Ethics in the Workplace
Ethics is becoming a BIG issue again in organizations. The evidence includes… Sam Bankman’s cryptocurrency company’s collapse – “...a place full of conflicts of interest, nepotism, and lack of oversight.” The failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) after risky and unethical behaviors lead to deceit and manipulation, including their leadership dumping stock in their...
Practicing Regular Respect Is Easy Until It Isn’t
Most of us, when we’re entering or exiting a public location such as an office building, coffee shop, or retailer, will keep the door open for someone we don’t know. We’ll also say “excuse me” when we bump into someone in public. And, if you’re like the vast majority of people, when someone sneezes, you’ll offer a “bless you.” In these instances, most of us will exemplify what I refer to...
In a world of incivility, companies strive to cultivate a respectful workplace
This article originally appeared in WorkLife News on March 21, 2023. You can access it directly here. From cringe-worthy emails to boardroom meltdowns and disrespectful bosses, incivility threatens to harm business while ensuring that employees take the first opportunity to head for the exits as companies desperately try to hold onto talent. Rude, boorish behavior is, of course, everywhere —...
The Need For Respectful Leadership – Now More Than Ever
An accountant decides to leave her current employer to find a better job elsewhere. Soon afterwards she is sued by that employer for the cost of the professional training she was given while at the company. Another company decides to eliminate the work-from-home policy that had been established during the Covid period because managers cannot trust their employees to do their work unsupervised....
Celebrate Black history. All of it.
This is the first Black History Month in a time in which lynching is a federal crime and Juneteenth is a national holiday. Last March, President Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act — only three Republicans voted against the measure in the House, and the Senate passed it by unanimous consent. The preceding summer, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act became law, when it, too,...
8 Ways to celebrate Black History Month in the workplace
As I mentioned last week, we will be honoring Black History Month weekly with the Respectfully Resist newsletter. Let us look inward and how you can create a safe and collaborative process to celebrate in the workplace. Here is part of a blog by Hi Bob Inc. If you haven’t already created events at your organization, let this article assist you in the brainstorming process. How can we celebrate...
A history of Black-owned businesses in the US
Throughout February, in celebration of Black History Month, our newsletter will feature history on Black owned businesses and commentary by Black business entrepreneurs. This week, we’re sharing a short history, with a timeline, of Black owned businesses in the US that was originally published by Hiscox insurance, which is The Center for Respectful Leadership’s insurer. Black-owned businesses...
Mistakes Leaders Make: and what they should do about them
Now that it’s come to light that former Vice President Mike Pence’s lawyers have discovered classified documents in his Indiana home, I’m sensing that most Americans are considering what is surely to be dubbed “document gate,” to be a political clown show unworthy of their attention and are tuning it out (if they ever tuned in). But there are a couple of leadership lessons here that are well...
Why Trying to Put the Opinion Genie Back in the Bottle Doesn’t Work (and what you can do instead)
Despite his recent arrest in Romania on charges of rape and human trafficking, and despite climate activist Greta Thunberg’s cutting take-down tweet (one of the most-liked in history!) mocking him, and despite the understandable temptation to dismiss him as some odious, disrespectful, self-promoting, narcistic, attention-seeking, arrogant, infantile jerk, we cannot ignore the fact that...