25. Why is it so hard to be an ethical leader? Part 1
06/23/20 • 24 min
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.
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.
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24. What is the future of money? Part 2
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.
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26. Why is it so hard to be an ethical leader? Part 2
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.
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