By Linda Fisher Thornton The graphics at the links below tell the story of the future of responsible leadership. They describe the kind of leadership that is respectful, caring and ethically aware. This is the positive leadership that engages employees in meaningful work and helps builds an ethical culture. My hope is that you will share this story with your leadership team and plan now for the future, using the questions that follow.
Tag: complexity
What is Integrity? Beyond “I’ll Know It When I See It”
By Linda Fisher Thornton During the recent 2014 NeuroLeadership Summit, Jamil Zaki (an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stanford) talked about an interesting experiment the Stanford Neuroscience Lab did. The team took a large number of Fortune 100 statements of company values and generated a word cloud from them to see which word would appear most often. Which word was it? Integrity was the most frequently used word. This experiment reveals a general agreement that integrity is important, but what exactly does it mean? People may understand it in very different ways.
Focusing on Profits? Watch Out For the “Blinder” Effect
By Linda Fisher Thornton We need profits to exchange goods and services, pay bills and grow our businesses. So what's the problem with it? The problem is that profitability cannot become our defining business goal, and it cannot replace values as the central beacon of our decision-making.
7 Definitions of “Good” (Why We Disagree About Ethics)
By Linda Fisher Thornton Why is it so difficult to agree on the right thing to do? One of the reasons we may not agree is that each of us may be using a different definition of what is "good." Here are 7 different interpretations of what is ethically good, based on the framework in 7 Lenses: Learning the Principles and Practices of Ethical Leadership (2013). Which ones are you using in your leadership?
Full Accountability For Ethics: The New Normal
By Linda Fisher Thornton I recently blogged about trends in ethical leadership, sharing 10 forces that are fueling a movement toward higher expectations for values-based leadership. Today I want to explore how those trends help explain what we are seeing in ethics cases in the news. Recent headlines have described more severe sanctions than people have seen in the past, in response to ethics problems in sports, politics, business and beyond. Some people may have wondered, "Why are people now being convicted for doing the same things that others before them have done?"
Using Negative Examples to Teach Ethics? Why It’s Not Enough.
By Linda Fisher Thornton How many times have we tried to teach people about ethics by explaining every detail of what it doesn't look like? We describe laws and regulations and ethics guidelines in great detail, then ask attendees if there are any questions. After learning in great detail how to stay out of trouble, the thought on their minds may just be "Okay, now I know what NOT to do." We can't teach ethics by giving people negative examples.
Ethics Isn’t “Out There”: It’s Us And Our Choices
By Linda Fisher Thornton Much attention is paid to the tactics of ethics - the ethics codes, compliance plans and such. We can easily begin to think that ethics is something we can see and touch. Something finite. Something written in stone. Something outside of ourselves. But that's not where ethics lives.
Can a Toxic Leader Be Ethical? Yes and No.
"Can someone who uses toxic leadership still be an ethical leader?"The answer to this important question is "yes and no."
Well-Being is Trending
By Linda Fisher Thornton Have you noticed that well-being is trending? It's not enough to provide fair pay and good work conditions any more. People want to participate in something meaningful and work in high-trust cultures where they can flourish. They seek out companies that care about their well-being.
Success From the Field Interview – Balancing Ethics and Profits
By Linda Fisher Thornton This week Will Eisenbrandt posted our interview about ethical leadership at NetworkedWealth.com. This Success From the Field Podcast with Linda Fisher Thornton is a great overview of the 7 Lensesâ„¢ of Ethical Responsibility. In the interview he asks me some questions about how to balance ethical values in day-to-day decisions - for example, balancing profits with concern for the planet.
12 Favorite Blog Posts of 2013
Annual favorites - the posts that readers enjoyed and shared and that I think best convey an important message about how to Unleash the Positive Power of Ethical Leadershipâ„¢ in ourselves and our organizations.
16 Trends Shaping the Future of Ethical Leadership
By Linda Fisher Thornton Today, I want to share with you the picture of the future that I see, based on a powerful movement toward positive, proactive ethical leadership. As a global community, we are increasingly aware of the impact of our choices on others. We are more aware of our human connection and our responsibilities to one another. There is a trend toward considering our responsibilities broadly, beyond making profits to also making a difference. As we head into the New Year, let's help our leaders be ready for this positive, proactive "ethical leadership future."
Bringing Out the Best in People and Organizations
After 4 years of researching and writing, I am proud to announce that my new book, 7 Lenses: Learning the Principles and Practices of Ethical Leadership is in print! 7 Lenses proposes a framework for learning the kind of ethical leadership that brings out the best in people and organizations. It is written for leaders who want to build ethical companies and cultures, stronger communities and a better world. It provides a road map for learning how to lead in ways that fully honor personal, interpersonal and societal dimensions of ethical responsibility. The four-quadrant model and case studies give readers a clear picture of the kind of ethical leadership we need.
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.
10 Favorite Quotes From the Leading in Context Blog
This week, I'm sharing 10 of my favorite quotes from the Leading in Context Blog. Clicking on each quote takes you to the full post that includes the quote.
Leading in Context 