ALD March 10, 2015

Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton Ethics and Leadership InstituteDreamCatcher Educational Consulting

Jerry Sue Thornton is doing a lot of consulting presidents of various positions into a new leadership position of presidency for their universities. Her job is coaching them through the beginning of their process, to be sure that they are prepared for what is to come.

Dr. Thornton came to us today to talk to us about leadership.

“When you think about leadership, it is about power. You have the power to change things. You can use power for good, or very evil.”

Dr. Thornton speaks to us about ethical leadership, “it is how you use the power you have as a leader.” She says that no matter what organization you are a part of, it is vital that one understand how to lead people.

Besides for the visible aspect of leadership, there are the values, Right and Wrong.

You will often have choices in your life, and no matter which one you select it will have a tremendous impact on your life.

The people you will meet, the experiences you have will have an impact on your life for forever more. The choices that we make

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Background:

After winding up a 21-year stint as president of Cuyahoga Community College, Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton is working with first-time college presidents and provides consulting in the areas of higher education leadership, coaching and mentoring, talent development, job performance and resource development.

Quotes:

“A big part of leadership is doing what is right for the

followers; what are their views and their thoughts?”

“The people you will meet, the experiences you have will have

an impact on your life for forever more.”

“When you think about leadership, it is about power.

You have the power to change things. You can use power for

good, or very evil.”

JERRY SUE THORNTON

ALD March 10, 2015

depends a lot on our future.

Ethical leadership requires from the leader a coherent ethical framework that will guide his/her decisions and actions all of the time, not only in specific situations.

Concepts of Ethics:

Where you make you decision from is your value system. You world, your culture, develops you value system. Know your value.

If you don’t understand what you live for, you won’t understand how to make a change.

How far will you go?

Stay in touch with who you are. Let us be reflective about ourselves, so that the choices that we make are deliberate decisive and the choices that we want to make. The choices that we make are becoming more crucial as we move along in our life.

Why Practice Ethical Leadership?

Ethical leadership models ethical behavior to the organization and the community. If the leader is not in a line, then there must be a change.

“Ethical leadership builds trust. If I believe in you and your values, I will follow you. It creates the strength to move forward. It creates respect.”

Ethics should be a topic of discussion, should be out in the open, thought must be connected to action, leadership is a shared process.

Some individuals will cross the line, but that is not where we want to be as individuals or as a country.

The framework is the vision, the mission of the company of the organization. Many companies are creating “vision boards” of where they want to go in their future. Because if they don’t shape it, accidental futures are no fun.

An organization Dr. Thornton is actively a part of is the Marine Corps University which is where she spends time with young men and women fighting for our country and who are studying the ethics of our country. It is her privilege to visit the base.

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Questions:

You talk about finding a stopping point, how do you develop that stopping point?

Stay in touch with your values, and try to understand the laws. What are the rules? Take ethic test. There is a constant need to decide between what is ethical and not ethical. The laws count, and the ethics count.

When is it ok, for a leader to move against the rules of the system?

The values of the organization, and the values of the person can be varied. It can be different from country to country, or company to company. Laws can differ, but values do not. That is what you follow.

What would you do differently if you had the chance to re-do a difficult option?

Well, there is no re-run button to change it, but I had an employee who was a difficult person to get a long with. As a leader I would have helped that person leave the organization sooner than I did. Looking back, the sooner

ALD March 10, 2015

Cultivate Collaboration:

Make the time to talk and think together.

“A big part of leadership is doing what is right for the followers; what are their views and their thoughts?”

One must understand their experiences, and engage with dialog. One must reflect more often than we think. There are many invisible barriers to leadership than there are visible. Taking the time to reflect on those barriers will expand anyones horizon.

“Their is the choice to do the right thing by others. You must not be selfish or self absorbed, you have an obligation.”

As she shows an inspiration video of a young high school football player reaching his “best”, students around become silent. The inspiration from this single video gives us a light of commitment, of encouragement, and the will to put intensity into our life again. The video was optimal in showing us the importance of drive, leadership, and belief. “You promise me your best, nothing more. Don’t quit. Keep going. Do your best.”

We can have the talent, the skills, but if the leader gives up, all spirit can be lost. Winning or losing, often depends on the leader. The determination and the strategies depend on the leader. A large part of being prepared for leadership is preparing yourself ethically. To not make decisions based on self interest, but based on what is best for the group.

Leadership is an easy word to use. It is a very tough role to play. Which is why some people are happy to stay in place. A leader does need talented good followers, but the leader is the one outfronnt. They do not leave any soldier behind. An ethical leader does not leave anyone behind.

Stay in touch with your own value system, what you are willing to sacrifice for, and knowing the line that you will not crossed. You will be pushed to something that is unethical, illegal. What is your stopping point? How much will you sacrifice?

Speaker Series �3

Questions:

you make the decision, the sooner you save the team. I spent so much time wasted trying to change someone who was never good for the team. You can not make people into a different person. Who you marry is who you are going to get. Who you elect is who you are going to get. You can only change yourself. Don’t make the mistake of staying to long in a situation that you can’t change. You can influence them, but only that person can change him or herself.

How often do you have to make difficult, ethical decisions?

2-3 times a week. Many many times.

From your personal experience, at what point in your life did you realize you needed an ethical framework?

Early on in high school I was faced with the choices that I needed to truly think about if they were right or wrong, hurtful or not. Those are ethical decisions that one has to make.