A Manifesto For Ethical Leaders

By Linda Fisher Thornton

The Leading in Context Manifesto

We are here to focus on what’s right and what’s possible, not on what’s historical or convenient. We are here to serve others, not to profit from their vulnerabilities.
We are here to make a positive difference, through intentional leadership and responsible choices.

Imagine The Potential. What could we accomplish if we proactively developed ethical leaders and an ethical culture? Could we unleash the untapped performance potential of our people? Transform our organizations? Improve lives and communities? Could we change the world?

Take On The Mindset. We believe that: Ethical leadership drives business metrics including employee engagement, customer retention, and innovation. Ethical leadership creates great places to work, and gives us staying power in a global marketplace. Ethical leadership transforms profits, people, the planet, communities, and the world. Ethical leadership is not something on our to do list that we can check off as completed. It is an ongoing individual and organizational journey. This learning journey will bring out the best in all of us.

We Improve Lives and Organizations. We understand that interpersonal ethical leadership is fueled by respect, care, service, and inclusion, and that those things transform our organizations. We know that our role as leaders is to bring out the best in a connected group of unique individuals working toward a shared vision. We honor and respect people, and lead without blaming, controlling or judging. We provide opportunities for each individual to use their natural talents and learn skills in pursuit of our mission. We unleash the positive potential in our people through our daily choices, words, and actions. We treat everyone with respect and care.

We Model Ethical Leadership and Behavior. We realize that we can only bring out the best in those we lead when we embrace continuous learning. We know that our role is to listen, learn, and improve, serving as a role model for what ethical behavior looks like. We learn just as much as we teach. We listen deeply to others, not sharing our own thinking without regard for theirs. We model ethical leadership, with our thoughts, words, and deeds in full alignment. We are open to learning, and model the ethical behavior we ask of others.

We understand. We struggle. We grow. We realize what we

don’t know.
Linda Fisher Thornton

We Make a Difference in the World. We realize that the planet, our communities, and the long-term good of our world are also our constituents. We know that our role is to think and act in ways that honor our planet, our communities, and our world. We do good without doing harm. We demonstrate care and concern for all of our constituents, and think on a global scale. We consider the needs of multiple stakeholders when making even routine decisions. We include the planet, communities, and our global society among our stakeholders.

We Unleash the Potential of People and Organizations. We know that ethical leadership is not just the “right thing” to do, it’s also a competitive advantage in the global marketplace. It unleashes the potential in our people, our organizations, our planet, our communities, and our world. We intentionally lead in ways that bring out the positive potential of people and organizations. We lead to bring out their best every day. Leading ethically is the most powerful way to bring out the best in people and organizations. We are, as Aristotle said, what we repeatedly do. And ethically-engaged people and organizations don’t just perform better—they are changing the world.

This post is an excerpt from What Ethical Leaders Believe: A Leading in Context Manifesto by Linda Fisher Thornton.