Ethics

Dodge the slippery slope of loose ethics

December 23, 2014

Few execs start off with the intent to lie or defraud. Instead, they make the mistake of getting ensnared by one seemingly minor infraction. How does many a downfall escalate from there?

Pepsi CEO’s emphasis on ethics pays off

August 25, 2014
Steve Reinemund, Pepsi’s former CEO, recalls an incident in which his counterpart at Coca-Cola called out of the blue. Coke’s CEO thanked Reinemund for his actions, but Reinemund had no idea what that meant…

How ‘luxury’ came to the Four Seasons

August 29, 2013
From his father, a hardworking plasterer, Isadore Sharp learned to stay the course as ­problems arose, honor your word and operate ethically. He applied these lessons as founder and chairman of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

Enforce no-deviation ethical rules

July 16, 2013
Here’s one of the most important questions a leader must ask: How do we do business? It’s critical to establish the values and ethics that undergird any organization.

Breaking the rules, just this once

June 12, 2013
If you stick to your ethics 10 out of 10 times, you won’t regret where you end up. The challenge is in defining for yourself where you stand, and drawing a clear line.

3 signs of an ethical apocalypse

August 28, 2012

Watch out for these ways your moral judgment can be hijacked: 1. You lie to yourself. 2. You rationalize. 3. You disengage.

Recovering from reputation damage

July 9, 2012
Scott Thompson was ousted by Yahoo after the company found that Thompson had lied about his credentials. Was a résumé fib a big deal or a little one? Leadership blogger Wally Bock insists that a CEO should be held to the highest standards, and fudging on a résumé is hardly an unintentional act.

Vanguard’s case study in judgment calls

April 20, 2012
Mabel Yu was a fairly low-level em­­ployee at Vanguard. But in 2009, Vanguard named Yu its analyst of the year. Here’s why.

With power comes responsibility

November 11, 2011
Oscar-winning actor Cliff Robertson lived the kind of leadership he portrayed as Peter Parker’s uncle in “Spiderman” delivering the line that gave “Spiderman” its moral heft: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Ethical leaders go above & beyond

August 13, 2010

As an executive in the financial services industry for more than 40 years, Bob MacDonald noticed that too often, job applicants looked at ethics as nothing more than a set of rules. They would meet the minimum ethical standard just to get by. So he founded Old MacDonald’s Ethical Leadership Farm to teach children that ethical people do the right things even when they aren’t required.