Leading in Context

JULY 21, 2021

By Linda Fisher Thornton Ethical leadership isn't something we can ever say we've fully accomplished. It's not about arriving at any particular place, or about achieving a certain level of knowledge.

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Leading in Context

JUNE 2, 2021

By Linda Fisher Thornton Ethical leadership development is the ongoing process of guiding leaders to become ethical people and ethical leaders. This is the human development that happens over time that brings leaders to the point of being able to handle what the world throws at them using ethical thinking and action.

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Leading in Context

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

By Linda Fisher Thornton In Part 1 of this series on Recognizing Ethical Issues, I addressed the gaps in our thinking that require us to develop an ethical alert system. In Part 3, I dug into the importance of ethical awareness as the basis for ethical decision making.

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Ethics Learning-by-Doing Blog System 296

Leading in Context

MAY 17, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton Ethical leadership is about much more than making good decisions and abiding by laws and regulations. One of the elements of ethical leadership that may be overlooked when we view ethics using a “legal lens” is supporting and developing the potential of the people we lead.

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Leading in Context

JUNE 28, 2023

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.

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Leading in Context

APRIL 28, 2021

By Linda Fisher Thornton Developing an "ethical self" is important for good citizenship and good leadership. There's more to developing and maintaining an ethical self than trying to make good choices. Making ethical choices isn't easy, and while we're struggling, our brains are actually working against us.

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Leading in Context

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton In Hallmarks of Ethical Leadership (Part 1) I shared 3 special qualities or behaviors that define ethical leadership. These three additional leadership behaviors even more directly impact others in a positive way.

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Ethics Leadership Quality Positioning 272

Leading in Context

OCTOBER 11, 2023

In Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 I explored 9 different traits that help you recognize ethical leaders. One of the hallmarks of ethical leadership is that it is a fear-free zone. By Linda Fisher Thornton This post is Part 4 in a series. In Part 4 I will address the importance of leading in ways that eliminate fear. Fear is insidious.

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Leading in Context

SEPTEMBER 14, 2022

By Linda Fisher Thornton In Part 1 of this series on Recognizing Ethical Issues, I addressed the gaps in our thinking that require us to develop an ethical alert system. In Part 3, I dug into the importance of ethical awareness as the basis for ethical decision making.

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Ethics System Learning-by-Doing Development 265

Leading in Context

OCTOBER 18, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton In Part 5 of this series on attributes of ethical leadership, I explore the importance of really hearing all stakeholders, including those who are not in the room. Here are Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 in case you missed them.

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Ethics Leadership Leadership Development Development 292

Leading in Context

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton How do you recognize an Ethical Leader? Today I’ll share 3 special approaches to the leadership role that are central to ethical leadership. These are ways that ethical leaders understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to others and world.

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Leading in Context

APRIL 3, 2024

By Linda Fisher Thornton Ethical leadership learning is an issue that is gaining attention. Expectations of “good leadership” are increasing and leaders and organizations are scrambling to keep up.

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Consensus Development Ethics Organization 266

Leading in Context

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

By Linda Fisher Thornton In Part 1 of this series on Recognizing Ethical Issues, I addressed the gaps in our thinking that require us to develop an ethical alert system. In Part 3, I'll dig into the importance of ethical awareness as the basis for ethical decision making.

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Ethics Learning-by-Doing System Development 265

Leading in Context

OCTOBER 4, 2023

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. These are intentional actions ethical leaders take to stay competent as things change around them. This week I’ll share three more.

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Ethics Leadership Quality Leadership Development 219

Leading in Context

JUNE 9, 2021

By Linda Fisher Thornton Developing ethical leaders and building ethical cultures have become critical business priorities. As if that weren't already challenging enough, managing ethics well also requires systems thinking and a broad understanding of ethical responsibilities.

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Ethics System Organization Development 263

Leading in Context

OCTOBER 25, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton In Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 I shared defining characteristics of ethical leadership. In Part 4 I addressed the importance of fear-free leadership. In Part 5 I explored the importance of listening to all stakeholders, including those who are not in the room. In Part 6 let's take a look at the importance of Trust.

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Ethics Leadership Leadership Development Development 258

Leading in Context

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

Respecting these (sometimes clear, sometimes hazy) boundaries is an important part of today’s ethical leadership. The 5 phrases below signal that the speaker is ignoring an important ethical boundary: By Linda Fisher Thornton Boundaries can be simply described as lines that we don’t cross when doing business.

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Ethics Leadership Organization Leadership Development 238

Leading in Context

SEPTEMBER 21, 2022

By Linda Fisher Thornton In Part 1 of this series on Recognizing Ethical Issues, I addressed the gaps in our thinking that require us to develop an ethical alert system. In Part 3, I dug into the importance of ethical awareness as the basis for ethical decision making.

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Ethics Learning-by-Doing System Development 217

Leading in Context

JULY 5, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton While some people think of rights, responsibilities and freedom separately, in a compartmentalized way, I believe they cannot be separated, and according to John Courtney Murray, freedom was always intended to be grounded in ethical values.

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Ethics Leadership Development Development Leadership 272

Leading in Context

MAY 31, 2023

If leaders don’t seem to care, that numbs the organization’s culture, disabling the natural systems that would prevent and identify ethical risks. In addition to caring about what happens in our own careers, we must CARE about people, about their success, and about creating a positive work environment.

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Ethics Career Environment System 260

Leading in Context

AUGUST 31, 2022

By Linda Fisher Thornton In Part 1 of this series, I explored why it is important to develop our own internal warning system to alert us when we need to think carefully about ethical issues. In this post, I'll address why some leaders who want to do the right thing have not yet developed their capacity to detect ethical issues.

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Ethics System Development Talent Management 228

Leading in Context

APRIL 21, 2021

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. It is proactive, intentional and consistently applied.

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Ethics Training Process Leadership Development 359

Leading in Context

JULY 19, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton Preparing leaders for ethical leadership is a long-term process. For example, what message are we sending when we separate ethics training from other leadership training? It requires careful thought about the messages we are sending.

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Ethics Leadership Long-term Training 241

Leading in Context

APRIL 17, 2024

By Linda Fisher Thornton In the lifelong quest to become our best selves, we need to stretch and grow and learn from our mistakes. Being a flexible and willing learner, we will more easily stay competent as the world changes. Here are 10 things to avoid if we are to accomplish the elusive goal of becoming our best selves:

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Ethics Goal Leadership Development Development 259

Leading in Context

AUGUST 2, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton Welcome to Part 1 in the series “Ethical Thinking and Decision Making for Leaders.” Welcome to Part 1 in the series “Ethical Thinking and Decision Making for Leaders.” Ethical decision-making is not simply a task.

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Ethics Process Talent Management Organization 221

Leading in Context

OCTOBER 28, 2020

By Linda Fisher Thornton Ethics is fundamentally about acting beyond our own self-interests. Can we be ethical without considering others and acting in ways that benefit them?

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Ethics Talent Management Organization Leadership Development 409

Leading in Context

AUGUST 16, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton Ethical Thinking and Decision Making require staying grounded in ethical values, but there is much more to do than knowing our values and living them every day through our choices. In Part 3, let’s take a look at Complexity.

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Ethics Talent Management Organization Leadership Development 232

Leading in Context

MAY 24, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton Using an ethics of care changes how we think and act as leaders. It helps us remember that each person is important and that treating each other with care is part of our shared human experience.

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Ethics Tactics Organization Leadership Development 220

Leading in Context

FEBRUARY 3, 2021

By Linda Fisher Thornton How well is your organization navigating the ethical pitfalls of the working world? Why is it so hard to navigate ethical minefields now? If you're finding it to be a major challenge right now, you're not alone. There is currently a "toxic soup" of factors at play.

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Ethics Organization Talent Management Trends 377

Leading in Context

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton This series has explored 5 important leadership spheres of Ethical Thinking and Decision Making. This week I’m summing it up in a checklist that will help you apply all 5 to your daily choices.

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Ethics Leadership Talent Management Organization 251

Leading in Context

MARCH 23, 2022

By Linda Fisher Thornton n How Do You Recognize an Ethical Leader Part 1 and Part 2, I shared 6 special qualities, behaviors and outcomes that define ethical leadership. These are intentional actions ethical leaders take to stay competent as things change around them. This week I'll share three more.

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Ethics Quality Leadership Leadership Development 334

Leading in Context

MARCH 8, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton Ethics has a compounding effect on culture, and our leadership choices determine whether that effect will be positive or negative. Being diligent about ethics in every decision brings the culture ethics dividends. Being careless about ethics brings ethics penalties.

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Ethics Organization Positioning Management 205

Leading in Context

MARCH 22, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton Leaders are in a unique position to make ethics a priority through their everyday actions, but simply modeling ethics isn’t nearly enough.

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Ethics Organization Positioning Talent Management 204

Leading in Context

AUGUST 23, 2023

By Linda Fisher Thornton Who we include in our ethical thinking, and how broadly we consider our responsibility to others are both important elements of ethical leadership. In Part 1 of this series, I explored the Depth of our thinking, and in Part 2, I broke down issues related to understanding Context.

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Ethics Leadership Talent Management Organization 208

Leading in Context

AUGUST 24, 2022

When people make decisions in their daily rounds, though, there is no external alert or audible alarm to signal that they are stepping into an ethical issue or an ethical gray area and need to carefully consider ethical issues.

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Ethics Process Talent Management Leadership Development 236

Leading in Context

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

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.

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Ethics Reputation Leadership Organization 291

Leading in Context

AUGUST 9, 2023

No matter how much effort it takes to understand the context, we can’t expect to make an ethical decision without taking that step. By Linda Fisher Thornton In Part 1 of this series I looked at the importance of Deep Thinking. In Part 2, we’ll consider the Context.

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Ethics Talent Management Organization Leadership Development 235