Archive | April, 2014

The New Normal

20 Apr

Nine youth students are standing in front of me, each wearing their nice, white uniforms and colored belts. They are standing attentively in a nice, straight line, eagerly waiting for my next instruction.

Just kidding.

It’s actually nine 5-7 year olds. They ARE in white uniforms. The line has more zig and zag than I wish. One newer student rotates her eyes around the room. Another stares blankly forward and doesn’t respond even after saying his name for the fourth time. Another is standing full sideways, apparently staring into the ear canal of the student next to him. Yet another is actually starting to turn around backwards; I think there is an invisible unicorn in the back of the room that only he can see. Continue reading →

Got Ethics? Are You Positive?

2 Apr

This author offers some great insights on focus in regards to ethics. It’s a perfect tie-in to my recent blog entry on the question of what we really focus on. (“Don’t hit the hand that helps you.”)

Leading in Context

Got Ethics? Are You Positive? By Linda Fisher Thornton

Is your ethics training focused on positive values? In spite of all the bad news you’ve seen in the media about ethics, we don’t build ethical cultures by focusing on the negative. Let’s face it – thinking about fraud, embezzlement and conflict of interest won’t make us better leaders. But that’s what many of us are focusing on in our organizations.

The future of ethical leadership is intentional, proactive and positive. 

We need to stop focusing on NEGATIVE examples (what we don’t want) and start focusing on what ethical leadership looks like in action (what we do want). Ethical leadership at its best looks POSITIVE. That’s where we need to be focused in our conversations and our leader development.

Only by intentionally focusing on positive ethical values are we ethical leaders. 

Only by intentionally focusing on positive ethical values do we create ethical workplaces.

Operating in the…

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