expert Interview that I did for the John Mattone Blog at JohnMattone.com. This interview explores my business journey and includes advice for leaders about learning and applying ethical leadership. It addresses issues that concern leaders including: qualities of ethical leaders the multidimensional nature of ethical leadership learning ethical thinking identifying ethical leaders measuring leadership success
The Triple Bottom Line Is Just The Beginning
By Linda Fisher Thornton Many organizations are still talking about the triple bottom line (Profits, People, Planet) as if it's the standard for ethical business. While it's a great improvement over focusing on profit alone, the triple bottom line doesn't reflect the current expectations of customers, employees and global markets.
What is “Harm?” (It Depends On Your Perspective)
By Linda Fisher Thornton Leaders interpret "harm" according to the perspective on ethical leadership they are using to make decisions. They may consider harm narrowly (only what would harm them) or broadly (what would harm others and society). At its most narrow, harm could be interpreted as harming me or my company's profitability.
The Future of Learning Isn’t About “Knowing”
By Linda Fisher Thornton If we want to prepare leaders to handle complex challenges, we need to move beyond shallow approaches that focus on knowledge building. We need to help leaders learn to think deeply (beyond symptoms to complex, systemic causes) and broadly across disciplines as they work to meet the needs of multiple stakeholders. To accomplish this, the way we approach learning must change.
We’re All Padawan Learners
By Linda Fisher Thornton Have you ever noticed that no matter how many times the forces of good overcome the forces of evil in the Star Wars movies, there is always another challenge? There is never a moment when the characters "arrive" and are exempt from ethical challenges.
Being Thankful is a Virtue
By Linda Fisher Thornton Cicero's quote reminds us that before we can act on the important virtues that create a just society, we must see the world with a thankful heart.
What is Ethical Thinking?
By Linda Fisher Thornton Today I'm taking you inside the mind of the ethical leader to explore ethical thinking. Inside the Mind of an Ethical Leader “I make decisions based on values, not money pressures.” “I need to constantly learn in order to stay ethical.”
Do Differences of Opinion Set Off Your Threat Detector?
By Linda Fisher Thornton Differences of opinion can be inconvenient and uncomfortable. We may be in a discussion with someone who has very different views from ours, on a topic of great importance to us. How we handle it shows others the inner workings of our character.