Leading in Context

FEBRUARY 18, 2015

'By Linda Fisher Thornton Waiting For Trust to Be Earned I sometimes hear leaders say that they think "trust is earned" and that we should not trust others until they have earned our trust through their behavior and choices. I see several big problems with this way of thinking about trust.

Ethics 212

Ethics Education Leadership Development Development 212

Leading in Context

JULY 1, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton We are all imperfectly human. We make mistakes. We do things that aren't responsible. Yes we ALL do things that aren't responsible at times. If you think you're exempt, let me ask you this.

Ethics 210

Ethics Organization Leadership Development Development 210

Leading in Context

SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton Positive leadership is a new term that is popping up regularly in articles. What does it mean? What kind of leadership do we describe as positive?

Positioning 211

Positioning Leadership Article Ethics 211

Leading in Context

APRIL 15, 2015

'By Linda Fisher Thornton Last week I blogged about 40 Ethical Culture Gaps to Avoid. This week, I''m sharing a ''What To Do" list of 40 Ways to Build an Ethical Culture. This list includes many ways to incorporate ethical values into daily organizational leadership. Each one of these 40 Ways to Build an Ethical Culture can improve an organization. Leaders paying attention to all of these factors will reap rewards that include improved employee engagement, better financial performance, increased

Ethics 208

Ethics Leadership Development Blog Organization 208

Leading in Context

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton Differences of opinion can be inconvenient and uncomfortable. We may be in a discussion with someone who has very different views from ours, on a topic of great importance to us. How we handle it shows others the inner workings of our character.

Ethics 207

Ethics Globalization Leadership Development Development 207

Leading in Context

MAY 27, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton Why is trustworthy leadership so powerful? How does it set a positive tone and lead organizations to better performance? These 5 reasons quickly come to mind.

Power 207

Power Leadership Organization Positioning 207

Leading in Context

AUGUST 26, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton Unfriendly Sales Techniques. Times are still tight for consumers and salespeople are concerned about their jobs. It seems that is more tempting now than it would be in a booming economy to use high-pressure tactics or other unfriendly approaches in order to get business. And pushy, unfriendly sales techniques stand out even more in difficult economic times.

Ethics 206

Ethics Tactics Leadership Company 206

Leading in Context

JANUARY 14, 2015

'By Linda Fisher Thornton Leading with positive values and demonstrating care are becoming expected ways of doing business. Leading now is not as much about leaders as it is about bringing out the best in those they lead and serve.

Ethics 206

Ethics Trends Leadership Leadership Development 206

Leading in Context

MAY 13, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton In a recent post, I acknowledged that "leaders face information overload, globalization and increasing complexity. And they hold the key to your organization’s future. Make it a priority to help them be ready." How can we prepare leaders to succeed in a socially and globally connected world? What are the strategies that will help them handle a wide variety of unpredictable situations while making ethical choices?

Leadership Development 205

Leadership Development Ethics Development Globalization 205

Leading in Context

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

'By Linda Fisher Thornton We create organizational culture through strategic choices and daily actions. If we imagine building our culture as creating an elaborate painting, what will we depict on the canvas? Will we work together to carefully paint a background theme of positive values, or will we just give everyone brushes and "see where it goes?".

Ethics 205

Ethics Leadership Development Organization Positioning 205

Leading in Context

DECEMBER 30, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton Grateful For The Conversation Many thanks to Leading in Context friends and followers for a wonderful 2015. I am grateful for the lively global conversation about the leadership we need for a better future. I appreciate your active involvement in the movement. Special thanks to all of you who have shared my blog posts and let me know what you want to learn more about in the future.

Globalization 203

Globalization Blog Leadership Ethics 203

Leading in Context

AUGUST 12, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton What is research? The answer depends on your perspective. Some people believe the definition is very narrow, and only if you "do it right" in the scientific sense does it meet the requirements of proper research. Others believe that it includes paying attention to messages from all areas of our lives and using that information to achieve insight and understanding.

Definition 203

Definition Information Ethics Leadership Development 203

Leading in Context

FEBRUARY 25, 2015

'By Linda Fisher Thornton Developing competent ethical leaders is 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 roles in many different settings including in our organizations, industries and communities. Competence in all of these areas is not simple to achieve.

Ethics 204

Ethics Leadership Uncertainty Globalization 204

Leading in Context

APRIL 1, 2015

'By Linda Fisher Thornton Much of our success in a rapidly changing world will come from our ability to learn our way through difficult situations that have no clear solutions. Since we can''t use a scripted response for unexpected situations, we need to help people learn how to handle complexity and information overload and still make ethical choices.

Trends 203

Trends Ethics Leadership Development Content 203

Leading in Context

OCTOBER 7, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton If you think ethical awareness is about knowledge and learning, think again. Knowledge and learning are only useful in ethics if we are open to receiving them, open to shifting our perspective, and open to changing our minds.

Ethics 201

Ethics Process Leadership Development Development 201

Leading in Context

OCTOBER 21, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton While I specialize in positive, proactive ethical leadership, I frequently get asked questions about unethical leadership. In particular, readers ask about the damage that toxic leaders do in organizations and what situations and circumstances lead to ethical failures.

Positioning 200

Positioning Ethics Leadership Organization 200

Leading in Context

JUNE 10, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton I wonder what our workplaces would be like if every leader cared. Most leaders care about their own well-being. But what if every leader cared about others? How would things be different? In an organization where every leader cared, wouldn't we experience improved employee engagement and customer retention? Wouldn't it be easier to recruit and retain talented and dedicated employees?

Organization 200

Organization Ethics Leadership 200

Leading in Context

AUGUST 5, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton. When I was singing with a local chorus, I took some voice lessons. My teacher had me start by singing scales while she listened. After my voice cracked, I explained that I had trouble "hitting the high notes." I explained that I was an Alto, not a Soprano and the high notes seemed way out of my reach.

Ethics 200

Ethics Leadership 200

Leading in Context

APRIL 29, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton Our future success is in the hands of our leaders. They will be the ones to notice and remove roadblocks, mentor employees and foresee future opportunities. They will be the ones to tackle the seemingly unsolvable problems of the future. Are they ready?

Mentor 200

Mentor Succession Ethics Organization 200

Leading in Context

MARCH 4, 2015

'By Linda Fisher Thornton Respectful behavior makes it possible for people to work together successfully. But when we ask the teams we lead to be respectful, I wonder if we''re aiming too low. Shouldn''t we be asking for more?

Ethics 200

Ethics Leadership Development Skills Organization 200

Leading in Context

MARCH 11, 2015

'By Linda Fisher Thornton I was thinking about organizational culture recently, and noticed an interesting parallel. Eating healthy foods, exercising and getting enough sleep all boost our individual immune systems. What actions can we take to boost our ethical immune systems? And how could doing that help us create more ethical organizations? Building a healthy ethical culture where people take steps to protect ethics and reputation takes intentional effort.

Ethics 200

Ethics System Reputation Organization 200

Leading in Context

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton Recently, a 7 Lenses reader told me she loved the leadership book but she had one question - "Why did I include Profit in the 7 Lenses?" This is a question that has come up before, so I will address it in today's post.

Books 200

Books Leadership Ethics 200

Leading in Context

NOVEMBER 25, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton Cicero's quote reminds us that before we can act on the important virtues that create a just society, we must see the world with a thankful heart.

Ethics 201

Ethics Leadership Development Development Leadership 201

Leading in Context

NOVEMBER 18, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton There are many layers of meaning in ethics conversations. How far down are you going? Do you stop at surface messages or do you dig into real problems?

Ethics 198

Ethics Organization Training Leadership Development 198

Leading in Context

JULY 15, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton What is “Good” Food? I was reading an article that ranked food products, and I began to think about how many different variables define “good” or “best” when we’re talking about food products. One variable is how good the food tastes. But there are many more. Shoppers may consider variables that […].

Ethics 198

Ethics Article Productivity Products 198

Leading in Context

APRIL 8, 2015

'By Linda Fisher Thornton Leaders set the tone for how ethical values are applied. They mentor those they lead, and serve as positive role models. It is not enough, though. for them to talk about ethical values and model what they look like in action. They must also fiercely protect the ethics of their organizations. They are the caretakers of ethical culture.

Ethics 198

Ethics Mentor Organization Positioning 198

Leading in Context

JANUARY 7, 2015

'By Linda Fisher Thornton When we want to prepare leaders for success in the trenches of business leadership, we don’t get very far by providing a cushy “spa-like experience.” We can easily focus too much on creating “events” for leader education and miss the much deeper preparation that leaders need. What prepares leaders to handle their tough everyday […].

Development 199

Development Ethics Trends Education 199

Leading in Context

JANUARY 28, 2015

'By Linda Fisher Thornton Monday I received the wonderful news that I was in the Trust Across America-Trust Around the World 2015 Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trust. I consider this a great honor because trust is critical to successful business. Trust improves communication, culture, performance, engagement and results.

Ethics 198

Ethics Report Organization Succession 198

Leading in Context

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton The pace of change is out of control in the workplace. Have any of you learned more than three new software programs this week? Have you had to deliver on deadline in spite of being completely new to a project? Have you struggled to get the attention of colleagues when you need their input, only to find that they are too busy to make the time to meet?

Software 198

Software Project Ethics Leadership Development 198

Leading in Context

APRIL 22, 2015

'By Linda Fisher Thornton I have spent the last six years answering the big leadership question "What does it mean to do the right thing?" The support, the unsolicited testimonials and the social shares of this work have been widespread and global. Could it be that the world is ready for a clear answer to this important question? I wrote the book 7 Lenses because I believed that we needed a clear answer to what it meant in a global society.

Ethics 198

Ethics Blog Leadership Globalization 198

Leading in Context

FEBRUARY 11, 2015

'By Linda Fisher Thornton Have you ever thought about why people lead? If you could look into the window of their motivations, what would you discover? I have noticed that people want to be in positions of leadership for very different reasons. Some of those reasons benefit them, and some benefit others. Below is a starter list of motives that answer the […].

Ethics 197

Ethics Motivation Positioning Leadership 197

Leading in Context

DECEMBER 9, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton Have you ever noticed that no matter how many times the forces of good overcome the forces of evil in the Star Wars movies, there is always another challenge? There is never a moment when the characters "arrive" and are exempt from ethical challenges.

Ethics 196

Ethics Development Leadership 196

Leading in Context

AUGUST 19, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton Leaders and organizations can get into real trouble if they oversimplify ethics. Some examples of what that might look like include lonely ethics statements (that look good on paper but are not brought to life) and grand statements (that are vague and not well understood).

Ethics 196

Ethics Examples Organization Skills 196

Leading in Context

OCTOBER 14, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton Trust is a hot topic and a valuable business enabler. The organizations that will adapt and succeed in the future make it a business priority.

Organization 200

Organization Succession Ethics Trends 200

Leading in Context

MARCH 18, 2015

'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 money concerns. It’s a risky choice to take ethics lightly. Why? There are no “ethics transplants” for people who have made bad ethical decisions. We are responsible for our choices.

Ethics 196

Ethics Reputation Price Skills 196

Leading in Context

JUNE 24, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton When Nicolae Tanase at ExcellenceReporter.com asked me to submit an entry for his Meaning of Life project, I hesitated. It was a question I had often thought about. But it was a big one, and I wasn't sure I was ready to tackle it publicly. After thinking it over, I decided that the question was related to my work in human development and leadership, and that a clear answer could be valuable to readers.

Project 195

Project Development Leadership Ethics 195

Leading in Context

MAY 20, 2015

By Linda Fisher Thornton Have you heard the expression "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?" Eating healthy foods, exercising and getting enough sleep will help us prevent health problems. In the quest for good health, preventive habits make all the difference. It is generally easier for us to establish healthy habits than to resolve persistent problems once they start.

Ethics 195

Ethics Organization Leadership Development Development 195