Values and All things Good Archives
Here you’ll find a collection of blog entries published under the Values and All things Good category.
Wall Street Journal: When Does Technology Cross Ethics?
By Marsha Keeffer on August 15, 2008
Can the use of new technology be unethical? Or does such use never cross the ‘bright line’ of ethics? A piece in the Wall Street Journal raises those questions: “Police in Washington D.C. arrested a man they believe is responsible…
Listen to the Oppressed
By Nilofer Merchant on February 11, 2008
The people who are the troublemakers in the organization.
The people on the front lines of the service phone calls.
The sales people who haven’t made their number.
Those people are not considered worthy of ‘the list’. And yet they often have a perspective worth listening to.
Walking the Walk.
By Nilofer Merchant on July 16, 2007
This story is telling! Jeffrey Swartz, the CEO of the Timberland Co., strode purposefully into a New York office packed with McDonald’s executives. Dressed in a blazer, jeans, and Timberland boots, he was there on this mid-August day to convince…
Reaching Good Decisions
By Nilofer Merchant on March 8, 2007
I spent a walk last week with a friend who is struggling to make a good decision. It’s more a personal decision rather than a professional one. And yet I think the decision process he’s facing is the one all…
What is it with competitiveness?
By Nilofer Merchant on February 11, 2007
A wife of a friend is participating in local politics now and is discovering some new kinds of interactions. One of her “friends” didn’t want her to run, as she wanted to. But then changed her mind. And feels “hurt”…
Bouncing Back
By Nilofer Merchant on February 6, 2007
I’d like to believe this feeling I’m having now is going to last. I’ve been given what feels like a second chance. For most of 2006, I’ve been sick at a low-grade enough level where I could continue to work…
The dreaded but great List
By Nilofer Merchant on February 5, 2007
I found this an interesting point of view. “List Consciousness is a state of mind that is entirely future-oriented. With a subtle but constant quality of rushing, it operates on the premise that life will happen once everything is crossed…
Grade school idea applied to Business, perhaps?
By Nilofer Merchant on October 29, 2006
Today, I led a session at the WITI conference on Spirituality & Business. We worked on 3 case studies: one with the Radioshack CEO who lied about his education as an example of classic misrepresentation, one about the pre-texting situation…
Even Steinways get out of tune
By Nilofer Merchant on October 23, 2006
What’s the difference between an ethical leader and a business leader? Are they mutually exclusive, a subset of each other, or one and the same? This coming week, I’m speaking and facilitating a workshop, sponsored by the national Women in…
Workforce dynamics
By Nilofer Merchant on September 15, 2006
I met with a remarkable executive this week, and she shared a painful thing going on in their management team. Two people are playing some rather competitive games. It’s causing frustration. Lots of it. And it’s taking their eye off…
What is it you believe?
By Nilofer Merchant on September 14, 2006
As great leaders, we all need to know what we believe and hold true. Because before we really can lead, we need to be able to connect our beliefs with our actions, and those actions with results. By asking people…
Getting over ourselves!
By Nilofer Merchant on August 18, 2006
We in Silicon Valley try and buy happiness. We believe money brings freedom. We believe seeking happiness through security will fill us up. We believe seeking happiness through status will fill us up. We believe seeking happiness through power will…
Generosity in Business: It’s needed
By Nilofer Merchant on July 19, 2006
Business is often about the ‘bottom line’. But there’s gotta be more. The bottom line doesn’t measure the way in which we work, the way in which people learn, and the side effects of productivity, creativity, learning. Business needs to…
Neko Neko
By Nilofer Merchant on June 4, 2006
Scott Adams of Dilbert fame would love this word. “Neko-Neko”* is an indonesian word for someone with a novel idea that actually makes the situation worst. Look around you, do you spot one? Are you one? I hope not. Thoughts…
Courage is the frontier of leadership
By Nilofer Merchant on May 4, 2006
We need more courage in organizations today. More courage to speak the truth, more courage to call out an issue, more courage to praise the tough choice. More courage to be better people while we work. Here’s 3 ideas for ways to do it.
I thinks, I thinks, and nothing happens
By Nilofer Merchant on March 19, 2006
Putting a book on the shelf, and flipped through to see what I underlined. Yes, I underline books. But that’s why I don’t use the library. I buy the book. My husband, whose mother was a librarian, gets squeamish…