Unleash the Positive Power of Ethical Leadership
By Linda Fisher Thornton
I was pruning shrubs this week and it occurred to me that we have many mistaken assumptions about leadership that can lead us to make bad choices. Those flawed assumptions are like the deadwood we prune away from our plants in the spring.
…If we don’t prune regularly, the deadwood affects our growth and success.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
“Do Laws Set the Standard For Ethics?” may be a simple question, but the answer is complicated. They do and they don’t set the standard.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Beyond Compliance
I have intentionally avoided using the C-word (Compliance) in most of my posts, and I decided that it was time to explain why. In this post I’ll explain why laws are not enough, and why complying with laws does not mean that we are leading ethically.
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 week I’m sharing posts that clearly describe what unethical leadership looks like, and caution readers about the risks of allowing it to continue. While I have always blogged about proactive ethical leadership, my posts on unethical leadership continue to be some of the most popular, so I know you’re looking for answers.
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.
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.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
What is flawed thinking? What harm can it cause? What can we do about it?
This post looks at the harm we can do when we fall victim to our very human tendency to use flawed thinking about people who are not like us. If we don’t question an assumption or a piece of information, we may automatically “file it” and let it become the basis for decisions and actions that are unethical.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Most of the time when we answer a question with a single response, that answer is only part of the picture. We have all seen leaders (who may feel a need to appear decisive) answer quickly without thinking through the implications of their response. When this happens, what they share is oversimplified and “partialized,” not a relevant or responsible interpretation of the complex issues involved.
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
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 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…
By Linda Fisher Thornton
Since the human soul is hard to define, we lack a blueprint for how it connects to ethical choices and actions. If you like digging into topics that some people think are difficult to define, read on.
By Linda Fisher Thornton
It occurred to me while pruning shrubs that we have many mistaken
Leading in Context 