Building Bridges

As one of our guests asserts, “it's very, very difficult to get to the top in any organization without being able to communicate in writing.”

But how to become a better writer? Consider these two suggestions from another guest: “One is just simply read more and read better stuff. And secondly, write a lot. The more you write, the better you're going to get.”

This is the first part of our two-episode conversation about the value of effective business writing.

In this episode, Jeff Bradford, Laura Brown, and Ryan Craig join us to discuss:

Why schools don’t prepare students to write well.

How business writing is more interactive than many other forms of writing.

The characteristics of poor writing: verbose, full of jargon, and failing to consider for the reader’s needs.

Why professionals rarely receive feedback on their writing—and how executives model often bad habits.

Jeff Bradford leads a PR and advertising agency, The Bradford Group. A former journalist, he wrote a 2019 Forbes article entitled, “Why Writing Ability Is The Most Important Skill In Business (And How To Acquire It)”.

Laura Brown is a writer and writing coach, and the author of two bestselling books: “How to Write Anything: A Complete Guide,” and “The Only Business Writing Book You'll Ever Need.”

Ryan Craig is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of University Ventures, and the author of “College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education,” and “A New U: Faster + Cheaper Alternatives to College.”

Fictional 1980s corporate raider Gordon Gekko famously proclaimed that “Greed is good,” seeking to justify why one of the seven deadly sins is, in fact, ethically virtuous.

Leaders should think deeply about the ethical dimensions of their actions. However, too many fail to recognize the moral complexity inherent in their decisions. As one guest argues, “Just like some people are tone-deaf, and they can’t carry a tune, some are ethics-deaf.”

This is the second part of our two-episode conversation about why it’s so hard to be an ethical leader. Joanne Ciulla, Eugene Soltes, and Ann Tenbrunsel join us again to discuss:

Avoiding zero-sum ethical trade-offs

The ethics of price gouging and lying

Why some people justify their actions even as ethical failures escalate

Ethical decision making in an era of advanced technologies

Humility and the relationship between ethics and effectiveness

Joanne Ciulla is a professor at Rutgers Business School and Director of the Institute for Ethical Leadership. A pioneer in the field of leadership ethics, she the author or co-author of numerous books and received a lifetime achievement award last year from the Society for Business Ethics.

Eugene Soltes is an Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, where his research focuses on corporate misconduct and fraud. The author of Why They Do It: Inside the Mind of the White-Collar Criminal, Eugene was the recipient of the Charles M. Williams Award for outstanding teaching.

Ann Tenbrunsel is a professor of Business Ethics in the College of Business Administration at the University of Notre Dame, where she focuses on the psychology of ethical decision making. Ann is the author, co-author, or co-editor of six books on this topic—including Blind Spots: Why We Fail to Do What’s Right and What to Do about It.

Warren Buffett has described integrity as “a reputational advantage that others will weigh in subsequent dealings.” His partner, Charlie Munger, agrees, noting that “You’ll make more money in the end with good ethics than bad.”

So, why are many leaders often tempted to take ethical short-cuts—or worse?

This is the first part of our two-episode conversation in which we explore why it’s so hard to be an ethical leader.

In this episode, Joanne Ciulla, Eugene Soltes, and Ann Tenbrunsel join us to discuss:

Why it’s hard to define ethics—and why some people will break their ethical code before they break the law

Ethical failures, including blind spots, ethical fading, and language euphemisms

How success can impair a leader’s view of ethical behavior

Working rules: the difference between formal and informal language, codes, and policies

Joanne Ciulla is a professor at Rutgers Business School and Director of the Institute for Ethical Leadership. A pioneer in the field of leadership ethics, she the author or co-author of numerous books and received a lifetime achievement award last year from the Society for Business Ethics.

Eugene Soltes is an Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, where his research focuses on corporate misconduct and fraud. The author of Why They Do It: Inside the Mind of the White-Collar Criminal, Eugene was the recipient of the Charles M. Williams Award for outstanding teaching.

Ann Tenbrunsel is a professor of Business Ethics in the College of Business Administration at the University of Notre Dame, where she focuses on the psychology of ethical decision making. Ann is the author, co-author, or co-editor of six books on this topic—including Blind Spots: Why We Fail to Do What’s Right and What to Do about It.

One of our guests argues that, “cash has historically been seen as a friend of the poor, [because] banks have never been seen as friends of the poor. Banks historically have been seen as institutions of elite control. They've been seen as run by social elites in the interests of social elites.” But much is changing.

This is the second part of our two-episode conversation about the future of money. In this episode, Paul Avery, Dave Birch, and Brett Scott join us to discuss:

Cryptocurrency as a commodity

The inevitability of digital money

Why the US is slow to abandon cash

Innovation to reduce the power of the banking sector

Digital currency as a geopolitical issue

Paul Avery is a financial journalist, editor, and public speaker. He is the editor of New Money Review.

Dave Birch is an author, advisor and commentator on digital financial services. The author of many books, newest is The Currency Cold War: Cash and Cryptography, Hash Rates and Hegemony.

Brett Scott is a journalist, campaigner, former broker, and the author of The Heretic's Guide to Global Finance: Hacking the Future of Money.

As one of our guests observed, we’re soon “going to have lots of different kinds of money. And the technological limitation of the past— which is, I only had five slots in my wallet, and I couldn't carry around 30 million different currencies— is about to vanish. My mobile phone is perfectly capable of managing 30 million different currencies.”

This is the first part of our two-episode conversation in which we explore how money—and the monetary system—is evolving.

In this episode, Paul Amery, Dave Birch, and Brett Scott join us to discuss:

Money as a form of memory—or a system of accounting

Why the current monetary system may be ripe for change

The evolution of money—and the role of states and the banking sector

Impact of digital technologies on innovation and the future of money

Paul Avery is a financial journalist, editor, and public speaker. He is the editor of New Money Review.

Dave Birch is an author, advisor and commentator on digital financial services. The author of many books, newest is The Currency Cold War: Cash and Cryptography, Hash Rates and Hegemony.

Brett Scott is a journalist, campaigner, former broker, and the author of The Heretic's Guide to Global Finance: Hacking the Future of Money.