Integrity in Action Starts with Everyday Decisions

Shaping Ethical Workplace Cultures & Embracing the Time Change (Even If We Hate It)

March is Ethics Awareness Month, and we’re continuing the journey of exploring ethical leadership, integrity, and the challenges of building truly values-driven workplaces. But before we dive into this week’s focus on building ethical cultures, let’s talk about something we’re all feeling today: the pain of losing an hour of sleep.

Spring Forward: A Test of Patience, Resilience, and Caffeine Consumption

If you woke up groggier than usual today, you’re not alone. This weekend marked the beginning of daylight saving time (why do we still do this?), meaning we all lost an hour of sleep and are now navigating darker mornings and disrupted routines. If you had to work early on Sunday, I salute you—because the first few days after a time change can be rough.

Research backs this up: the Monday after spring forward sees an increase in accidents, heart attacks, and general human errors. Our internal clocks don’t adjust overnight, and that subtle loss of sleep can ripple into decision-making, patience, and focus. So, as we move into the week:

?? Build in extra time for commutes and meetings—people will be running behind.

?? Show a little extra grace (to others and yourself). Sleep-deprived minds aren’t at peak performance.

?? If your to-do list feels overwhelming, prioritize what actually needs to get done and give yourself space to recalibrate.

It’s a small disruption, but it’s a reminder of how external forces - ones we don’t control - can affect our well-being and choices. And in a way, that connects to this month’s theme: ethics in leadership. Because just like a time change can throw off our schedules, an organization’s ethical culture can be thrown off balance by misalignment between stated values and real-world actions.

Weekend Bookstore Finds & Leadership Lessons from History

This weekend, I had the chance to visit a local used bookstore, and—as always—I walked out with more books than I have time to read. My ongoing journey through biographies and history continues, and I found some real treasures:

?? Grant by Ron Chernow – Continuing my deep dive into historical leadership.

?? Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris – The second book in a trilogy on Theodore Roosevelt. I found The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt last year, so this was a great follow-up.

?? Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin – A fantastic find. This book has been on my radar for a while, and I’m excited to dig into it.

Of course, this all means my to-read stack is once again overflowing. I should probably start prioritizing rather than just collecting books at this point.

Right now, I’m working through Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin—a fascinating look at Abraham Lincoln’s leadership. The most striking takeaway so far isn’t just Lincoln’s strategic brilliance, but the way he made people feel. Even his rivals, while critical of his policies, respected him deeply because of his integrity, humility, and ability to bring people together. That’s a leadership quality worth studying—not just what decisions he made, but how he communicated and earned trust.

As I continue reading, I want to reflect more on this: how do great leaders inspire respect, even in disagreement? And how can we apply that to modern leadership challenges—especially when it comes to ethics?

Next, let’s dive into this week’s focus: Building Ethical Cultures.

Week 2 of Ethics Awareness Month: Building Ethical Cultures

Ethical leadership isn’t just about personal integrity—it’s about shaping environments where ethical behavior isn’t the exception, but the expectation. This week, we’re shifting focus from personal ethical leadership (last week’s theme) to how leaders influence workplace culture through transparency, psychological safety, and accountability. Because let’s be honest—no matter how ethical an individual leader may be, if the surrounding culture doesn’t support ethical decision-making, those values won’t hold.

Many organizations claim to prioritize integrity. It’s on their websites, in their mission statements, and plastered across office walls. But words are easy—actions are harder. If leadership doesn't demonstrate ethical behavior, if policies don’t reinforce it, and if employees don’t feel safe speaking up, then those stated values become meaningless. That’s how companies end up in scandals, how trust erodes, and how good people get pulled into unethical behavior simply because "that's how things are done here."

This week is about exploring how to create ethical cultures that actually function—not just in theory, but in practice.

?? Here’s what’s coming up this week:

?? Monday (3/10): The Role of Leadership in Shaping Organizational Ethics – Leaders set the ethical tone for an organization—whether they realize it or not. We’ll explore how everyday leadership decisions influence company culture.

?? Tuesday (3/11): What Happens When Actions Don’t Align with Values? – Many organizations claim to value integrity, but what happens when leadership’s actions contradict those values? We’ll break down the warning signs and consequences.

?? Wednesday (3/12): Creating a Code of Ethics That Actually Works – A code of ethics is only effective if it’s more than just a document. What makes an ethical code meaningful, practical, and enforceable?

?? Thursday (3/13): Psychological Safety as the Foundation of Ethical Behavior – Ethical cultures thrive when employees feel safe speaking up. We’ll discuss how psychological safety creates space for ethical decision-making and accountability.

?? Friday (3/14): Turning Around an Unethical Culture – Where to Start – Fixing a broken culture is hard—but not impossible. We’ll explore the first steps leaders need to take when trying to rebuild trust and integrity.

?? Saturday (3/15): How Transparency Builds Trust and Reduces Ethical Failures – Transparency isn’t just a leadership buzzword—it’s a safeguard against ethical failures. We’ll look at why open communication is essential for trust.

?? Sunday (3/16): Why Leaders Must Address Small Ethical Breaches Before They Escalate – The biggest scandals don’t start big. They start small—and get ignored. Ethical leaders know that addressing issues early prevents long-term damage.

Why This Matters

Ethical cultures don’t build themselves. They require deliberate effort, accountability, and an environment where people feel safe speaking up. The workplace scandals we hear about—fraud, corruption, abuse of power—rarely happen in isolation. They’re the result of cultures where small ethical breaches go unchecked, where people fear retaliation for speaking up, and where leadership sends mixed messages about what really matters.

This week’s content will explore what it actually takes to embed integrity into workplace culture—and why ethical leadership isn’t just about preventing scandals, but about building environments where trust, fairness, and accountability are the norm.

I’d love to hear your thoughts: What does an ethical workplace culture mean to you? Have you seen an organization struggle with this? What worked—or what didn’t? Let’s keep the conversation going.

Final Thoughts: Small Choices, Big Impact

As we head into this week, I want to leave you with a simple but powerful reminder: ethical leadership isn’t just about grand gestures or sweeping policies—it’s about the small, everyday choices that shape an organization’s culture. The conversations we have, the standards we uphold, the way we respond when we see something off—these moments define whether integrity is truly lived or just a word on a wall.

Creating an ethical workplace doesn’t happen overnight. It requires patience, consistency, and a willingness to address the small breaches before they turn into bigger problems. It means choosing transparency over secrecy, accountability over avoidance, and psychological safety over fear-based silence. And the good news? Every leader, at every level, has the ability to influence that culture.

So as you go into the week, consider:

? Where do you see gaps between values and actions in your workplace?

? How can you model integrity in your daily leadership—big or small?

? What’s one action you can take to create a culture where people feel safe speaking up?

Your leadership matters. Your choices matter. And when enough people commit to leading with integrity, we build something bigger than just an ethical workplace—we build a better future for everyone.

Let’s keep the conversation going—drop your thoughts in the comments, and I’ll see you in this week’s posts!

Keep leading with courage and integrity. Wishing you clarity, strength, and impact this week!

Edward Schaefer