Ethical Intelligence: Five Principles for Untangling Your Toughest Problems at Work and Beyond

by Bruce Weinstein

Emotionally intelligent people are aware of how they and others feel. Ethically intelligent people know how to use this awareness the right way. Being ethically intelligent doesn't just mean knowing what is right; it also means having the courage to do what is right. Ethical intelligence may be the most practical form of intelligence there is — and the most valuable.

In these pages, ethicist Bruce Weinstein boldly declares that your ethical intelligence determines how successful you are in your job, how strong your relationships with friends and family are, and even how you feel about yourself. Ethical Intelligence is the first book that shows how to increase your ethics IQ in every area of your life. Through numerous real-life examples, Dr. Weinstein applies the principles of ethical intelligence to some of the toughest problems we face and reveals the essential elements of a life well lived.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Business, Self Help

248 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 2011

About the author

Bruce 'The Ethics Guy' Weinstein should not be confused with the icecream chef Bruce Weinstein.

Reviews

[Wendy Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main framework/hypothesis of the book is very sound - five principles to maximise ethical behaviour. Was it a gripping read? No. Were there useful examples? Generally. Was a whole book needed to explain the principles? Probably not. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that this material will stick in my mind going forward.

[Masen Beliveau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Personally, I didn't really enjoy this book... It was talking about things I already knew. For example, if a co-worker/friend posts an inappropriate picture on Facebook, will you advise her to take it down? Of course someone would, because they wouldn't want that person to embarrass themselves. A lot of silly things like that that I already knew or had been taught by my parents. If you don't know the answer to these kinds of things, then be my guest and read the book. Otherwise, don't waste your valuable time.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mainly info we already know but forget to use. Like I told my children when they had a dilemna - "take the high road". Easier said than done. Good refresher on how to treat and get along with others, both family, friends and co-workers.

[Kate Loving Shenk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book, one whose principles I aspire to.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really perfect for today's fast pace peeps. Hope it makes it way to many leaders and families. Great lists ways to apply to real life at different age levels.

[Claire Hardwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Good practical advised , very easily digestible material .

[g clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love, love, love ethical philosophy. This book makes it super practical and makes it memorable.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bruce Weinstein is known as "the ethics guy" and as my first exposure to his work I found it overall useful and reflective. Weinstein uses a five part system to help evaluate whether a particular decision would be considered ethical. His principles are 1) Do no harm, 2) Make things better, 3) Respect others, 4) Be fair, and 5) Be loving/caring. I appreciate that he establishes these principles to guide his thinking as he approaches various ethical scenarios. The book lays out a number of situations for how to think about or handle everything from workplace conflict/conversations to personal interactions with friends, to business/customer interactions. It's made me rethink past decisions and reflect on the ethical nature of them. Some of the challenge I have with Weinstein's examples surround the nature of timing. It seems like some situations could violate one of his principles on a short-term basis thereby rendering it not ethical, but could in fact be in a long-term interest and therefore ethical. He mostly defined the do no harm in the physical context but a few examples later in the book also applied it to an emotional context in how someone receives or takes something. I thought that area is fraught with complications because the ethics of a decision become dependent on how the receiver responds to a particular action, which can't always be known or anticipated in advance. Reading his work has made me curious enough to pursue a more comprehensive education in this area and Weinstein provides a solid list of additional recommended readings and why they were significant for him. I especially appreciated the extra step he took of discussing why the additional readings matter.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a suggested read for those who make decisions in the workplace. I feel that the author does a great job distinguishing between right decisions and ethical decisions. I will be re-reading this one.

[Norjak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good principles (seemed relatively common sense / but perhaps that is because it parallels all workplace training/classes I've had)

[Linda Is on her way · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF pretty quickly

[Przemek Krydka · Rating 5 out of 5]

An accessible review of classical ethics with basic real-life applications, without getting philosophical.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

In today's business environment, ethical business is not only something that customers hope for... it is something that they expect. However, how should ethical business be defined? Furthermore, what principles should guide business leaders? "Ethical Intelligence: Five Principles for Untangling Your Toughest Problems at Work and Beyond" by Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D., is a good place to start. The book explores how businesses should treat customers and what they should expect from their customers. It also explores ethics as it relates to your personal life. It is definitely a book that should be added to your reading list.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

5 principles: do no harm, make things better, respect others, be fair, and be loving. Not only know but also do.
Not a fan of the quizes in the book. Bibliography at end of what else to read and watch (tv shows and movies).
Overall a bit fluffy.

[Jeremy Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Adopting these topics into the requirements CPA's cover ever cycle for their ethics would be a good idea.