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, […]
“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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
“I believe a new set of values are necessary to take us to the next level…to be a great company, integrity must be at the core of what we do.” David Sacks, CEO Zenefits, 2016 From day one in early 2016, the newly appointed CEO of Zenefits—a fast growing software […]
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