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Intentional Integrity: How Smart Companies Can Lead an Ethical Revolution
Silicon Valley expert Robert Chesnut shows that companies that do not think seriously about a crucial element of corporate culture—integrity—are destined to fail.“Show of hands—who in this group has integrity?”It’s with this direct and often uncomfortable question that Robert Chesnut, General Counsel of Airbnb, begins every presentation to new employees. Defining integrity is difficult. Once understood as “telling the truth and keeping your word,” it was about following not just the letter but the spirit of the law. But in a moment when workplaces are becoming more diverse, global, and connected, silence about integrity creates ambiguities about right and wrong that make everyone uncertain, opening the door for the minority of people to rationalize selfish behavior. Trust in most traditional institutions is down—government, religious organizations, and higher education—and there’s a dark cloud hovering over technology. But this is precisely where companies come in; as peoples’ faith in establishments deteriorates, they’re turning to their employer for stability.In Intentional Integrity, Chesnut offers a six-step process for leaders to foster and manage a culture of integrity at work. He explains the rationale and legal context for the ethics and practices, and presents scenarios to illuminate the nuances of thinking deeply and objectively about workplace culture. We will always need governments to manage defense, infrastructure, and basic societal functions. But, Chesnut argues, the private sector has the responsibility to use sensitivity and flexibility to make broader progress—if they act with integrity."Rob is an insider who's combined doing good with doing business well in two iconic Silicon Valley companies. His book contains smart, practical advice for anyone looking to do good and do well.” —Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and author of Blitzscaling
298 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 28, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 20, 2022
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a book by a big shot at Airbnb talking about corporate ethics. Okay fine, what's the deal with Airbnb and ethics? A few seconds of searching online for "Airbnb,ethics" yields multiple articles about how the company goes out of its way to avoid regulations and taxes, thereby undermining fair market competition from hotels and actual B&Bs, as well as exploiting the general public infrastructure it depends on. One article described Airbnb's efforts as "waging war on local governments." In addition, there's apparently a global problem of Airbnb driving up rents and decreasing livability in residential neighborhoods where unregulated landlords are turning apartment buildings into illegal hotels.
That was all pretty interesting! How does the author respond to these accusations that his company's business model is built on illegality and social irresponsibility? His silence is conspicuous.
What he seems to be worried about for any company is what he calls the "threat to its reputation or integrity of its brand." This suggests he cares not so much about integrity as about the appearance of integrity. Even along these lines, his comments are pretty pathetic. He suggests several times, for example, that his outfit is better than Theranos. Wow! what a low bar. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
For a completely different recent take on corporate integrity and what to do about ethics breaches, I would recommend:
Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud
This is a book by a big shot at Airbnb talking about corporate ethics. Okay fine, what's the deal with Airbnb and ethics? A few seconds of searching online for "Airbnb,ethics" yields multiple articles about how the company goes out of its way to avoid regulations and taxes, thereby undermining fair market competition from hotels and actual B&Bs, as well as exploiting the general public infrastructure it depends on. One article described Airbnb's efforts as "waging war on local governments." In addition, there's apparently a global problem of Airbnb driving up rents and decreasing livability in residential neighborhoods where unregulated landlords are turning apartment buildings into illegal hotels.
That was all pretty interesting! How does the author respond to these accusations that his company's business model is built on illegality and social irresponsibility? His silence is conspicuous.
What he seems to be worried about for any company is what he calls the "threat to its reputation or integrity of its brand." This suggests he cares not so much about integrity as about the appearance of integrity. Even along these lines, his comments are pretty pathetic. He suggests several times, for example, that his outfit is better than Theranos. Wow! what a low bar. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
For a completely different recent take on corporate integrity and what to do about ethics breaches, I would recommend:
Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud
July 22, 2020
I actually loved a lot about this book.
For starters, it is written by an attorney who served as in-house counsel for several big internet companies, like eBay, Chegg, and Air BnB. I don't think I have ever read any business/management books written by the in-house counsel before. It is a different perspective. Less focus on vision casting, more on policy implementation.
Perhaps because of that, this book feels practical. It doesn't rely on hackneyed catch-phrases or cute stories. It grounds things in the real world and provides a game plan for handling difficult situations. I particularly appreciated the author's comments on his own policy for socializing with subordinates. (Which really comes down to...he doesn't.)
He also highlights the importance of consistency in company brands. I like how he explains the difference in Wal Mart's policies about gifts versus Air BnB's. It was a tangible, illustrative contrast of how a purpose drives ethics in a company.
Because he is an attorney, the writing feels tight and engaging. This was a slow read for me over several weeks but not because I wasn't engaged. It was more that I was chewing it over. (Which is always a good sign.)
But...I think I can actually point to my frustration right in the title. "How Smart Companies Can Lead an Ethical Revolution."
An ethical revolution for what?
A revolution to end harassment in the workplace? Keep people under 21 from buying guns? Not providing bribes to border guards in third-world countries?
If his thesis is that companies should feel confident sticking to their ideals even amidst political pressure to cave, then I am all for it. But this book seems to advocate more generally for...well, advocacy.
And advocacy for advocacy's sake is exhausting.
He creates a helpful road-map for the purpose of doing...something. What thing? Something ethical. What ethical thing? That depends on your company's purpose. But apparently it has to be more than making money.
Which, again, I am all about but I feel like I'm still not making the leap. It is like the author popped his head out of the Silicon Valley bubble long enough to encourage businesses to 'do good!' but I'm still left wondering what he means by good. It is easy to pick on Nazis and critique Google for promising not to do evil, but not everything is that cut and dried. His book presumes you have a coalesced view of good that your company and management team supports. But that is rarely the case and I wish he addressed more the ripple effects of how far you go "off mission" to act with integrity.
If your company sells widgets, how far must you go to sanction to a supplier who doesn't conform with your notion of good?
This book will give you the road map for how to view your values as aligned with your company. And it will suggest how to create and impose those values. But because of the author's background, and heavy reliance on his experiences at eBay and Air BnB, the road-map feels stilted.
It is a scope issue, really. I found this book useful initially because it talks about creating and enforcing a moral code. But the more I read about his version of creating a moral code, the more I felt how much his world centers around Silicon Valley type businesses that start in a garage and morph into huge companies. He presumes a diverse workforce readily available to give input. He presumes Google-type execs and multifaceted problems that still...look very Fortune 500.
He gets specific occasionally, but his specificity often brought more confusion than help and reinforces the experience problem. For example, I really appreciated the chapter on sexual misconduct in the workplace. There are some practical insights about reporting that would prove useful if developing a system for your own company. But he focuses a lot on the #metoo movement in a corporate office type environment. Which maybe is the work environment of the general reader of this book. Certainly topics like travel and alcohol at work are fairly universal. It is not that the problems he mention are unique to giant tech companies, but, shall we say, giant tech companies manifest them differently.
So, here is my takeaway: there are some really helpful insights in this book. But because the examples draw almost exclusively from Silicon Valley type businesses, most of the advice primarily applies to environments like those.
It was a thought-provoking read. And who knows, maybe in a few years I will find myself in a position to come back to it. But it left me feeling dissatisfied with its morally smug tone. (It sounds like a Millennial and since I am one, I can say that. Probably.)
I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review--much appreciated!
For starters, it is written by an attorney who served as in-house counsel for several big internet companies, like eBay, Chegg, and Air BnB. I don't think I have ever read any business/management books written by the in-house counsel before. It is a different perspective. Less focus on vision casting, more on policy implementation.
Perhaps because of that, this book feels practical. It doesn't rely on hackneyed catch-phrases or cute stories. It grounds things in the real world and provides a game plan for handling difficult situations. I particularly appreciated the author's comments on his own policy for socializing with subordinates. (Which really comes down to...he doesn't.)
He also highlights the importance of consistency in company brands. I like how he explains the difference in Wal Mart's policies about gifts versus Air BnB's. It was a tangible, illustrative contrast of how a purpose drives ethics in a company.
Because he is an attorney, the writing feels tight and engaging. This was a slow read for me over several weeks but not because I wasn't engaged. It was more that I was chewing it over. (Which is always a good sign.)
But...I think I can actually point to my frustration right in the title. "How Smart Companies Can Lead an Ethical Revolution."
An ethical revolution for what?
A revolution to end harassment in the workplace? Keep people under 21 from buying guns? Not providing bribes to border guards in third-world countries?
If his thesis is that companies should feel confident sticking to their ideals even amidst political pressure to cave, then I am all for it. But this book seems to advocate more generally for...well, advocacy.
And advocacy for advocacy's sake is exhausting.
He creates a helpful road-map for the purpose of doing...something. What thing? Something ethical. What ethical thing? That depends on your company's purpose. But apparently it has to be more than making money.
Which, again, I am all about but I feel like I'm still not making the leap. It is like the author popped his head out of the Silicon Valley bubble long enough to encourage businesses to 'do good!' but I'm still left wondering what he means by good. It is easy to pick on Nazis and critique Google for promising not to do evil, but not everything is that cut and dried. His book presumes you have a coalesced view of good that your company and management team supports. But that is rarely the case and I wish he addressed more the ripple effects of how far you go "off mission" to act with integrity.
If your company sells widgets, how far must you go to sanction to a supplier who doesn't conform with your notion of good?
This book will give you the road map for how to view your values as aligned with your company. And it will suggest how to create and impose those values. But because of the author's background, and heavy reliance on his experiences at eBay and Air BnB, the road-map feels stilted.
It is a scope issue, really. I found this book useful initially because it talks about creating and enforcing a moral code. But the more I read about his version of creating a moral code, the more I felt how much his world centers around Silicon Valley type businesses that start in a garage and morph into huge companies. He presumes a diverse workforce readily available to give input. He presumes Google-type execs and multifaceted problems that still...look very Fortune 500.
He gets specific occasionally, but his specificity often brought more confusion than help and reinforces the experience problem. For example, I really appreciated the chapter on sexual misconduct in the workplace. There are some practical insights about reporting that would prove useful if developing a system for your own company. But he focuses a lot on the #metoo movement in a corporate office type environment. Which maybe is the work environment of the general reader of this book. Certainly topics like travel and alcohol at work are fairly universal. It is not that the problems he mention are unique to giant tech companies, but, shall we say, giant tech companies manifest them differently.
So, here is my takeaway: there are some really helpful insights in this book. But because the examples draw almost exclusively from Silicon Valley type businesses, most of the advice primarily applies to environments like those.
It was a thought-provoking read. And who knows, maybe in a few years I will find myself in a position to come back to it. But it left me feeling dissatisfied with its morally smug tone. (It sounds like a Millennial and since I am one, I can say that. Probably.)
I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review--much appreciated!
October 17, 2020
This is a good resource for an overall examination of organizational ethics - including common integrity issues, communication and how to manage complaints. Robert Chestnut has valuable experience in the corporate world and a solid legal background. This book also has a selection of scenarios at the end of each chapter to think through the gray areas, which are the nature of ethical dilemmas.
February 26, 2021
There is a ton of value in reading this book as it causes one to think about complicated ethical issues and provides one person's perspective on them. I was already familiar with many of the industry stories and there a few parts that felt overly simplistic to me, however, there were many, many examples and scenarios that I found interesting and challenging. I also learned of a couple of new team norms that I found intriguing such as "How do you want to be remembered?" and "Is there any part of this document/project that makes you uncomfortable?" What a great question to ask. The author, being a lawyer, is very focused on providing specific rules to cover as many areas as possible. I did struggle with that approach a bit. At two startups that I was part of the leadership team we had a value of being the easiest company you have ever done business with for our employees, customers, vendors and investors. Having a ton of rules would have made that near impossible. I believe there is a risk/benefit trade-off in having too many rules vs guidelines.
I'll close with a couple of quotes that I hadn't heard before that resonated with me:
"Bad news is good news if you do something about it" James Morgan
"As a leader the character of your company will never exceed your own" James Morgan
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review (even if it took me a bit to get to this one:)
I'll close with a couple of quotes that I hadn't heard before that resonated with me:
"Bad news is good news if you do something about it" James Morgan
"As a leader the character of your company will never exceed your own" James Morgan
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review (even if it took me a bit to get to this one:)
June 19, 2020
Disclaimer: I got a request from the publisher (St. Martins Press) to read this pre-publication book (based on my other reviews of other books) in exchange for an honest feedback. Here's my review below.
Just the domain of this book was enticing enough for me to read it, given that we don't come across absorbing stories related to corporate ethics and ideas about nurturing intentional integrity everyday. Intentional Integrity is a book on fostering integrity by giving some structure to it, some moulding to the highly flexible nature of corporate ethics. The topic of the book has been relevant from time immemorial, but has never been more relevant than the present.
The author Robert Chestnut brings into the book his experience from the ethics related teams at early eBay, Airbnb, and also as a former federal prosecutor and has knitted it into an interesting read. What I liked the most about the book is the fact that it doesn't have a lot of hypothetical ideas (although some have been generalized) or rules of the academic kind, but is filled with real stories that happened in the corporate world. For an engineer who espouses a methodical approach to solving a problem, the problem of corporate integrity comes across as a very challenging one given the solution is never black and white. There is no clear cut rule for a problem, and there's clearly no one-size-fits-all rulebook or list. So, the way the book is organized into sections that deal with developing integrity of various kinds is impressive.
For a huge non-fiction fan like me, the book was a treat given its mentioning of so many real life tales. Washington's cherry tree example, the "jart" (Google Jart :)) story at eBay, the Wework debacle, Uber's scary God Tool story, Starbucks's incident of racial outrage and apology, J&J's positive attitude in the Tylenol controversy, the stories of Steve Wynn and Les Moonves, the Enron bankruptcy saga, the classic Blue Seat Studios video about tea-consent reference as an analogy for sex, Wendy's finger incident and the concept of investigating an investigation, the highly publicized incident of NBA's Adam Silver banning the billionaire Donald Sterling, Dick's Sporting Goods's story of their brave move and standing up to their ideals in the gun incident, notorious Uber Brazil's story, and of course a plethora of them from Airbnb itself undoubtedly make the book worth a read.
There is no dearth of interesting experiments done in the category of integrity - Ariely’s experiment where lying virtually disappeared when told about the importance of integrity before the test, is just one of them. However, I do think that some of the stimulating concepts mentioned in the book - like Edelman Trust Barometer, Accenture's Competitive Agility Index etc probably demanded a little more elaboration about how they worked rather than just their results. I also became a fan of few of the quotes mentioned, some of them by people who had the power to act. "Bad news is good news—if you do something about it" by James Morgan of Applied Materials; "I thought, screw the outcome. I am going to think about how I want to be remembered", powerful line by Brian Chesky; and the author's "And if businesses of every size in every industry commit to principles like promoting ethical supply chains, lowering a company’s carbon footprint, and declaring a commitment to fight discrimination of all kinds, then these organizations are poised to play a leadership role and make a meaningful and positive difference." - are three of my favorites from the book. The concept of ombudsperson's office, the author's analogy of canary birds, and the very interesting point of 10Xers and VC firms having no HR team were truly thought-provoking.
The only thing I felt missing was the take from integrity's side about ethics and integrity of companies in accepting unsolicited ideas/advice from outsiders/customers (Like Starbuck's Your Idea thing). Generally, corporations outright reject product ideas from people outside the organization, even though they expect hackers to inform them first of any vulnerability they find rather than exposing them in public. That's mildly hypocritical, so it would be interesting to know the author's views on this.
Overall, I found the book a great read for anyone curious about integrity in day to day work, and in particular, certainly a must read for anyone in the ethics monitoring/enforcing teams at corporations.
Just the domain of this book was enticing enough for me to read it, given that we don't come across absorbing stories related to corporate ethics and ideas about nurturing intentional integrity everyday. Intentional Integrity is a book on fostering integrity by giving some structure to it, some moulding to the highly flexible nature of corporate ethics. The topic of the book has been relevant from time immemorial, but has never been more relevant than the present.
The author Robert Chestnut brings into the book his experience from the ethics related teams at early eBay, Airbnb, and also as a former federal prosecutor and has knitted it into an interesting read. What I liked the most about the book is the fact that it doesn't have a lot of hypothetical ideas (although some have been generalized) or rules of the academic kind, but is filled with real stories that happened in the corporate world. For an engineer who espouses a methodical approach to solving a problem, the problem of corporate integrity comes across as a very challenging one given the solution is never black and white. There is no clear cut rule for a problem, and there's clearly no one-size-fits-all rulebook or list. So, the way the book is organized into sections that deal with developing integrity of various kinds is impressive.
For a huge non-fiction fan like me, the book was a treat given its mentioning of so many real life tales. Washington's cherry tree example, the "jart" (Google Jart :)) story at eBay, the Wework debacle, Uber's scary God Tool story, Starbucks's incident of racial outrage and apology, J&J's positive attitude in the Tylenol controversy, the stories of Steve Wynn and Les Moonves, the Enron bankruptcy saga, the classic Blue Seat Studios video about tea-consent reference as an analogy for sex, Wendy's finger incident and the concept of investigating an investigation, the highly publicized incident of NBA's Adam Silver banning the billionaire Donald Sterling, Dick's Sporting Goods's story of their brave move and standing up to their ideals in the gun incident, notorious Uber Brazil's story, and of course a plethora of them from Airbnb itself undoubtedly make the book worth a read.
There is no dearth of interesting experiments done in the category of integrity - Ariely’s experiment where lying virtually disappeared when told about the importance of integrity before the test, is just one of them. However, I do think that some of the stimulating concepts mentioned in the book - like Edelman Trust Barometer, Accenture's Competitive Agility Index etc probably demanded a little more elaboration about how they worked rather than just their results. I also became a fan of few of the quotes mentioned, some of them by people who had the power to act. "Bad news is good news—if you do something about it" by James Morgan of Applied Materials; "I thought, screw the outcome. I am going to think about how I want to be remembered", powerful line by Brian Chesky; and the author's "And if businesses of every size in every industry commit to principles like promoting ethical supply chains, lowering a company’s carbon footprint, and declaring a commitment to fight discrimination of all kinds, then these organizations are poised to play a leadership role and make a meaningful and positive difference." - are three of my favorites from the book. The concept of ombudsperson's office, the author's analogy of canary birds, and the very interesting point of 10Xers and VC firms having no HR team were truly thought-provoking.
The only thing I felt missing was the take from integrity's side about ethics and integrity of companies in accepting unsolicited ideas/advice from outsiders/customers (Like Starbuck's Your Idea thing). Generally, corporations outright reject product ideas from people outside the organization, even though they expect hackers to inform them first of any vulnerability they find rather than exposing them in public. That's mildly hypocritical, so it would be interesting to know the author's views on this.
Overall, I found the book a great read for anyone curious about integrity in day to day work, and in particular, certainly a must read for anyone in the ethics monitoring/enforcing teams at corporations.
November 26, 2021
“Money is everything. Fake ethics”.
I can’t trust this guy. I simply can’t. While I was reading this book, I was constantly checking my pockets to make sure Mr. Chesnut wasn’t stealing my wallet. For me, this book is just a pickpocket’s bad trick:
- First, it is a pickpocket’s trick because Airbnb is one of the less ethical/reliable/trustworthy company we can think of (not only because of all the news you may find in a 5-minutes search on Google, but I can also pull up a few personal experiences I’ve had as a customer);
- Secondly, it is a bad trick because he failed to conceal that his only goal with all this “intentional integrity” is to trick clients. He doesn’t seem to care about integrity or ethics at all. The not so subtle underlying message of the book is: “Profit is the only thing that matters, and today’s customers seem to prefer ethical businesses, so we must fake our integrity. In this book, I’ll give you some tips to make people believe that your company cares about ethics, to simply keep making money”.
Something that I also dislike is the gigantic ego of the author, clumsily disguised as teamwork and/or humility. Lot of parts of the book are simply Mr. Chesnut showing himself off (how bravely he acted under this circumstance, how brilliant idea he had to overcome that crisis, etc., all of this disguised under sentences like: “I had the privilege to be there to save the world from complete destruction” or “I give a lot of credit to X’s CEO for letting me develop my ideas”).
But, ok, don’t shoot the messenger, focus on the message: the book is…ok. It is not that bad, the ideas gathered therein are not original, but are compiled and presented in a formative, easy-to-read way, truffled with real-life examples. I understand it might be helpful. But…THE BOOK IT’S WAY TOO LONG for its purpose. The author could have conveyed the same message in 100 pages, but he keeps repeating examples and ideas over and over. And he does so while using an annoying paternalistic tone.
To wrap up, in the book, Mr. Chesnut tells us a story about a Facebook employee who reportedly posted, in some random website, the following: “Fuck Ethics. Money is everything”. Curiously, my takeaway message from the book, is oddly similar:
“Money is everything. Fake Ethics”.
I can’t trust this guy. I simply can’t. While I was reading this book, I was constantly checking my pockets to make sure Mr. Chesnut wasn’t stealing my wallet. For me, this book is just a pickpocket’s bad trick:
- First, it is a pickpocket’s trick because Airbnb is one of the less ethical/reliable/trustworthy company we can think of (not only because of all the news you may find in a 5-minutes search on Google, but I can also pull up a few personal experiences I’ve had as a customer);
- Secondly, it is a bad trick because he failed to conceal that his only goal with all this “intentional integrity” is to trick clients. He doesn’t seem to care about integrity or ethics at all. The not so subtle underlying message of the book is: “Profit is the only thing that matters, and today’s customers seem to prefer ethical businesses, so we must fake our integrity. In this book, I’ll give you some tips to make people believe that your company cares about ethics, to simply keep making money”.
Something that I also dislike is the gigantic ego of the author, clumsily disguised as teamwork and/or humility. Lot of parts of the book are simply Mr. Chesnut showing himself off (how bravely he acted under this circumstance, how brilliant idea he had to overcome that crisis, etc., all of this disguised under sentences like: “I had the privilege to be there to save the world from complete destruction” or “I give a lot of credit to X’s CEO for letting me develop my ideas”).
But, ok, don’t shoot the messenger, focus on the message: the book is…ok. It is not that bad, the ideas gathered therein are not original, but are compiled and presented in a formative, easy-to-read way, truffled with real-life examples. I understand it might be helpful. But…THE BOOK IT’S WAY TOO LONG for its purpose. The author could have conveyed the same message in 100 pages, but he keeps repeating examples and ideas over and over. And he does so while using an annoying paternalistic tone.
To wrap up, in the book, Mr. Chesnut tells us a story about a Facebook employee who reportedly posted, in some random website, the following: “Fuck Ethics. Money is everything”. Curiously, my takeaway message from the book, is oddly similar:
“Money is everything. Fake Ethics”.
July 3, 2024
I absolutely love "Intentional Integrity: How Smart Companies Can Lead an Ethical Revolution" by Robert Chesnut. It's like a champion entering the murky world of corporate governance, armed with the strongest ethical values. Chesnut's book goes beyond typical business literature, shining a light on the ethical complexities of the corporate world. His writing is smart, blending real-life stories, research, and big ideas into a tapestry that's both fascinating and practical. Get ready for a rallying cry for a new era of integrity! This book channels the timeless wisdom of ancient philosophers and applies it to the modern business world, advocating for integrity to take center stage in corporate strategy. Chesnut fearlessly challenges the status quo, presenting a compelling case for ethical leadership that's as solidly built as a Swiss watch. A must-read for anyone ready to shake up the business world!
The intricate design of the text may seem intimidating at first, but it holds valuable insights into the core of corporate ethics for those who are willing to delve into it. Chesnut's talent for explaining complex ethical concepts with the skill of a seasoned academic is truly remarkable, making Intentional Integrity an essential read for any astute business leader.
In essence, Chesnut's work is not just a book, but a journey of the mind - a monumental effort that challenges the norm and encourages readers to imagine a business world where integrity is paramount. This book is definitely a game-changer in the world of business ethics. It's a must-have for any C-suite executive who wants to chart a path to a more principled and aspirational future.
The intricate design of the text may seem intimidating at first, but it holds valuable insights into the core of corporate ethics for those who are willing to delve into it. Chesnut's talent for explaining complex ethical concepts with the skill of a seasoned academic is truly remarkable, making Intentional Integrity an essential read for any astute business leader.
In essence, Chesnut's work is not just a book, but a journey of the mind - a monumental effort that challenges the norm and encourages readers to imagine a business world where integrity is paramount. This book is definitely a game-changer in the world of business ethics. It's a must-have for any C-suite executive who wants to chart a path to a more principled and aspirational future.
July 21, 2020
I was given an Advanced Reader Copy of this book by the publisher, St. Martin’s Publishing Group, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
“Today a leader can come from anywhere and look like anything. There isn’t a look of a leader. What matters is how they behave. They have to have a much longer time horizon.” This quote from the author’s CEO at Airbnb towards the end of the book was one of my favorite parts, and how applicable it is today, when these types of leaders are so needed and seemingly hard to come by. I think the quote nicely sums up the idea behind Intentional Integrity— it’s doing the hard work of determining your values, and your company’s values, and acting in honest, ethical, strategic ways that protect and reflect those values, even when the short term “cost” may appear steep.
The “Code Moments” at the end of each chapter— ‘based on a true story’ examples of how complex these issues can be— were also a nice touch. My only criticism is that in most of these, the ‘wronged’ party was a straight female harmed by a male, and while this certainly occurs (and disproportionately), I know harassment and lack of integrity sadly exists in all directions in 2020.
Overall, I enjoyed Mr. Chestnut’s perspective as ethics officer for major tech brands like Airbnb and EBay, and he reminds me of my current legal counsel at work — who is also a great example of leading with Intentional Integrity. And how privileged I am, indeed.
“Today a leader can come from anywhere and look like anything. There isn’t a look of a leader. What matters is how they behave. They have to have a much longer time horizon.” This quote from the author’s CEO at Airbnb towards the end of the book was one of my favorite parts, and how applicable it is today, when these types of leaders are so needed and seemingly hard to come by. I think the quote nicely sums up the idea behind Intentional Integrity— it’s doing the hard work of determining your values, and your company’s values, and acting in honest, ethical, strategic ways that protect and reflect those values, even when the short term “cost” may appear steep.
The “Code Moments” at the end of each chapter— ‘based on a true story’ examples of how complex these issues can be— were also a nice touch. My only criticism is that in most of these, the ‘wronged’ party was a straight female harmed by a male, and while this certainly occurs (and disproportionately), I know harassment and lack of integrity sadly exists in all directions in 2020.
Overall, I enjoyed Mr. Chestnut’s perspective as ethics officer for major tech brands like Airbnb and EBay, and he reminds me of my current legal counsel at work — who is also a great example of leading with Intentional Integrity. And how privileged I am, indeed.
August 27, 2020
I received a copy for free from the publisher to review.
I found this to be a really excellent, easy-to-follow guide to infusing ethics into organizations. The key point, to me, was the focus on intention. It's not enough to just say "of course we're ethical, and we wrote it down here in this code!" You have to ensure that everyone in the company, beginning at the top, really believes it and is willing to make sometimes difficult decisions to live by the code of your company. That's easier said than done, sometimes, and there are examples in here of companies that have done it well and, of course, those who really haven't. One complaint I have about this is that the examples used for the "not-so-good" are actually the worst of the worst--Steve Wynn, Harvey Weinstein and Theranos--which takes away some of the impact; DUH you're not going to act like those companies/people, they were egregious in their flouting of ethics. I think more impact could have come from using trickier examples, which Chesnut does get to in the case studies within the book which are really thought-provoking.
I found this to be a really excellent, easy-to-follow guide to infusing ethics into organizations. The key point, to me, was the focus on intention. It's not enough to just say "of course we're ethical, and we wrote it down here in this code!" You have to ensure that everyone in the company, beginning at the top, really believes it and is willing to make sometimes difficult decisions to live by the code of your company. That's easier said than done, sometimes, and there are examples in here of companies that have done it well and, of course, those who really haven't. One complaint I have about this is that the examples used for the "not-so-good" are actually the worst of the worst--Steve Wynn, Harvey Weinstein and Theranos--which takes away some of the impact; DUH you're not going to act like those companies/people, they were egregious in their flouting of ethics. I think more impact could have come from using trickier examples, which Chesnut does get to in the case studies within the book which are really thought-provoking.
January 10, 2021
An easy read with some interesting scenarios from someone who's worked on the general counsel at eBay and Airbnb. However, the lessons and frameworks might've been better suited to a blog post. I was hoping for more coverage of building ethical products/services but this book is focused on creating ethical teams.
I was disappointed with the examples he uses, he seemed to reference #metoo every few pages and it felt like this movement was seen as way for brands to poison their reputation instead of the human impact of these experiences. (Personally I found it triggering to have #metoo grouped with petty office theft, or otherwise treated as a risk to the business instead of risk to your team, I also wish he put content warnings before he describes assault)
He also talked about the need to make trade offs when building integrity, but he didn't go into detail. Airbnb was painted in a positive light and so were the other companies highlighted (like Toms, CloudFlare, or Wendy's fast food) all companies have stained histories and I wish the author unpacked these challenges instead of focusing on the more straightforward scenarios.
I was disappointed with the examples he uses, he seemed to reference #metoo every few pages and it felt like this movement was seen as way for brands to poison their reputation instead of the human impact of these experiences. (Personally I found it triggering to have #metoo grouped with petty office theft, or otherwise treated as a risk to the business instead of risk to your team, I also wish he put content warnings before he describes assault)
He also talked about the need to make trade offs when building integrity, but he didn't go into detail. Airbnb was painted in a positive light and so were the other companies highlighted (like Toms, CloudFlare, or Wendy's fast food) all companies have stained histories and I wish the author unpacked these challenges instead of focusing on the more straightforward scenarios.
January 11, 2021
The author uses code moments to illustrate the complexities encountered when organizations are committed to establishing an ethical corporate culture. As one who teaches ethics courses, I appreciated the code moments shared and the conversational nature of the book. I also appreciated the straightforward manner with which the author addresses sexual harassment, online integrity, brand issues, and leading in a crisis. I would rate this book a 5 except for its use of put-down phrases such as Moses syndrome even while promoting diversity and inclusion, and speaking of the challenges that African Americans have had with Air Bnb hosts.
April 30, 2021
I really enjoyed this accessible overview of corporate ethics, and appreciated both the real life examples of companies' failures and model responses and choices, as well as the composite case studies or "code moments" which presents ethical ambiguities to the reader and asks "what would you do here?" It's clear that in the age of #metoo, consumer expectations for transparency and sustainability, and the ever-growing power of social media, that all companies have an imperative to know and live their values daily, and that they must constantly hold themselves accountable to the behaviors and standards they wish to be defined by.
May 31, 2020
First, I won this book on GoodReads. This is written by Robert Chesnut who is the Chief Ethics Offices of Airbnb. The book discusses the importance of ethics in a company. Also, how important it is for ethics to come from the top. Which is something that many companies lack. After all, if employees don't know that action will be taken if they report something, why would they bother?
I particularly enjoyed the "Code Moments" discussions. These were ethical scenarios and then a summary of what factors might need to be considered.
I particularly enjoyed the "Code Moments" discussions. These were ethical scenarios and then a summary of what factors might need to be considered.
August 22, 2021
*I received a free copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. This is an honest review.*
I LOVED this book. While I may not be in the business world, I have some renewed hope in humanity knowing that some businesses and large companies not only care about ethics and integrity- but are putting their money where their mouth is and doing the work/funding the positions to do the work. Much of this also could totally be applied to educational settings, so I definitely enjoyed/appreciated it for my own work and context as well!
I LOVED this book. While I may not be in the business world, I have some renewed hope in humanity knowing that some businesses and large companies not only care about ethics and integrity- but are putting their money where their mouth is and doing the work/funding the positions to do the work. Much of this also could totally be applied to educational settings, so I definitely enjoyed/appreciated it for my own work and context as well!
August 24, 2020
Hypothetical examples are scattered throughout the book to encourage reader to look at organizations ethically through its leaders. A section at the end called Code Moments presents scenarios, questions and discussion points. Extensive notes and an index is included.
November 9, 2020
Some interesting anecdotes and a review of the Airbnb approach to transforming internal culture. I appreciated Chestnut's battle cry to reduce ambiguity in order to promote integrity. Could not escape the feeling that this was a TED talk masquerading as a book.
did-not-finish
December 9, 2020DNF 14%. I enjoy a business book every once in a while, but this was a little too detailed for me. The examples were interesting though and I if the topic interests you, I say go for it.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
March 26, 2020
It was a good read.
April 22, 2020
This book was extremely interesting and eye-opening. I truly enjoyed reading it!
September 4, 2020
For me, the best part was reading interesting scenarios (“code moments”) that explored different considerations of applied ethics at work.
October 22, 2020
Pretty entertaining, especially considering it's a book about corporate ethics.
December 31, 2020
An educational and well structured read. Worthwhile as a window into how technology companies (and others) are actively cultivating sound ethics and maintaining integrity in an increasingly transparent world.
February 2, 2021
I love this book, so much great information. great read
June 17, 2021
Airbnb. In theory it's great! There definitely is some owner-operator abuse though...
It was an okay read.
Took a few notes, but it was pretty borderline.
2.7/5
It was an okay read.
Took a few notes, but it was pretty borderline.
2.7/5
December 29, 2021
Read this for work. Did a lot of eye rolling.
April 11, 2022
if you're interested in hiding the fundamental structural problems of your company behind an ethical code that makes you and your company feel like you're doing good, this book is for you.
October 19, 2023
An important book. I enjoyed understanding the approach taken to the different scenarios. I had to take my time digesting it after every chapter. I'd read this again!
June 16, 2021
INTEGRITY CHALLENGE: You are the CEO of a small company and get an anonymous tip that John made a huge loan to his secretary and that he might be sleeping with her. What do you do?
Integrity isn't as easy as following some 10 commandments and neither is creating a system of policies and punishments to instill it. It is nuanced and complex, and luckily the author doesn't shy away from very specific historical examples and scenarios. For a book about integrity, this book is pleasantly grounded in reality and practical policy implementation over casting grand visions. Integrity is shown as more than just the right thing to do, but good business sense. I don't leave this book with too many new big ideas, but instead a much more refined understanding of good legal workplace ethics.
I will note that Airbnb(the book's author works there) is just a marketplace selling trust as a service. For a premium, you get the Airbnb brand and guarantee over a random Craigslist listing. The external perception of Airbnb as trustworthy and acting with integrity is much more important to its success than other companies.
Key Ideas:
“As a leader, the character of your organization will never exceed your own."
A boss shouldn't be out of work friends with subordinates, creates at least the appearance of conflicts of interest.
Integrity isn't as easy as following some 10 commandments and neither is creating a system of policies and punishments to instill it. It is nuanced and complex, and luckily the author doesn't shy away from very specific historical examples and scenarios. For a book about integrity, this book is pleasantly grounded in reality and practical policy implementation over casting grand visions. Integrity is shown as more than just the right thing to do, but good business sense. I don't leave this book with too many new big ideas, but instead a much more refined understanding of good legal workplace ethics.
I will note that Airbnb(the book's author works there) is just a marketplace selling trust as a service. For a premium, you get the Airbnb brand and guarantee over a random Craigslist listing. The external perception of Airbnb as trustworthy and acting with integrity is much more important to its success than other companies.
Key Ideas:
“As a leader, the character of your organization will never exceed your own."
A boss shouldn't be out of work friends with subordinates, creates at least the appearance of conflicts of interest.
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