Thinking About Decision-Making and Choosing Filters : Should You Give Back Unused Budget Money? If we don't think about how we want to make leadership decisions, then the crisis of the moment becomes our filter for making decisions. When the economy is unpredictable and profits are lower, the budget is often the crisis that becomes the thinking filter. It's dangerous to make important strategic decisions just based on money and just based on a short-term crisis. In the case below, see how different the outcome is when using strategic long-term thinking versus crisis-response short-term thinking.
Category: Ethical Thinking
Ethical Thinking: 5 Questions to Ponder for the New Year
As we approach the New Year, it is a great time to consider the broader implications of our leadership behavior and decisions. Here are 5 questions to ponder and a bonus question with a story.
Leading in Context LLC Publishes “Ethical Implications of How Leaders Perceive Different” Module
“Ethical Implications of How Leaders perceive Different” is a nine-page eBook designed to enhance leadership development programs by providing a thinking context for ethical leadership. Published by Leading in Context LLC.
Sustainable Everything: What C-Suite Leaders Need to Know About the New Thinking
The growing sustainability mindset is not industry-specific or topic-specific. It is showing up in industries as diverse as foods, fashion and construction. While some industries are tending to dismiss this change in consumer behavior as a trend that will pass, others have realized that the movement is deeply rooted and that they will be at a competitive disadvantage if they don't respond.
Scrutinize Suppliers for Ethical Business Practices
The ethics of our business includes things that don't happen at headquarters or in any of our sites, but that go into the the making of the final product or service that the customer purchases. Prudent leaders check the ethics of their suppliers and partners.
Ethical Leadership Thinking: When we Attack an Issue
When solving a difficult problem, it's easy to get carried away and begin attacking people instead of the problem. When we attack issues, we are more respectful. When we attack people, our thinking narrows.
Case Study: Think Before You Blame (the Culture May be the Cause)
When we are faced with a business problem that involves ethics, the easy way out is to blame someone. That appears to remove the pressure of actually solving the problem. But organizational problems are complicated and rarely have one simple cause.
Five Unintended Consequences of Linear Problem-Solving
Systems Are Not Linear When solving complex business problems, it helps to remember that systems (including organizations) are not linear. Thinking of them as linear leads to easier one-dimensional decisions but ignores these things that we know about systems: systems are dynamic systems are adaptive systems have complex contexts (they connect with many other systems) Unintended Consequences of Linear Problem-Solving
5 Unethical Phrases: Refusing to Change
Leading ethically requires staying competent as a professional and as a leader. The speed of change in today's global economy may cause leaders to fall behind even while they are diligently working to stay on top of trends and industry knowledge. These 5…
Ethical Business Leaders Think Longer-Term
Author's Note: The last two Leading in Context™ blog posts have focused on the negative implications of using short-term thinking in business leadership. This post provides resources for leaders who want to learn more about using longer-term thinking in decision-making.
Overuse of Antibiotics: Antibiotic Hand Soap is Part of the Problem
Studies Show the Negative Impact of Antibacterial Soaps While it seems responsible to use strong soaps to reduce the spread of germs in workplace bathrooms and kitchens, studies are showing that there are serious problems with that approach from a systems perspective. The Top 3 Reasons to…
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Sustainability is a Mindset, Not a Job
Many businesses are gearing up for sustainability by adding a position to oversee it. Will adding a position without changing the way decisions are made actually lead to sustainable business practices within the organization? It turns out that sustainable CEOs are making…
The Bottom-Line Benefits of Sustainability (Written By a CFO)
Selling the sustainability mindset within your organization may require some preparation and persistence. Not all C-suite leaders may be convinced that sustainability will pay off for the company in the long run, and CFOs may be particularly hard to convince. Kurt Kuehn…
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Strategic Thinking for Business Leaders Has Changed
Strategic thinking in business isn't what it used to be. To thrive in today's business world, leaders need to use a new type of thinking that is broader than traditional strategic thinking, that includes "...ways of seeing and acting that acknowledge…
Read More Strategic Thinking for Business Leaders Has Changed
Case Study: Is Withholding Information From Other Leaders Unethical?
Is it unethical to withhold information? Let's use a case study to explore the question. "Company in the Process of Releasing a New Product" We are in the process of fine-tuning the product and getting ready to train employees on how it works and what…
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