Our brains take shortcuts to save us time. We know this happens. If it didn’t, we’d have to re-learn to drive every time we left for work. But, how can we be sure that we’re thinking things through carefully and not just reacting on autopilot to the crisis of the moment? Is our thinking on autopilot? Is that autopilot programmed to make ethical decisions? In the process of writing my new leadership book, 7 Lenses: Learning the Principles and Practices of Ethical Leadership, I created a clear framework for learning to be an ethical leader. This framework replaces our autopilot (that will take us “who-knows-where”) with an intentional values-based thinking process.
Tag: 7 Lenses of ethical responsibility
The Seductive Power of the Status Quo
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Why do we have such a powerful negative reaction when we find out that we need to change? The status quo literally has a grip on us.
Dealing With Complexity? Use Ethical Thinking (Guest Post)
By Linda Fisher Thornton
We all need better ways to deal with difficult situations. Thinking on autopilot won't guide us through the grey areas. Michael McKinney published a guest post I wrote that digs into how to understand complexity. It is a timely topic, and as I shared in the article, "many leaders I talk with have a feeling that there is a more meaningful way of thinking and leading than what they’ve been seeing. "
Why Ethical Thinking Matters (Part 5)
By Linda Fisher Thornton
To celebrate 7 Lenses going into its second printing, this is the fifth post in a special series focused on Why Ethical Thinking Matters. In case you missed them, take a look at Why Ethical Thinking Matters (Part 1), Why Ethical Thinking Matters (Part 2), Why Ethical Thinking Matters (Part 3) and Why Ethical Matters (Part 4). I’m hoping the strategies shared in this series will give you a fresh perspective on your plans for developing leaders in 2018.
Values Drive Business Success (But Only If They’re Clear and Applied)
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Deloitte's 2016 Millennial Survey Executive Summary reported that according to responses from 7700 employed millennials from 29 countries, "the values that support long-term business success are people treatment, ethics, and customer focus. While people treatment, ethics, and customer focus may be the values that drive business success, that only works if they're applied across the organization.
Ethical Leadership: The “On Switch” For Adaptability
By Linda Fisher Thornton
The post "Leader Competence: Will It Be A Multiplier or Divider?" generated some great discussion on social media. Here's a quote from the post:
"Leader competence is either going to be a multiplier or a divider. When you have it, you multiply performance and trust, with exponential results. Without it, you divide your possible results by the incompetence factor."
After reading it, one reader requested that I write more on the topic. This week I'm digging deeper into the multiplying and dividing effects of leader (in)competence, looking at how a leader's ethical competence impacts trust, people, bottom line results and organizational adaptability.
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.
How Do You Recognize a Trustworthy Leader?
By Linda Fisher Thornton
I'm hearing people talking about trustworthy leadership everywhere I go. We all crave it. We seek it out because trustworthy leadership allows us to be at our best so that we can make a meaningful contribution.
To identify a trustworthy leader, look for all of these tell-tale signs:
Leading in Context 