Leading in Context

© 2014 Leading in Context LLC By Linda Fisher Thornton I must admit that I can’t take the credit for coming up with the catchy title of this post. A group of attendees at a keynote I delivered came up with it as a way to describe what they had learned. And it makes perfect sense. Ethics is catching, and leaders set the tone for the ethics of the organization. What would happen if everyone in…

By Linda Fisher Thornton Much attention is paid to the tactics of ethics – the ethics codes, compliance plans and such. We can easily begin to think that ethics is something we can see and touch. Something finite. Something written in stone. Something outside of ourselves. But that’s not where ethics lives. Our ethics doesn’t live in the codes and manuals. Ethics is in the big and small things…

By Linda Fisher Thornton While it may be convenient to think about ethical leadership as a task, a program, or a rule book, that’s not where it lives. It lives in our big and small choices. It lives in our decision-making. It lives in our organizational culture. It lives in our deep commitment to working for good. We can’t get away with “externalizing” ethics because ethical leadership is much…

By Linda Fisher Thornton How we think about other people is an important part of ethical thinking and leadership. In this post I’ll explore how our thinking can go wrong and how it can go right, depending on how we think about “The Other.” What Can Go Wrong Thinking about ourselves as “better than” others can quickly lead us to make unethical decisions and display unethical interpersonal…

By Linda Fisher Thornton Part 1 of this series included the first 5 Quotes to Inspire Leaders in 2026. This week I’m sharing 5 more thought provoking quotes and posts that will help you refine your leadership thinking in 2026: Ethical thinking means we never lose sight of our positive purpose. We choose to be the sum of our values, not our challenges. Linda Fisher Thornton in How Do Ethical…

By Linda Fisher Thornton This series includes 10 quotes that are linked to the blog posts they were quoted from, to inspire you and help you improve your leadership and leadership learning as we head into the new year. Part 1 includes the first 5. We are here to focus on what’s right and what’s possible, not on what’s historical or convenient. We are here to serve others, not to profit from…

By Linda Fisher Thornton The Top Post Series for last year on the Leading in Context Blog was called 10 Posts to Inspire Leaders in 2025. It featured specific areas of focus and strategies for living and leading with values. Explore the insights shared in this series as you consider your leadership goals for 2026. 10 Quotes to Inspire Leaders in 2025 (Part 1) 10 Quotes to Inspire Leaders in…

By Linda Fisher Thornton It’s the season of giving and gratitude and celebration, and today I’m sharing a sampling of this blog’s best seasonal messages. Each is meant to inspire us to become our best. As leaders we can promote unity or divisiveness, but of those two, promoting unity is the only ethical path. 12 Gifts of Leadership (Will You Give Them This Year?) These 12 Gifts of…

By Linda Fisher Thornton Humans go through a stage as toddlers when they believe that something out of sight has magically disappeared and is not coming back. This is a natural part of human development that is studied in developmental psychology, and it normally ends by the time a child is three years old when they develop “object permanence.” I was thinking about how many examples we’ve seen…

By Linda Fisher Thornton Quibbling about terminology –the words used to describe unethical behaviors as they are uniquely defined by different groups – just misdirects our attention away from some foundational, easy-to-spot signs of unethical leadership. With so much content available online, it is easier than ever to get a read on a leader’s ethics. Using reliable sources, we can fairly…

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. Cause-and-Effect Thinking in a Systems World Polarities and…

By Linda Fisher Thornton Sometimes leaders believe things that aren’t true because they haven’t taken time to investigate the truth. In other cases, they may have trusted someone who has misled them. But there’s an even more problematic reason some leaders may ignore the truth – claiming to believe the falsehood may benefit them in a tangible way. “There is no such thing as ‘alternative…

By Linda Fisher Thornton “Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilisation.”— Mahatma Ghandi I previously wrote about the problem of selective respect and today I’ll address it’s evil twin. It has been happening right in front of us and has been amplified by social media – leaders speaking from a perspective of selective inclusion. This week, I’m…

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. Defining Characteristics of Unethical…

By Linda Fisher Thornton This post is an update of a reader favorite. Understanding What Causes Ethical Leadership Failures Ethical leadership failures can be caused by different types of problems that may compound. Some of these problems are individual and others may be embedded in the organizational culture. In 7 Lenses, I describe the kind of proactive ethical leadership that builds ethical…

By Linda Fisher Thornton The Leading in Context Manifesto We are here to focus on what’s right and what’s possible, not on what’s historical or convenient. We are here to serve others, not to profit from their vulnerabilities.We are here to make a positive difference, through intentional leadership and responsible choices. Imagine The Potential. What could we accomplish if we proactively…

10 Things Ethical Leaders Believe: Our purpose is to create value for others. When we reflect sincerely on our purpose as leaders, we come to a profound realization: as leaders, we are not the center of the universe. It’s not about us. Leadership is about creating value for others. We are here to create shared value that benefits multiple constituents. We do that with people and communities, and…