10 Tricky Questions About Ethics and Leadership Answered
January 15, 2020 2 Comments
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Go Into the New Year With Answers
This week I’m sharing answers to 10 Tricky Questions about Ethics and Leadership – What does is mean to take responsibility in leadership? Why is ethics such a contentious topic, and defined in so many different ways by different people? How do you stay up to speed in an environment of rapidly accelerating expectations?
Many leaders don’t know the answers to these “unanswerable” questions, but I enjoy helping leader groups see the answers clearly. The insight they gain sharpens their planning, decision making and day-to-day choices. Use this curated collection of posts to shore up your knowledge in the new year. Read the 10 short summaries and click on the questions to access a more in- depth answer to each one.
10 Tricky Questions about Ethics and Leadership
1 What is the Ultimate Goal of Leadership?
“The question is not “Which one of these perspectives is right?” because they are all important ways of thinking about the goal of leadership. They are part of a bigger view that incorporates many dimensions of leadership responsibility. The question is “How can we honor all of them?”
2 What Does it Mean to Take Responsibility in Leadership?
“These surveys reflect increasing expectations for business leaders – the expectations that we take responsibility well beyond managing our own Profits, to also improve life for People, support the success of Communities and protect the Planet. Profits and Corporate Social Responsibility are no longer seen as mutually exclusive ideals.”
3 Why Do People Often Disagree About The Right Thing To Do?
“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“
4 What is an Ethical Workplace?
“Grounding our work in values is critically important but it’s not enough. There’s much more to being ready for the future of leadership than just staying aligned with positive values. This week I’m sharing a graphic about 5 other variables that need to be in place to build a positive ethical culture – the proper time orientation, focus, response, level and complexity.“
5 What is Integrity?
“Following this definition, integrity is the alignment of our thoughts, actions and words with our personal values. The tricky thing about integrity in organizations is that integrity is partly internal (what we think) and partly external (what we say and do).”
6 What is Conscious Capitalism?
“Conscious capitalism involves thinking beyond self-interests, demonstrating care for stakeholders at the global level, using a long-term time orientation and seeing the company’s role in the world through a systems view.”
7 What is the Greater Good?
“Many people refer to the “greater good” as an important part of leading ethically, and use different words to describe it. The descriptions they use collectively paint a picture of a responsibility to think beyond ourselves and to work for a better, inclusive society.”
8 What is Authentic Leadership?
“I believe that the following 14 personal, interpersonal and societal dimensions together form what we think of as authenticity. They involve overcoming the internal and external barriers to living an intentional, aware and ethical life.”
9 How Are Ethical Leadership Expectations Changing?
“As you review these reader favorites, think about how you will adapt to changing ethical leadership expectations.”
10 What is Ethical Leadership?
“Leaders need a way to understand their own learning and development that helps them keep up with increasing ethical expectations. The developmental model outlined in by book 7 Lenses (now in its 2nd printing) frames “ethical leadership” as a developmental continuum based on these assumptions… Regardless of level or title, the most competent ethical leaders make it a priority to learn and they struggle to stay competent in all 7 dimensions of ethical leadership as the world changes.”
As you plan for a successful year, keep in mind that ethics is a hot topic for consumers. How well you understand and apply ethical business leadership will have a strong bearing on your success.
If you have more burning questions about ethical responsibility or ethical leadership, request more answers in the comments!
Click the cover to read a free preview!
©2020 Leading in Context LLC
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Linda Fisher Thornton
