Leading in Context

Unleash the Positive Power of Ethical Leadership

Search Results for: ethical decision making

Ethical Thinking is Multidimensional

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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.

How Do Ethical Leaders Think?

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Today I’m taking you inside the mind of the ethical leader to explore ethical thinking.

What do ethical leaders think about? How do they make decisions?

They are guided by a desire to have a positive impact.

They think about what’s best for others, and seek mutual benefit. 

They think about ways to demonstrate their values in day-to-day leadership, even when faced with difficult challenges.

Seeing Beyond Our Point of View: Essential For Ethical Leadership

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Have you noticed the steady increase in the complexity of navigating our daily lives? It feels like we have too many choices, too much information, and not enough time. More information and more choices would be great if we had the time to research and decide, but the reality is that it’s difficult and time consuming to sort out which information is reliable and which is not.

Ethical Thinking: Sifting For Values

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Most people think about ethics, at least some of the time. Ethics comes to mind during ethics training, ethics conversations, when people are thrown into ethically complex situations, and when trying to understand current events.

The Missing Domain: Ethical Thinking (Part 1)

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Using the commonly taught types of thinking is very useful in life, and helps us be better professionals and business people. But there’s a catch.

Critical thinking can help you understand why a problem happened. It won’t help you find the most ethical solution to the problem once you identify it.

Leader Mindset And The Ethical Use of Power

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Ethical leaders understand that their role revolves around adding value for others, not for themselves. They are careful to avoid taking advantage of situations for personal gain or for the gain of their colleagues or friends. This other-centered focus keeps them thinking about how what they do will impact those they serve and others in the community.

Identifying Ethically-Aware Leaders

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

Ethical awareness may have been considered private in the past, but it has become easier to observe in a society that is always socially connected. Since ethical reputation is a defining element in individual and organizational success, it is time that we consider ethical awareness as a key element of experience when selecting leaders for our businesses, community organizations, governments, and nations.

Ethical Leaders Adapt (Part 2)

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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 improve your ethical awareness and learn about the importance of staying on…

Ethical Values Are Good For Business (Part 3)

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

In Part 1 of this series “Ethical Values Are Good For Business” I shared the importance of clearing up the confusion employees have in balancing ethical values with bottom line profitability. In Part 2, we looked at the importance of aligning strategy with the organization’s values. In Part 3, we’ll address the senior leader’s important role.

Ethical Leadership Development: Preparing Leaders For the Future

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

I spoke with Human Resource leaders attending a Richmond SHRM Strategic Leadership Conference about The Future of Ethics and Business Leadership. The lens I used to frame the discussion was leadership development – how we can prepare leaders to lead ethically in a highly complex, connected future.

Here are some highlights from my presentation – a few of the important success principles for developing “Ethical Leader Future.

Ethical Leadership Development: Global Awareness

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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: High Level View

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By Linda Fisher Thornton

What is Ethical Leadership Development?

Ethical leadership development is the ongoing process of guiding leaders to become ethical people and ethical leaders. It is not the same thing as compliance training or following legal requirements, although those are also important. This is the human development that happens over time to bring leaders to the point of being able to handle what the world throws at them using ethical thinking and action. The way we develop leaders impacts their growth and readiness to make successful and ethical choices when faced with challenging situations.

Hallmarks of Ethical Leadership (Part 3)

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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.

Making Ethics Clear

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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.

Leaders may intend to create an ethical culture, but may still have difficulty getting past the murky uncertainty about what ethics means. To move beyond the uncertainty, we need to take the time to talk about ethical behavior and how we will make ethical decisions.