We must take responsibility. The world is changing. There is a powerful responsibility movement going on. We know more about what leaders should be doing, and we know more about what responsible leadership looks like. People need to be able to count on us to take responsibility. Everyone is counting on us to take responsibility. Taking responsibility for using ethical thinking and behavior will not only change everything we do, it will earn the respect of others, and change how we feel about ourselves.
Tag: leading ethically
10 Things Ethical Leaders Believe (Part 3)
Our moral grounding is more important than our goals and opinions. When we let our goals and opinions drive our thinking, we begin to believe that “anything goes” in the quest to meet those goals or defend those opinions. When our moral compass drives our thinking, we will question any goals that benefit us at the expense of others. Everything we do needs to be morally grounded. We need to assume that every issue is an ethical issue and approach it accordingly.
Decoding The DNA of Ethical Education
By Linda Fisher Thornton We have learned that human DNA is not fixed, but changing. We all have DNA markers that are turned on or off by our life choices and experiences. There are specific things educators do to enable ethical education. Like markers in our DNA, these important factors in education switch on responsible education. In their absence, a switch turns to "off" that damages people's willingness and ability to learn.
Ethical Thinking, Ethical Self: 5 Things You Need to Know
By Linda Fisher Thornton Developing an “ethical self” is important for good citizenship and good leadership. But what does it involve? There’s more to developing and maintaining an ethical self than trying to make good choices. Making ethical choices isn’t easy, and while we’re struggling, our brains are actually working against us.
Systems Thinking: Using The 5 Whys
By Linda Fisher Thornton In my Applied Ethics Class, I introduce my students to the Five Whys. This is a simple and valuable tool for getting to the root cause of problems. We may think we understand why something happened but when we “fix” whatever we think is the sole cause we don’t always get the intended result. The reason for that is that problems tend to have multiple causes. They happen in the context of multiple processes. Singling out one “cause” is rarely sufficient for understanding what really happened.
Top 10 Posts of 2024: Leading in Context Blog
By Linda Fisher Thornton Of the 52 weekly posts published on the Leading in Context Blog in 2024, these 10 were the most popular. See if you notice a theme that connects these new topics that readers accessed most frequently:
Adaptable Leaders Manage Their Egos
By Linda Fisher Thornton Ego has a way of undoing even our best intentions as leaders. We have to be aware of our ego and manage it to avoid getting off track. In a world that requires rapid adaptation to changing events and circumstances, ego tries to maintain the status quo and works against our ability to pivot in response to change. Think of the adaptable leader as piloting a boat, able to turn at a moment’s notice as the situation warrants it. The ego-driven leader, in contrast, is living in a fortress with a moat around it, protecting status and the status quo at all cost. The fortress can’t move, can’t pivot, can’t adapt to changing circumstances.
11 Paths to Mastering Ethical Leadership
By Linda Fisher Thornton Developing competent ethical leaders can be a huge challenge. Why is it so difficult? We live in a globally connected society, and are expected to be globally aware. We are dealing with catastrophic change and uncertainty. We fill many different roles in our organizations, industries and communities. Each role we play and each decision we face has different ethical implications. Ethical competence is definitely not something that “just happens.”
Ethical Leaders: 10 Behaviors to Avoid
By Linda Fisher Thornton In the lifelong quest to become our best selves, we need to stretch and grow and learn from our mistakes. Being a flexible and willing learner, we will more easily stay competent as the world changes. Here are 10 things to avoid if we are to accomplish the elusive goal of becoming our best selves:
Ethical Leadership Development: Global Awareness
By Linda Fisher Thornton Laws serve as he minimum standards for society, but responsible leadership requires that we go well beyond those minimum standards. This post explores resources that help us understand (1) what it means to be a globally responsible leader and (2) what kinds of learning opportunities help leaders develop a global sense of responsibility.
Ethical Leadership Development: Global Principles
By Linda Fisher Thornton Beyond complying with laws and regulations, what should C-Suite leaders be doing about ethical leadership and responsible business practices? CEOs, CLOs, CHROs and other C-Suite leaders should be working together to ensure that every leader is doing business responsibly and ethically. But what does “doing business responsibly and ethically” look like in today’s global economy? In our interconnected working world, where each economy affects all others around the world, ethical business practices need to be thought about more broadly than ever before.
10 Quotes to Inspire Leaders in 2024 (Part 1)
By Linda Fisher Thornton This series includes 10 quotes (linked to blog posts with leadership guidance) to inspire you and help you improve your leader development as we head into the new year. Part 1 includes the first 5.
Hallmarks of Ethical Leadership (Part 4)
By Linda Fisher Thornton This post is Part 4 in a series. In Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 I explored 9 different traits that help you recognize ethical leaders. In Part 4 I will address the importance of leading in ways that eliminate fear. One of the hallmarks of ethical leadership is that it is a fear-free zone. Fear is insidious. It changes how we see the world and how we treat others. Here are 5 important reasons why fear has no place in our workplaces, our families or our communities:
Hallmarks of Ethical Leadership (Part 3)
By Linda Fisher Thornton In Hallmarks of Ethical Leadership Part 1and Part 2, I shared 6 special qualities, behaviors and outcomes that define ethical leadership. This week I’ll share three more. These are intentional actions ethical leaders take to stay competent as things change around them.
Responding (Ethically) To An Overwhelmed Employee
By Linda Fisher Thornton "The issue of the overwhelmed employee looms large" according to Josh Bersin, Bersin by Deloitte. (Are You an Overwhelmed Employee? New Research Says Yes, LinkedIn). Employees are having a hard time managing an overload of information and tasks, and the problem is not getting any better.
Leading in Context 