By Linda Fisher Thornton There was a lively discussion on LinkedIn in response to my post "Ethics" Means Acting Beyond Self-Interest." Readers joined in the discussion and came up with some very interesting observations.
Category: Ethical Thinking
200th Blog Post – Learning at the Speed of Life
By Linda Fisher Thornton In my 150th Blog Post, I wrote about starting a blog and being new to the process of Learning Out Loud. To celebrate my 200th post, I want to reflect on what it's been like to learn new things faster than I ever thought possible. It seems especially clear to me now that we all have capabilities we're not using in our day to day lives. But imagine what could happen if we believed we could make a difference, lurched toward that goal unsteadily, and then just held on for the ride.
Responsibility and Respect (The 4th and 5th R’s)
Children Need to Learn Responsibility and Respect Two key principles (in addition to the 3 R's) that children need to learn in order to to live a successful life are responsibility and respect. As we teach knowledge and information, these areas need to be taught through an ethical frame of reference.
15 Ways to Encourage Moral Growth in Leadership
By Linda Fisher Thornton Moral Growth Is a Lifelong Pursuit Moral education needs to start early, and it also needs to continue throughout our professional careers. Unlocking Moral Awareness How can we help leaders develop the moral thinking and awareness that they need to make good leadership choices? What specific conversations and experiences will support moral development?
8 Posts (And a Trend Report) On Global Thinking
By Linda Fisher Thornton Using globally-informed thinking helps us succeed in a connected economy and a global society. This week, I decided to corral a collection of posts that help us understand ethical leadership in a global context.
When is a Decision an Ethical One?
By Linda Fisher Thornton As we think about our decisions, which ones do we recognize as "ethical?" Complying with laws and ethics codes clearly has ethical implications. But what about these decisions?
Dealing With Complexity in Leadership
Dealing with work complexity has become a major leadership development issue. And it has ethical implications. As our work becomes more complex, so do our ethical dilemmas.
Ethical Voices on Service
By Linda Fisher Thornton Ethics is fundamentally about thinking beyond ourselves, and service is an extension of that thinking. Service in leadership involves dedicating ourselves to the success of others.
What Variables Impact How Freely We Extend Trust?
By Linda Fisher Thornton The recent post Should Trust Be Freely Offered or Conditionally Earned? generated lively discussions in LinkedIn Groups about extending trust when we meet someone new. It was clear from the discussions that trust has many different dimensions, and that those dimensions are perceived differently by different people.
Should Trust Be Freely Offered or Conditionally Earned?
When we meet someone new, should we trust them right away? Should we assume that they are trustworthy and give them the benefit of the doubt, or should we hold back until we are sure that they are worthy of our trust?
13 Leadership Temptations (to Conquer in 2013)
By Linda Fisher Thornton 13 Leadership Temptations To Conquer In 2013 We're starting a new year, with fresh possibilities, and it is a good time to think about our leadership values. What do we believe? How do we treat others? What matters to us? Can people determine our values just by watching how we treat people? As we think about how we want to lead this year, we need to recognize that it is tempting to make easy short-term decisions that end up having ethical consequences in the long run.
Wishing You Peace
The Peace Paradox In this season of joy, it seems like a good time to reflect on what I call "The Peace Paradox." Peace is one of those things that requires reaching out. Just as we must extend trust to receive it from others, we must extend peace in order to receive it.
Our Thinking is an “Ethical Driver”
What we think influences how we behave. We could even say that our thinking is in essence an "ethical driver" in that it affects the other variables that make up our leadership. Here are some examples of how our thinking influences our ethics as leaders:
10 Thinking Traps (That Ethical Leaders Avoid)
Avoid These 10 Thinking Traps What are some of the thinking traps that we fall into as leaders? I'm not referring to "correlation versus causation" and other logical reasoning problems. There are some common ways of thinking about business leadership that…
“Ethics” Means Acting Beyond Self-Interest
By Linda Fisher Thornton "Ethics" Means Acting Beyond Self-Interest Ethics is fundamentally about acting beyond our own self-interests. Can we be ethical without considering others and acting in ways that benefit them? Here are some interesting questions and quotes on the subject.
Leading in Context 