Grappling with the Gray

How far must we go to anticipate unintended consequences? That's the question that drives the conversation when Stewart Wiggins , Peter Winick , and K Kimi Hirotsu Ziemski join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: Have you ever watched a movie “based on a true story”? How about “inspired by true events”? Two Miami police officers were deeply uninspired by Matt Damon a...

Can social justice warriors turn their campaign against their own cause? That's the question that drives the conversation when JC Glick , Sarah Kalmeta , and S. Scott Mason join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: By now you’ve probably heard about the notorious NY Times podcast in which progressive elites endorsed the practice of “microlooting” - a prettified euphem...

When does too much sugar stop being sweet? That's the question that drives the conversation when David Fink, Monica Kreuger , and ☘️Mark O'Brien join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: After a recent visit to Urgent Care, I vented to my wife how annoyed I was by the doctor. It wasn’t that she was ill-mannered or curt. Just the opposite. “If it isn’t too much tr...

Is unequal sometimes fair? That's the question that drives the conversation when Catherine Fitzgerald , 🟦 Dr. Melissa Hughes, and Machen MacDonald join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. And here is the topic we’ll be discussing: Recently, a couple’s 22-year-old daughter graduated from an Ivy League college. As a graduation present, her parents bought her a new car, while other relat...

Will the common good prove the death of common sense? That's the question that drives the conversation when Mark Brown, CSP , Deb Coviello , and • Kirsten Yurich join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic. Last year, world civilization teacher Sarah Inama at Idaho’s Lewis and Clark Middle School resigned rather than comply with orders to remove from her classroom a post...

Should "what do I deserve" ever take a back seat to "what can I give"? That's the question that drives the discussion when Lori Halverson , Allen Hauge , and Jeff Koziatek join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is the topic we’ll be discussing: An employee posted the following on Reddit: I lost a schedule bid at work recently to an employee with far less seni...

Can we use "the greater good" as an excuse to exempt ourselves from personal responsibility? That's the question that drives the conversation when Sam Ardery , Shannon Lee , and David Marlow join me to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: An Alaska Airlines customer reported buying a first class ticket from Costa Rica to Seattle, an 8-hour international flight. Upon arriving at...

Are we overdue for reexamining the benefits of modesty? That's the question that drives the conversation when JC Glick , Brian Reisman , and • Sue Tinnish, PhD join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: A study published in the journal Human Brain Mapping suggests a variety of benefits that accompany modest behavior. These include better acceptance of constructive crit...

Has political ideology crossed the line into cult mentality? That's the question that drives the conversation when special guest Daniella Mestyanek Young joins me for this week's episode of Grappling with the Gray. Here is our topic: After the September 10 assassination of Charlie Kirk, reports filled the headlines of tweets and posts celebrating his murder. One teacher in Pennsylvania a...

Have you ever been the victim of mistaken identity? That's the question that drives the conversation when Kelly Paxton - Pink Collar Crime Expert , Annette Taylor , and Tamsen Webster, MA, MBA join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: A recent post recounted the following story: A delivery driver was exiting an upscale Boston hotel, when the driver of a Porsche mistoo...

Is exaggeration just another synonym for lying? That the question that drives the conversation when Jennifer H. Elder, CSP, CPA , JC Glick , and ☘️Mark O'Brien join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: Speaking truth to power is one of the foundational principles of any society built on ethics and the rule of law. Senator Mark Kelly claims that’s what he was doing whe...

Does celebrity impose a higher standard of social responsibility? That's the question that drives the conversation when Christopher Bauer, Diane Helbig , and Peter Winick join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: In recent weeks, two stories from the wide world of sports have made the headlines. In one, the FBI announced it had conducted a "massive, nationwide ta...

Can the greater good become an excuse for doing bad? That's the question that drives the conversation when ☘️Mark O'Brien , S. Scott Mason , and • Kirsten Yurich join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic. Revenue from state lotteries goes to support a host of social causes, including education, environment, and veterans, among others. However, Fortune Magazine rep...

How many of the issues we fight about are worth fighting about? That’s the question that drives the conversation when Krista Crawford, Ph. D., MBA, SPHR , Josh Green , and Jolanta Pomiotlo join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: In a recent article, Politico quoted former First Lady Betty Ford as saying that if the White House West Wing is the “mind” of the nation, then...

Why are we so enthusiastically embracing our own dumbness? That's the question that drives the conversation when Deb Coviello , Stewart Wiggins , and K Kimi Hirotsu Ziemski join the ethics panel for another episode of Grappling with the Gray. Here is our topic: You look over the report written by a team of your employees and smile inwardly. It’s professionally formatted, with table of content...

Do sides matter any more? That's the question that will drive the discussion when Kimberly Davis , Naya Lekht, PhD , and ☘️Mark O'Brien join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: Writing last week in the Wall Street Journal, Cal State University political science Professor Kevin Wallsten cited a national survey he conducted last year. Asked about “using violence t...

Does bad behavior ever justify bad behavior? That's the question that drives the conversation when Natalie Renee Parker and N. Wyman Winbush II, Captain USNR-Retired, MBA join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: Congressional gerrymandering has been going on in America for over a century. Originally, it was used to marginalize black voters by lumping them into homoge...

“Have you ever pretended to hold more progressive views than you truly endorse to succeed socially or academically?” That’s the question posed by The Hill, which drives the conversation as Ida Tetlock , Stan B. Walters , and Annie Yatch join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: In confidential interviews with 1,452 undergraduate students at Northwestern University and the...

Are we over-generalizing about identity groups? That's the question that drives the conversation when Sean Flaherty , Sarah Kalmeta , and Bronson Taylor join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: Six years ago, Starbucks introduced a new model: mobile-only pickup stores targeting Gen Z’s taste for frictionless experience. Last week, CEO Brian Niccol declared the experi...

Can empathy be taken too far? If so, where's the line? These are the questions that drive  the conversation when Jennifer Elder, Jeff Ikler, and Tomer Yogev join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: On Memorial Day, Delta Flight 694 from Detroit to Los Angeles diverted to Minneapolis to provide emergency medical care… not for a passenger, but for a passenger’s pet dog...

When we know the solution, why does it continue to elude us? That's the question that drives the conversation when Paul Edwards , 🟦 Melissa Hughes, Ph. D. , and K Kimi Hirotsu Ziemski join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is out topic: My colleague Tim Richardson posted about his trip to a big box store, where he forgot to unload a case of beverages from his cart into the car....

Is a little deception ever a good thing? That's the question that drives the conversation when 🎙️William C. Attaway , ☘️Mark O'Brien , and • Sue Tinnish, PhD join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: On June 20, President Trump told the world he would decide "within the next two weeks" whether to strike Iran. Two days later, B-2 stealth bombers dropped...

How far can we stretch truth in advertising? That's the question that drives the conversation when Christopher Bauer, PhD, CSP, CFS , Nancy J. Capistran, PCC, CPC , and S. Scott Mason join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our ethics challenge: In Paducah, Kentucky, neighbors called police reporting a 9-year-old who set up a roadside stand in front of his house. He held up a...

How can we explain toxic trends in opposite directions? That's the question that drives the conversation when Kimberly Davis , Jennifer Hyland , and Peter Winick join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray. Here is our topic: In this week’s headlines, Inc.com highlighted a viral April 12 post that described the Robert W. Baird investment bank as “The Epitome of a Sweatshop.” In response, t...

What happens when employees perceive a scalpel as an axe? That's the question that drives the conversation when Tom Gegax joins me to Grapple with the Gray and Kirsten Yurich sits in as cohost. Here is our topic: Employee performance, especially in large companies, is likely to follow the bell curve. A few superstars, a lot of solid performers, and a few underperformers. Amazon has developed...