Articles

In today’s environment of high-speed change and unpredictable challenges, resilience coaching can be a firm foundation for executive success and growth through adversity and transition. I believe resilience is leaders’ greatest strategic opportunity (if ethics-based), but left unheeded it will become the leaders’ greatest risk. Here are guidelines for choosing the best executive resilience coach… Continue reading Choosing a Resilience Coach

This article was first published in Corporate Board Member on January 24, 2018

The Metropolitan Opera. Hollywood. Morning TV. Senate races. British MPs. Silicon Valley. The sexual harassment sagas continue to wind through politics, business, and personal tragedy. The list grows, as does the question where the buck stops for this behavior. Perpetrators are individuals. But lurking within these stories of worst kept secrets and cultures gone wrong… Continue reading On-Boarding Eradication Of Sexual Misconduct: Practical Suggestions For Boards

This article was first published in TechCrunch on August 21, 2017

Going viral is central to technology and business today, but one of its most pernicious consequences should get more attention than it does: the virally contagious nature of unethical behavior. Ethics contagion can infect organizations from tiny startups to multi-national corporations, nonprofit, governmental and academic institutions, as well as individuals, nations and even machines. And… Continue reading An epidemic of risk and reputational hazards

This article was first published in Wired on June 13, 2017

Headlines from Silicon Valley sometimes read like mythology, fantasy, or science fiction. “First human-pig ‘chimera’ created in milestone study” revives images of the Greek mythological beast (part lion, part goat, part serpent). “No Longer a Dream: Silicon Valley Takes on the Flying Car” describes the Kitty Hawk, whose name pays homage to the Wright brothers… Continue reading Ethical Innovation Means Giving Society a Say

This article was first published in The Huffington Post on January 21, 2015

I was delighted to hear Klaus Schwab open the World Economic Forum with strong references to ethics in his commentary on bank regulation. I equally applauded when he signaled the failing trust of political leaders. Professor Schwab has put ethics on the WEF agenda for the first time. He is right that trust has suffered… Continue reading Ethics is a Global Issue

This article was first published in The Huffington Post on April 22, 2014

Too often ethics in business is viewed as exclusively a moral or philosophical endeavor. It is also frequently considered separate from the core economic and organizational factors underlying business analysis. In fact, failing to integrate ethics into business decisions can lead to catastrophic business results. Today’s business decisions and models are immensely complex, and no… Continue reading The Business Cost of Ignoring Ethics… and Missing Ethics as a Strategic Opportunity

This article was first published in The Huffington Post on June 3, 2014

Predicting the future of women in business is not my core business. I advise companies and non-profit organizations and their leaders on ethics matters ranging from one-off challenges to ethical leadership, strategy, and organizational culture. As we approach International Women’s Day on 8 March, the prospects for women in business look outstanding. Many experts have… Continue reading Nine New Rules for the World of Work

This article was first published in Stanford Social Innovation Review on October 23, 2012

The dangers of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal reach far beyond performance-enhancing drugs. When the news of Lance Armstrong’s doping allegations hit what we thought was the media and judicial nadir this summer, a friend of mine’s upstanding, informed, college-bound son irritably commented that he didn’t see the point of “all of this.” If everyone… Continue reading Lance Armstrong and the Contagion of Unethical Behavior

Trust and ethical decision-making are intertwined. Ethical behavior usually enhances trust. Unethical behavior usually erodes trust. The former does not require perfection. Rather, best efforts to prioritize ethics in all decision-making and swiftly taking responsibility for and remedying, ethical failings, builds trust. The latter does not require perfection either. Even partially or potentially unethical behavior… Continue reading The Ethics of Trust