Marathon Runners and Lessons of Resilience
The Week in Ethics
Marathon Runners and Lessons of Resilience
The 2014 Boston Marathon grew into a symbol. It wasn’t just a race; it was about facing down hate and destruction with community and courage. It showed how runners, spectators, individuals and families affected by the 2013 bombing at the Marathon finish line handled tragedy and came to embody and teach resilience. It is also […]
read more »GM’s New CEO
Update: March 27, 2014, GM CEO Mary Barra will testify before Congress next week, answering questions about consumer safety and the process (a decade before she became CEO) of how GM handled faulty ignitions without recalling cars impacted (which resulted in at least 12 deaths). NYT piece speculating about what in GM culture might have […]
read more »Why Purpose Matters to Leaders
Leaders who unite their teams around a purpose beyond creating profit redefine what is possible. They show a road map for how collectively each person can have a positive impact on customers, an industry, community, and society. The lens these leaders hold up allows individuals to see how they can make a difference, a key […]
read more »Why Purpose Matters to Leaders
Leaders who unite their teams around a purpose beyond creating profit redefine what is possible. They show a road map for how collectively each person can have a positive impact on customers, an industry, community, and society. The lens these leaders hold up allows individuals to see how they can make a difference, a key […]
read more »Is Ethical Leadership Contagious?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIUTE6t1Qcc] If you were trying to foster ethical leadership in your organization, could anything make it “contagious?” For starters, labeling it as “ethical leadership” might not take you as far as you’d like. How often do people say they are on board, “get it” and don’t need more? While they might be willing to read […]
read more »Peace, Education, Equality and Malala Yousafzai
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5X70VyjU0g] “Let us pick up our books and pens; they are our most powerful weapons,” Malala Yousafzai told the United Nations General Assembly on July 12, 2013. Her compelling 17-minute speech advocated for peace, education and equality around the world so that schools and education can be “every child’s bright future.” What is especially remarkable […]
read more »Wisdom in Action, Andrew Pochter and Martin Richard
Our individual wisdom is what shapes our leadership and determines our humanity. It comes out of how we see, feel and interpret joys and sorrow in life and what we’ve learned from others. How we live and act on our wisdom is our legacy, a true measure of how we inspire and impact others. The […]
read more »Leadership Lessons at American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The integrity of the leader of an honorary society for independent public policy — founded in 1780 during the American Revolution — is under question as a result of misrepresentations on her resume and criticisms from former employees over her bullying, micromanaging management style. While there is never a good moment for negative media attention, it is coming at a particularly awkward […]
read more »Words Conveying Empowering Values Falling Out of Use
Words matter. We know that from the impact they can have on us. And the reaction our words can have on others. Words can package the fuel that inspire us to behave in a way that brings out the best in ourselves and in others. Using words like “courage,” “decency,” “honesty,” “conscience,” “patience,” “compassion,” and […]
read more »Pepsi’s Advertising Disconnect From Social Responsibility
Update: May 4, 2013: Pepsi pulled the ad, but a segment of the ad is still available to view as of today here [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8-SaUrvQck] Having a woman CEO hasn’t sensitized those at Pepsi making advertising decisions based on an ad pulled this week showing a hysterical blonde, battered, white woman intimidated by a policeman who is […]
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Transparent & authentic, insightful, seasoned with organizational knowledge, purposeful & engaging, Gael O’Brien takes her audiences on a journey of ethical exploration that is thought-provoking. She creates the needed disturbance that invites personal and professional growth. Gael carries the noble voice of humanity’s hopefulness.