To stay on top of their game, ethical business leaders will find it pays to take a fresh look at their goals, and how to set them The mundane routine of goal-setting gains fresh relevance when it prompts ethical business behavior. The wrong goal can do the opposite, placing an […]
ETHICAL DECISION MAKING
Seven lessons for ethical leaders from Unilever’s recent nasty experience
In some ways it was a classic case of angels versus the bad guys. On one side was Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever—long admired as the closest you get to being an ethical leader while running a huge multi-national. On the other side, a well-resourced group of ruthless deal makers, […]
What does “Doing what’s right” really mean?
“I did what I thought was right, given the circumstances, given my knowledge at the time, given the pressures on me at the time.” Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s founding leader. “Doing what’s right” lies at the heart of ethical leadership. In business there’s always room for debate about what this means […]
5 Essentials for surviving the impact of Artificial Intelligence
In Eye in the Sky, the film starring Helen Mirren, we see an ethical dilemma up close. Should the British forces use a drone to kill people preparing right now to be suicide bombers? Taking out the house with a Hellfire missile should be simple enough. Action may save scores, […]
“Ethical fading”: not just a convenient label
It’s not immediately obvious what VW, The Labour Party and the South Yorkshire police have in common. Up close though, the similarities are only too clear. All three are currently experiencing serious cases of ethical fading. The latter, described in more detail in a recent post here, occurs when people […]
Is speaking up in your company a mug’s game?
“Hello, I’m your chief executive. Thanks for calling me on my special access phone number.” “ Wow is that really you?”` [spacer height=”20px”]“Certainly, don’t you recognise my voice?” [spacer height=”20px”]“ Not sure I’ve heard it enough to know. Still thanks for taking my call.” [spacer height=”20px”]“No problem. You sound, how […]
Ethical fading: is it happening right under your nose?
Martin Shkreli, has been called the most hated man in America. CEO of a tiny company Turing Pharmaceuticals, he had bought the lifesaving prescription drug Daraprim from its owner Impax Laboratories. He promptly hiked the price 5,455% from $13.50 a pill to $750. He has since resigned from his job […]
Shell’s dirty secret–missing leadership integrity?
Suspended right in the centre of an oil-devastated landscape, surmounted on a pool of escaped oil, hovers Shell’s bemused CEO. All around lies evidence of black pollution. He can hardly escape the conclusion Shell has probably not been a force for good in this area—for decades. The CEO walks gingerly […]