Legally Correct but Morally Wrong

Piers Fallowfield-Cooper argues that legal compliance alone is not enough – ethical leadership must be grounded in principles, not just rules. Using examples from Boeing, Handelsbanken, and Ritz-Carlton, it critiques rigid, control-driven cultures and advocates for decentralized decision-making, trust-based incentives, and frameworks like the “Ethical Barometer.” The piece introduces a “continua” model to help leaders balance tensions, speed vs. thoroughness, creativity vs. consistency, oversight vs. autonomy, while fostering integrity, innovation, and resilience. Ultimately, it calls for leadership that acts as a catalyst for ethical and adaptive systems, building organizations that not only follow the law but inspire through principled action.