An Ethical Systems Book Review BY DAVID NEWMAN Sidetracked: Why Our Decisions Get Derailed, and How We Can Stick to the Planby Francesca GinoHarvard Business Review Press (2013) (public library)Summarized by Jennifer Fang Overview The adage “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry” succinctly summarizes the difficulties of executing even the most…

Read more

Most business leaders know that their companies may face fines if they miss a regulatory requirement. They’re also aware of potential lawsuit damages and related costs. But many have not heard of debarment. Debarment is the legal loss of certain privileges. For businesses, debarment typically refers to the right to interact with the government in…

Read more

“The Self-Evolved Leader was written to take you on a journey, from making the critical shift in perspective needed to break the cycle of mediocre leadership, to building a foundation for effective leadership, strengthening the disciplines you need to deliver great leadership, and ending with a plan for mastering and sustaining leadership” (McKeown, 2020, p.…

Read more

From the things we say to the actions we take each day, our world- and that of business- is comprised of thousands of decisions, both big and small. How we come to make those decisions is the result of intuition and analysis and, in most cases, influenced by biases that we may or may not…

Read more

National Public Radio examines how good people can act unethically, using a small business example. Over the past decade or so, news stories about unethical behavior have been a regular feature on TV, a long, discouraging parade of misdeeds marching across our screens. And in the face of these scandals, psychologists and economists have been…

Read more

Having spent more than 30 years as a full-time sponsored extreme sports athlete, Will Gadd now teaches his two young daughters how to navigate life and mountains. In this humorous talk he tells us why he’s happy when his five-year old classifies a situation as “Bumps and bruises only” or “Death,” and outlines a few…

Read more

Use this diagram as a way to frame and make ethical decisions. There are many recommendations for how to go about decision-making. But instead of “going with your gut” next time, consider trying this ethical decision model: Start by realizing you (or your business) faces a decision with ethical implications. Then, identify stakeholders who might…

Read more

Even a small business can have many stakeholders — people and organizations that have an interest in what the business does. A small car mechanic shop has owners, customers, and employers, but its neighbors are interested in site management and the larger community wants to be sure that oil and other waste is disposed of…

Read more

One way to develop your ethical “muscles” is to exercise them. Using an ethics work-out gives you a routine to follow until you naturally follow your moral instincts in every instance. The “Principled Leaders” diagram below provides a quick reference for how to build an ethical habit. A principled leader is a person who puts…

Read more

Filling openings internally may motivate employees to stay and grow in the organization rather than pursuing career opportunities elsewhere. Internal recruitment is when the business looks to fill the vacancy from within its existing workforce. The most common internal recruiting methods include organizational databases, job postings, career plans, current employee referrals, and re-recruiting of former…

Read more