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.

“Dial it Back” (Over-Solving Problems Can Be Unethical)

By Linda Fisher Thornton Sometimes out of fear, convenience, profit (or marketing promises) we use a solution that goes way beyond what is necessary to solve the problem. There are broad ethical implications of over-solving problems, and this post will explore some of them.

Compliance With Laws Isn’t Ethical Leadership (There’s More)

By Linda Fisher Thornton Beyond Compliance I have intentionally avoided using the C-word (Compliance) in most of my posts, and I decided that it was time to explain why. In this post I'll explain why laws are not enough, and why complying with laws does not mean that we are leading ethically.

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.

What is Conscious Capitalism?

By Linda Fisher Thornton What is Conscious Capitalism? In last week's post, I explored how Ethics Means Acting Beyond Self Interest. This week, I’ll explore the same question at the organizational level. What are an organization’s ethical responsibilities? How is conscious…

Differences or Inclusion – Which Are We Focusing On?

Diversity can be Divisive When we talk about diversity, we are noticing differences. That may not seem like a profound statement at first, but think about it for a moment. Diversity is about having different types of employees, right? And that's a good thing for productivity and innovation, isn't it? It is a good thing. But it's not enough. Managing diversity without inclusion as the ultimate goal can make a big difference in the way employees experience our organization.

Twitter Helps Leaders “Think Global”

Twitter helps us learn to "think global" in a connected global society. It can transform us and the way we do business. It keeps us current, connects us with a global network of information and provides real-time data. I've sprinkled in some statistics along with my own observations about the learning benefits of Twitter.

Developing the Ethical Leader of the Future

by Linda Fisher Thornton On Thursday, I spoke about The Future of Ethics and Business Leadership at the Richmond SHRM Strategic Leadership Conference. My lens was leadership development - how to help leaders be ready to lead ethically in a highly complex, connected future. Here are some success principles for developing "Ethical Leader Future:"

Civility is an Ethical Issue

by Linda Fisher Thornton The Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary defines civility as "polite, reasonable, and respectful behavior." These are the kinds of behaviors we use when we treat others with care. According to Michael Brannigan, The Pfaff Endowed Chair in Ethics and Moral Values at the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY., "Ethics deals fundamentally with how we treat each other on a daily basis. Indeed, our small acts of civility and incivility constitute the heart of morality."

What is the Greater Good?

What is the Greater Good? As leaders, we must think beyond our own interests to the interests of those we lead and serve, and the interests of communities and the world. We must take a long-term view, keeping in mind the broad effects of our day-to-day decisions. Many people refer to the "greater good" as an important part of leading ethically, and use different words to describe it. The descriptions collectively paint a picture of a responsibility to think beyond ourselves and to work for a better, inclusive society.

The Leadership Development Advantage

by Linda Fisher Thornton Developing Leaders Pays Off Ongoing development for leaders helps companies. According to several recent reports, businesses that invest in leadership development enjoy clear advantages. These advantages include improved bench strength, improved talent retention and greater market value over time.

Leading For Ethical Performance

Discouraging Unethical Leadership The senior leaders in an organization need to work together to create an organization where ethical leadership is rewarded and unethical leadership is quickly corrected. To build an ethical organization over time, Chief Learning Officers can work with leaders throughout the organization to build ethical competence in areas that support effective communication and leadership.