⚖️ Set up long-term success with ethical leadership

September 18, 2024

“I didn’t realize how well my old company trained me until I joined my new one.”

This week’s must-reads:

  • A policy template for your company’s code of ethics.
  • More names added to the list of all-stars joining Playbook 2024!
  • What our new powered-up flowcharts could do for your business processes.
  • And why ethical leadership sets the foundation of your company culture.

STARTER PACK

Template of the week: Employee Code of Ethics Policy

Employee Code of Ethics Policy Trainual template

Fact: Trust is crucial for the operation of any business.

Fiction: Because you trust your employees, you should assume they’ll always act on your behalf with the best intentions.

This is the fire they always warned us not to play with. Because even if trust is ingrained into your company’s culture, employees are people — and we all make mistakes! So isn’t it better to have the rules documented, read, and committed to before a simple mistake can escalate?

👉 That’s why you should have an Employee Code of Ethics Policy in your business playbook. That way, your employees have written guidelines on how to handle any situation at your business — and now you know that they know. (And they know that you know that they know you know...)

Check out our entire template archive of free and customizable policy, process, and role starters. New to Trainual? Get a demo.


GET ACTIONABLE ADVICE

Playbook 2024: More speakers dropping… now!

You can forget those stuffy, sit-and-listen conferences. Playbook 2024 is coming in hot, and we’re all about dynamic speaker sessions that give you actionable advice to power up your business moves.

And we’re dropping some big names this year, including…

Daymond John, ABC’s Shark Tank star and founder of FUBU.

Goldie Chan, award-winning brand expert and cancer survivor.

Ezra Firestone, e-commerce legend and founder of Smart Marketer.

Chris & Jonathan Ronzio, Trainual co-founders and CEO and CMO.

⭐ Candy Valentino, entrepreneur and WSJ bestseller.

…and more surprises to come! 👀

If you wanna get advice straight from the pros, then we’ll see you at Playbook! Here’s what you need to know: 

📅 When? November 12 – 14, 2024.

📍 Where? Warehouse 215 in Phoenix, AZ. 

Peep the full agenda, get our hotel recommendations, and/or marvel at everything we’ve got in store right here. All there’s left to do is… 👇

Get my Playbook tickets!


TRAINUAL TIPS & TRICKS

New feature alert! Not-your-average flowcharts are here…

Flowcharts video

And they’re changing the training game as we know it.
Who doesn’t love a good flowchart? They’re straightforward and easy-to-follow visual guides that capture each step of a process from start to finish — helping your team make quick and informed decisions.

And now, Trainual is taking them a step further. When you map your flows where all your business knowledge is centralized, you can seamlessly link to best practices, key players, and essential information. So your team can learn who’s responsible for what (and when), reference training, and more along the way.

Want some tips and tricks for building dynamic flowcharts?
Join a free, live workshop session (with Q&A) to learn how to break detailed descriptions down into clear, visual steps.

👉 Count me in for the free flowcharts workshop!

Bonus:
To celebrate flowcharts, we’re hosting a free, 30-minute breathwork class to help you simply… go with the flow. (Get it?) 

Join our resident yoga instructor and Trainual superstar Marlowe Duran on Thursday, Sep. 19 at 10:00 a.m. PDT (1:00 p.m. EDT) for some rejuvenating breathing exercises that'll clear your mind and ignite your motivation. You’ll even get a chance to win some sweet swag! 

👉 Save your spot for the breathwork event.


THE BATTLE OF RIGHT VS. WRONG

How ethical leadership builds a values-based culture

Let’s be honest: Villains have it kinda easy.
Taking over kingdoms, fighting mustached Italian plumbers, kidnapping pink-obsessed princesses — bad guys do what they want, when they want. Without any real regard for anyone besides themselves.

 “I’m good at making things all about me.”

It probably doesn’t inspire a lot of faith amongst their team of henchpeople — you know their culture and morale must be at an all-time low. And that’s because ethics have a pretty important role at a leadership level in creating community and encouraging commendable behavior at an employee level.

But how do you actually make ethics a part of your company culture?
In a recent Inside the Process podcast episode, Ann Skeet, the senior director of leadership ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, shared how balancing the pressure of business growth with your values and ethics can ultimately set you up for long-term success.

Here are a few of her insights:

  • Character is the foundation of ethical leadership. That’s why self-care, continuous personal development, and mentorship are crucial for fostering that behavior.
  • Ethical decision-making frameworks — like the six lenses — should be integrated into daily business practices.
  • Innovation doesn’t have to toe the line. Leaders can still encourage it while maintaining ethical standards through storytelling, cross-functional collaboration, and clear principles and frameworks.

🎧 Listen to the full episode.

Organize the chaos
of your small business