What is it that you “brand?”

Is it a product or service, a mission statement, a code of conduct or ???? What needs to be the focus of branding is reputation. In reality, what else can one brand? If there isn’t a good reputation, what do you brand? A reputation is an emotional bond with a customer, vendor or supplier, etc.…

There is no such thing as a general solution to a specific problem.

  How many times have people tried to solve their problems with general solutions? To what end? A quick but not realistic solution? When scandals in the banking, automotive, pharmaceutical and healthcare industries make news, what are their solutions? Can there be a true solution without holding those who caused the issues accountable for the…

Reporting an ethical violation should be a positive experience!

  Research has shown that the vast majority of companies’ ethics hotlines are not utilized effectively by employees due to fear of retaliation. Why is that? What is the process of following up with a complaint? What scares one’s people from doing so? When it comes right down to it, shouldn’t organizations want its people…

Is your ethics training proactive or reactive?

  I believe that ethics can only be proactive. There is no such thing as reactive ethics.  Reactive ethics really compliance, and compliance, by the very word,  is truly a reactive dynamic. To embrace ethics as proactive, please consider these reflections as a foundation for ethics training. Ethics needs to focus on action and not…

Ethics in conflict: what will you do?

An ethical dilemma is a conflict situation in which what’s “right” isn’t always clear cut or obvious. Therefore here’s a process to consider in resolving an ethical dilemma. 1. The leader attempts to clarify any ambiguous facts in the dilemma. 2. The leader encourages a broad reaction to the dilemma by asking open –ended questions…

Do you have “ethics risks?”

  What would be “ethics risks” in organizations? How would you respond to these statements? An ethics risk could be: • In not being proactive in helping employees understand the differences and likenesses of compliance and ethics. • In not providing ongoing, quality ethics training by professionals trained in ethics. • In not understanding that…

It’s all about ethical leadership…Yeah, yeah we know, now what?

  I can’t tell you the number of articles I’ve read and studies that are now out, that state, in any number of ways, how crucial ethical leadership is in the business world. So what are organizations/companies doing about their leaders’ ethics education and promoting it in their organizations? For example, when people are promoted…

Trust me….. Why should I?

  “Two findings stand out. First, trust in governments and public institutions remains very low overall and the majority now believe that business should lead. Second, while trust in business has improved, trust in executives remains low. Peers and employees are now seen as more credible than business leaders and often employees don’t trust the…

“True education only happens when learning links up to peoples’ experience.”

I embraced this statement as a teacher many years ago and still embrace it as a speaker and educator. My question is which do you do more of Training or Educating? They are not the same, right? Training focuses on instruction, preparation, schooling, etc. Education focuses on learning, tutoring, coaching, a process by which a…

How can you improve your ethics training in 2016?

Here’s a check list to help you evaluate how your ethics training has gone this year to help you plan your ethics training and values based leadership development in 2016. Consider these 10 questions as part of your annual ethics training evaluation. 1. Is there ethics training for employees on all levels? 2. How is…