150th Blog Post – Learning Out Loud

June 13, 2012 5 Comments

By Linda Fisher Thornton

Humble Blog Beginnings

The journey to a 150th blog post starts with a single post.

This ethical leadership blog had a very humble beginning back in 2009. I had decided to start a blog and took a WordPress class at the University of Richmond.  The possibilities were promising.

Then came those nagging thoughts…

  • what should I write about?
  • who will read it?
  • what if I make a mistake?
  • what if it’s not good enough?
Other bloggers may be able to relate to these initial thoughts.
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Finding the Courage to Learn Out Loud
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My doubts were powerful, but I had decided to do it, so I gathered the courage to post something on my new blog, found a link to share and composed a draft! It was May of 2009.
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After posting the very simple link, I expected that the sky would fall in. Why in the world would I have any business blogging? I’d been writing corporate training materials for over 25 years, I’d been writing articles and teaching, but blogging felt different – more raw, more personal, more exposed somehow… way out of my comfort zone. I was thoroughly amazed when a week went by and nothing bad happened.  So I started working on another short post. Most of the early posts on this blog were just links to good resources for leadership developers and human resource managers.
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It was 6 months later in November when I learned how to upload an image to go with the post (and the first image was pretty dismal).  To see the progression yourself, here is the Leading in Context Blog Index, with the oldest posts listed at the bottom.
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Being Transformed
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Since the humble beginnings of this blog in 2009, I have grown into being comfortable with learning out loud.  The journey has transformed me. This work,  helping leaders understand what it means to lead ethically in a complex world, has become my life’s work.
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Over time I have found the courage to question and explore the meaning of ethical leadership out loud. With time and practice, I have learned to express that meaning more clearly.
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Yes, now I can own it – in addition to being a leadership development consultant, publisher, teacher, facilitator and speaker, I have learned my way through and now I am an ethical leadership blogger.
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Special thanks to all the people who have encouraged me, shared resources, connected, followed, retweeted, commented and otherwise engaged in learning around the important issues that this blog explores. Thanks also to those who disagreed with me at times. You helped me grow as well.
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The journey to a 150th Blog Post starts with a single post and the courage to learn out loud.
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What are you waiting to do? What’s stopping you?

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For more, see new book 7 Lenses and the 21 Question Assessment: How Current is My Message About Ethics?

7 Lenses is a Bronze Axiom Business Book Award Winner in Business Ethics41cEVx-Tu4L._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_
2014  Bronze Axiom Business Book Award Winner 
About 7 Lenses
 
 
Info@LeadinginContext.com  @leadingincontxt  @7Lenses

© 2012 Leading in Context LLC 

Filed under Ethical Leader Tagged with , , , , , ,

Redefining Ethical Leadership in a Global Society

March 30, 2011 Leave a comment

Doing business ethically is difficult in a complex, interconnected world. Leading others ethically is even more difficult. Leading a company ethically is the ultimate challenge. Wouldn’t it help to have context tools for leading ethically? Tools for leadership development. Free resources for leaders. Leading in Context Blog Posts. Trends in Ethical Leadership and Changing Consumer Expectations. Relevant business information that helps leaders handle complex issues and make more ethical decisions. Practical, affordable learning materials.

© Microsoft

As a society, we are beginning to redefine ethical leadership. The change started quietly, fueled by a web of linked communication channels and a desire for a more civil way of dealing with each other. We are collectively making progress toward thinking of ourselves as a global society, and our instant communication channels enable us to talk with others anywhere in the world who are concerned about the same things that we are concerned about.

The New Connectedness Illuminates Issues…

The new connectedness that we enjoy illuminates issues. As we see things more clearly, our standards for how we need to treat each other change.  For example, we have been concerned about bullying and disrespectful behavior in the workplace for many years.  These negative behaviors interfere with business and make it difficult for people to do their best work. When we step up several levels in view and see these dysfunctional work behaviors from a global perspective, it becomes clearer that we are all connected and that how we treat each other matters a great deal more than we had realized. At this level, how is workplace bullying really different from other behaviors that we consider to be “crimes against humanity?” How much harm is acceptable?

…and Our Standards for Ethical Leadership Change

As we better understand how we are connected as a global society, and our thinking about ethical leadership evolves, our standards of  expected behavior begin to change.

We don’t accept treating people disrespectfully or abusively.

We tolerate less harm.

We think of harm more broadly.

We expect leaders to be inclusive.

We think of inclusion more inclusively.

…It raises the stakes for all of us.

 

522

For more, see Linda’s book 7 Lenses and the 21 Question Assessment: How Current is My Message About Ethics?
 
  7 Lenses is a Bronze Axiom Business Book Award Winner in Business Ethics41cEVx-Tu4L._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_
  2014 Axiom Business Book Award Winner 
  About 7 Lenses
 
 
Info@LeadinginContext.com  @leadingincontxt  @7Lenses

© 2011 Leading in Context LLC 

Filed under Complexity, Context, Ethical Leader, Ethical Organization Tagged with , ,

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