By Linda Fisher Thornton Lately we’ve been seeing too much content that is not grounded in understanding. Some of it is intentionally misleading and some of it is well-intentioned but misinformed. What this means is that we have to learn how to recognize misinformation, but also, and even more importantly, carefully tend how we convey our own opinions.
Tag: values based leadership
Ethical Leaders Adapt (Part 3)
By Linda Fisher Thornton Ethical leadership requires growth, a willingness to acknowledge complexity and an understanding of the broader context in which we lead. Use these resources to learn about how adaptation and ethical leadership are connected and check for learning blind spots.
Ethical Values Are Good For Business (Part 7)
By Linda Fisher Thornton We need to get leadership right because so much depends on it. Many global factors are driving changes in ethical leadership expectations, and in high-stakes times, how we handle ethical leadership development can make or break our success. This week I’ve created a graphic that brings the expectations and priorities into clearer focus.
Ethical Values Are Good For Business (Part 5)
By Linda Fisher Thornton Ethical values are good for business, but only if you keep up as times change. Right now, expectations are high and Ibelieve that values-based leadership is gaining momentum. Recently I was asked to explain why I think so, and I thought I would share my answer in today’s blog post. Here are a number of trends that I see that are working together to fuel the movement toward leading with positive values.
Ethical Values are Good For Business (Part 1)
By Linda Fisher Thornton Even if a company has clear values, applying them is not as easy as leaders might think. According to Gallup (2016), just 23% of U.S. employees strongly agree that they can apply their organization’s values to their work every day, and only 27% strongly agree that they "believe in" their organization's values. In 2022 Gallup reported that "Without strong, lived and embedded values, it is difficult for employees to find meaning in their job."
Leaders: What’s Missing in Convenient Actions? – Values
By Linda Fisher Thornton
With all the inappropriate behavior in the news, I thought it would be a good time to explore the difference between actions that are CONVENIENT and those that are APPROPRIATE. Instead of saying "I'll know appropriate when I see it" it seems necessary to break it down and articulate the difference clearly. So here goes...
Leaders: Does Your Values Equation Add Up?
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Every leader has a values equation. It can be calculated by the day, week, year and lifetime. In the ideal situation, a leader's values equation is consistently positive.
How do you calculate your values equation?
Use It Or Lose It
By Linda Fisher Thornton
I recently started studying the German language again, relearning it a little bit every day. I studied it for years as a teen, and lived in Austria for a summer as a young adult. While I was once fluent, I haven't practiced regularly and have become rusty over the years.
It doesn't take long to begin to lose vocabulary, grammar and confidence if we're not using a language regularly. Losing fluency gradually over time brings to mind what happens to our leadership if we're not learning new things every day.
The Questions We Have in Common
By Linda Fisher Thornton
On October 2nd, Krista Tippett gave a talk on "The Adventure of Civility" at the University of Richmond. One of the important things I gleaned from her talk was this recommendation:
Instead of trading in "competing answers or statements made to catch, corner, incite or entertain" we should "share the questions we have in common" and "live into the answers."
Here are my observations on her important words:
The big questions we are trying to resolve together cannot be understood using one-way broadcasts.
Talking About What Matters (Part 2)
By Linda Fisher Thornton
In a previous post Talking About What Matters (Part 1), I explored how talking about ethical values engages people, helps them find meaning and improves the organization's metrics. This week I want to begin to explore what the conversation should include.
You may be surprised to learn that it’s not all about what WE COMMUNICATE about values - it's their questions that will help us bring values to life.
How Do You Make Better Decisions?
By Linda Fisher Thornton
How do you make decisions? Do you consider a series of important questions? Do you find out the needs of the people involved? Do you consult a diverse group of advisors? Or do you just wing it? Some of the ways we may be tempted to think through our challenges (how to stay within budget or how to be most profitable, for example) leave ethical values out of the equation.
Ethical thinking helps us make good leadership decisions. When we use intentional ethical thinking, we make decisions based on ethical values. Using ethical thinking doesn't just help us do the right thing. It also helps us resolve our most difficult leadership problems by broadening our awareness.
“Great Leaders” Find Gold Within
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Great leadership is often defined based on efficiency, effectiveness or profitability, but that's no way to define a journey of character building and authenticity. There's much more to the story that needs to be told.
Ready to Change the Ethics Quo (For Good)? Part 4
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Leadership is not easy. Leaders need to be inspired to lead with positive values while dealing with the goals and expectations of multiple stakeholders.
Here are the previous posts in the series if you missed them:
Ready to Change the Ethics Quo (For Good)? Part 1 (Improve Accountability)
Ready to Change the Ethics Quo (For Good)? Part 2 (Improve Leader Impact)
Ready to Change the Ethics Quo (For Good)? Part 3 (Manage the System)
The focus of this week's post is on Ways to Inspire Leaders to Lead With Positive Ethical Values. Here are 3 ways to inspire leaders to reach for positive values - that also help you "do good" in your organization, community and world.
Ready to Change the Ethics Quo (For Good)? – Part 2
By Linda Fisher Thornton
The first post in this series addressed ACCOUNTABILITY. In this second post we'll take a look at IMPACT.
Here are 3 ways to Change the Ethics Quo (For Good) that improve the impact of your organization and your leadership.
Reflections on Truth (Are You a Seeker?)
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Reflections on Truth
We've heard the expressions "truth is in the eye of the beholder" and "the truth shall set you free." What is this truth that so many have spoken of? How do we find it? How does it relate to ethics? Ponder those questions as you explore this collection of quotes about truth.
Leading in Context 