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The podcast episode features Robert Chesnut, a former attorney and executive who has written a book called "Intentional Integrity: How Smart Companies Can Lead an Ethical Revolution." Chesnut discusses the challenges of promoting integrity in the business world and emphasizes the crucial role that leaders play in influencing others. He believes that people are tired of unethical behavior and want better from companies and leaders.
Chesnut explains that integrity is part of every leader's job description and that their behavior is being observed and followed by others. He criticizes the approach of companies choosing to not punish individuals involved in misconduct and instead opting for severance packages. Chesnut believes that companies should take a stand against misconduct and prioritize the well-being of all stakeholders.
He also discusses the importance of companies taking swift action when misconduct occurs and suggests negotiating misconduct clauses and eliminating non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in settlement agreements. Chesnut believes that being transparent about what happened helps prevent future misconduct and avoids accusations of hiding information.
The conversation also explores the role of a chief ethics officer and the importance of ethics being ingrained in the company's culture. Chesnut agrees that having a chief ethics officer may give the impression that ethics is just a checkbox item for the CEO and other executives.
Chesnut emphasizes the importance of creating an environment where employees feel comfortable raising integrity concerns. He shares an example from Airbnb where they created a program called ethics advisors, who employees could approach with any integrity questions or concerns.
The podcast also discusses the inclusion of sexual harassment in the scope of integrity concerns and the importance of providing multiple options for employees to report such incidents. Chesnut mentions a startup called Volt that offers an app for employees to easily report sexual harassment incidents.
In the closing remarks, Guy Kawasaki thanks Chesnut for shedding light on intentional integrity and encourages listeners to implement his lessons in their own companies and organizations.
The podcast episode features Robert Chesnut, a former attorney and executive who has written a book