By Linda Fisher Thornton
About once a year I like to gather up important quotes from the Leading in Context Blog and compile them into a post for readers who like quotes! See if you can find inspiration in these quotes about authentic ethical leadership – what it is, how to think about it, and how to do it.
Each quote includes a link that takes you to the post that featured it.
“Ethical leadership is much closer to home than we may readily admit. It isn’t somewhere ‘out there’ at all – it is us, right here and right now. It is in our deeply-held values. It is in our day-to-day choices. It is in our quest for good.”
“Growth may be difficult, but there isn’t any other way to fully embrace ethics. We must grow into our ethical competence…intentionally…over time. When we are tempted to take a shortcut and think about ethics as a class or a theory, we should remember this: The “body of knowledge” isn’t going to need to make tough ethical choices. We are.”
“When we are not open to learning, we can easily misinterpret another perspective that does not match our own as a threat.”
“What is the most positive reason of all to care about creating an ethical culture? We get to help people learn to make positive choices based on ethical values before they have problems (instead of just cleaning up ethical messes when it’s too late).“
“Positive leaders stay grounded in ethical values and use a human growth mindset. They are fixed and flexible at the same time, never straying from ethics but always willing to change with the times.”
“I believe that we gain an understanding of the whole picture by taking in a broad array of information in the course of our lives. Without that kind of awareness, we are destined to understand the small pieces but miss the connections and the greater meaning.”
“Failing to prepare leaders for what they’ll face is not just potentially bad for their success, it’s also an ethical problem for their employees and for the organization. Without tools for handling complex challenges, people may make more mistakes than they need to. Some of those mistakes can be costly to the leader’s future and the organization’s reputation.”
“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.”
“The question about profit’s place in ethical leadership is a good one. At its best, ethics requires setting aside concerns about money and personal gain and doing what is best for others. But business leaders also have to keep their organizations afloat, and that requires thinking about money.”
“To make the boundaries of ethics clear, we need to explore the borders and grey areas. Trying to make things CLEAR and keeping them SIMPLE are not at all the same.”
“Competence is a critical part of responsible leadership. We may miss some steps along the way and make mistakes as we learn, but we should always make it a priority to stay competent.”
“Ethical values by definition are positive and they often require that we stretch outside of our own interests to respect, protect, serve and help others.”
“Ethical thinking means we never lose sight of our positive purpose. We choose to be the sum of our values, not our challenges.”
“We are all Padawan learners on the ethical journey. We are subject to making mistakes, and we must continually learn to stay ahead of our ethical challenges.“
My mission is to Unleash the Positive Power of Ethical Leadership®. Each of these posts was written to help you bring out the best in your leaders and your organizations. Which one of these 15 insights do you find the most inspirational?
Prepare Your Leaders For Ethical Leadership Future – Help Them Learn To See Through The 7 Lenses®.
Includes how ethical expectations are increasing, and what you can do to stay ahead of the curve.
LeadinginContext.com
Unleash the Positive Power of Ethical Leadership®
©2016 Leading in Context LLC
Leading in Context 
Cam,
Thanks for asking! These quotes originated on the Leading in Context Blog, but many of the concepts that I blog about are also discussed in my book 7 Lenses: Learning the Principles and Practices of Ethical Leadership, and in articles posted at LeadinginContext.com/Articles.
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Linda:
I would like to quote you from time to time in what I write. Is it possible to get a citation source for each of these quotes — rather than just citing your blog?
Cam
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Love this!!! Thank you so much Linda for sharing! Have a fabulous week!
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Reblogged this on Gr8fullsoul.
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Thanks Dennis. This one that you liked best is definitely an area for improvement – “When we are not open to learning, we can easily misinterpret another perspective that does not match our own as a threat.”
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Really great. I have saved this article along with the rest. I particularly like the third one down. Seems to be the trouble with the world today.
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