Unleash the Positive Power of Ethical Leadership
By Linda Fisher Thornton
As humans, we are flawed thinkers who easily fall victim to biases and traps. The biases and traps we so easily fall into reshape our thinking in ways that can lead us to make bad decisions.
As you review the list of leadership traps below, think about how each can lead to unethical thinking and actions.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Sometimes leaders believe things that aren’t true because they haven’t taken time to investigate the truth. In other cases, they may have trusted someone who has misled them. But there’s an even more problematic reason some leaders may ignore the truth – claiming to believe the falsehood may benefit them in a tangible way.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
I previously wrote about the problem of selective respect and today I’ll address it’s evil twin. It has been happening right in front of us and has been amplified by social media – leaders speaking from a perspective of selective inclusion. This week, I’m sharing a collection of posts that explain the importance of full inclusion and how to recognize examples that stray from it.
By Linda Fisher
Ethical leadership failures can be caused by different types of problems that may compound. Some of these problems are individual and others may be embedded in the organizational culture. In 7 Lenses, I describe the kind of proactive ethical leadership that builds ethical cultures. The book is a road map for how to lead ethically in a complex world. While 7 Lenses is written from a positive perspective to help leaders avoid ethical problems and create ethical cultures, I often get asked “What causes ethical failures? What goes wrong?”
By Linda Fisher Thornton
We will build a better world. When we think of the term “stakeholder” in its broadest interpretation, and lead with care, our proactive ethical leadership generates ripples of trust. We make a difference. When we seek a simultaneous win for many stakeholders, we: Create a better future for the organization, it’s customers and employees. Support healthy communities. Make a difference in the world.
Our purpose is to create value for others. When we reflect sincerely on our purpose as leaders, we come to a profound realization: as leaders, we are not the center of the universe. It’s not about us. Leadership is about creating value for others.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Building on last week’s post about Seeing the Facets of Facts, this week I’m digging into the dangers of “Partialized Facts.” When I say “Partialized Facts” I refer to treating one perspective on an issue (that is only part of the picture) as the whole truth. I have seen it happen so many times and it’s time to call it what it is – unethical.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
A theme I have noticed in the past in the most viewed posts on this blog is Looking For a Better Kind of Leadership. It’s a great time to explore the question “What is Good Leadership?
While it’s tempting to over simplify leadership and think about it as any one thing, good leadership can only be fully understood by thinking about it in multiple ways. Here is a starter list of 16 defining characteristics of good leadership:
By Linda Fisher Thornton
I have been thinking about how lightly some leaders take the subject of ethics. Some ignore ethical issues altogether or think ethical issues are unimportant compared to concerns about profitability. It’s a risky choice to take ethics lightly. Why? Unlike heart or kidney transplants, there are no “ethics transplants” for people who have made bad ethical decisions.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
As humans, we are flawed thinkers who easily fall victim to biases and traps. The biases and traps we so easily fall into reshape our thinking in ways that can lead us to make bad decisions.
As you review the list of leadership traps below, think about how each can lead to unethical thinking and actions.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
This series includes 10 quotes (linked to blog posts) to inspire you and help you improve your leadership and leadership development as we head into the new year. Part 1 includes the first 5.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Some leaders actively avoid discomfort, not realizing that they are also avoiding the necessary growth that propels them to their best leadership. Great leadership doesn’t happen by itself. It happens when a leader decides to intentionally learn and grow, and to pursue that growth into the Discomfort Zone.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Leading in the “figure it out” space is one of the most important roles of ethical leadership. When the way forward isn’t clear, and there are ethical issues to be considered, the best leaders admit that the next step is not clear cut and will need to be worked through. They start a conversation with their teams to engage them in the messy process of considering the most responsible way forward.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Workplace issues are complex and opinions vary about the right thing to do in challenging situations. This complexity and uncertainty combine to create a “murky uncertainty” that may keep people from giving us their best, most ethical performance.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Ego-driven leaders want to be “right” even when the evidence shows otherwise. They see rightness as something fixed that they can control. Of course, it isn’t fixed and they can’t control it, but they may not want to be confused with the facts. Conversely, when ego is not driving the thinking process, leaders can adapt to changing information and circumstances and change their minds.
Leading in Context 