Running the Tapes: Finding the Courage to Speak Up When Organizational Leadership Fails Us

This practical and accessible exploration of ethics in organizational leadership contains several underlying themes: first, that even the most morally stalwart organizations are vulnerable to the ethical challenges that come from failings of leadership, particularly executive leadership. A great focus today is being paid to the idea of toxic work environments, and while explorations of culture, team building, and language are all valuable pieces of this discussion, at its heart this is a question of leadership. Stripping away authority as a requisite for leadership empowers everyone at all levels of an organization to take a higher level of ownership over their leadership skills, to become a voice of action and protection for their teammates and the organization when the conventional safeguards of the workplace fail them. The common term for these individuals may be whistleblowers, but rather, are they instead models of leadership that organizations should be paying closer attention to? By drawing a constant dividing line between ethics and organizational interests, have we been missing a key middle ground this entire time? By redefining the boundaries of leadership through the lens of how to take action in a hostile workplace environment, this book offers a series of accessible strategies, principles, and examples that can be easily followed regardless of rank or position. Based on his consulting work, the author recounts actual ethical investigations of egregious workplace violations. To make this book even more valuable, the author offers strategies for how to parse grievances from genuine wrongdoings, make decisions about how to handle delicate information, choose allies wisely, and prepare for both the consequences and sometimes benefits of bringing organizational wrongdoings to light. Finally, this book aims to inspire courage, nurture leadership growth at all levels, and offer leaders in positions of power a clear case for why opting for environments of ethical accountability is synonymous, rather than at odds, with an organization’s self-interest.

Royce Sparks is an internationally recognized author, coach, and teacher. As a business and leadership coach he was one of the masterclass lecturers at University College London on their MSc in Management, working with students on their presence, speaking skills, and authenticity using the Meisner Technique, which he has taught in the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, and the United States. He has worked with numerous executive and C-level clients on a variety of needs related to leadership including public speaking, crisis response, speech writing, relationship building, and more. Within the entertainment industry he has collaborated professionally with companies and individuals such as Frantic Assembly, Nickolas Grace, Michael Attenborough, Complicite, Brigid Panet, Terence Stamp, and more. A graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, he continued his training in Meisner under Scott Williams at the Impulse company for five modular years, and then received his certification to teach the technique from leading world expert Larry Silverberg, with whom he later worked in collaboration. He is the author of two books, The Authentic Leader: Using the Meisner Technique for Embracing the Values of Truthful Leadership, and Meisner and Mindfulness: Authentic and Truthful Solutions for the Challenges of Modern Acting. Royce’s writing focuses on leadership development, creativity, ethics, and authenticity in both organizational contexts as well as the arts industry.