Can Trees Teach Us About Ethical Behavior?
The Week in Ethics
Can Trees Teach Us About Ethical Behavior?
The answer is yes in ways we don’t necessarily think about which means we’re missing out. They also teach us about happiness and resiliency. Global Citizen reminds us that trees “provide all life on Earth with oxygen, combat climate change, generate food and shelter, clean the air and soil, foster vibrant ecosystems, etc…” “In fact, […]
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The Key to Thriving in Uncertain Times
This article was first published in Business Ethics Magazine on March 19, 2023. How can managers (or anyone) increase their ability to thrive amid 2023’s uncertainties and business challenges? It turns out the answer may be science-based: the result of more than eight decades of longitudinal research by the Harvard Study of Adult Development. The key […]
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Improve Work Cultures Through Friendships at Work
Years ago, when my then-company asked employees to take Gallup’s engagement survey, I was surprised by one of the questions: “I have a best friend at work.” I wondered why that mattered in a work culture. When I became a better leader because of a work friendship, I understood. However, some executives have been slow […]
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Sigal Barsade and Getting Culture Right
This article was first published in Business Ethics Magazine on May 28, 2022. Photos of Sigal Barsade courtesy of The Wharton School. Sigal Barsade, a pioneering researcher on the impact of emotions in the workplace, leaves a legacy for leaders who want to get their culture right. Professor Barsade, the Joseph Frank Bernstein Professor of […]
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Self-Awareness Is a Learning Journey with Good Road Maps
Olympian Simone Biles demonstrated deepened self-awareness when she withdrew from the Olympic competitions in Tokyo. She recognized where she was emotionally and chose well-being over more medals. In challenging times (like now) stress/anxiety can trip our sense of balance into overwhelm. Our typical coping methods may not be enough. (Anxiety can also blur our ability […]
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Leading by Example Makes Change Real
Photo: Treasury Secretary Paul H. O’Neill appears before the House Ways and Means Committee, February 2001. Wikimedia Commons. The pandemic’s challenges escalate pressures on company leadership at every level. Leaders who ask questions, listen and genuinely value employees make it easier for employees to do their best work. The most powerful tool of leadership is leading […]
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Finding Inspiration in a Pandemic
Inspiration in a crisis comes from vulnerability and resilience. COVID-19 has increased leaders’ challenges in creating more engagement. Finding inspiration in a pandemic is an opportunity for leaders to rally their troops and help each other get through these difficult times. Leaders Reduce Harm What we’re experiencing highlights the importance of community and how we […]
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Making Ethics Real Makes Leadership Real
What is the key to effective leadership? The answer is ethics. However, if this doesn’t seem an easy sell…stay with it. Making ethics real makes leadership real. We’ll look at four ways to bring this home. First, some context. Ethical Failures When ethics isn’t a key driver in an organization, the fallout from ethical lapses […]
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Gillette’s Leadership, the Backlash and Possibility
Gillette released this week a short film “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be.” Some criticize it as an attack on men; others disagree and see it as inspiring and hopeful. My take is the under two-minute video illustrates another Fortune 500 company’s courage and leadership to try and use the power of its brand […]
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2018 Leadership Lessons
It isn’t just leaders’ abilities and experience that give them confidence. Authentic confidence means leaders realize that as smart as they are, their view or approach might be wrong. And what they do about that either fuels ethical leadership or spawns disaster. A significant cause of leadership failure in 2018, as in the past, was […]
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Gael O’Brien was the Keynote Speaker at the Second Annual Isenberg Ethics Competition at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst….Gael was both informative and inspiring. She challenged her audience to engage in self-reflection, while also providing the participants with many practical strategies for approaching business decision-making….