A critique of the popular 'people first' leadership philosophy, arguing it can enable discrimination and short-term thinking. The author proposes 'people third leadership' with a priority order of: ethics first, business health second, and individual interests third. The case is made that placing ethics above personal affinities prevents favoritism and discrimination, while prioritizing business health protects the shared resource everyone depends on. Paradoxically, this ordering produces better outcomes for people in aggregate than explicitly putting them first.
Table of contents
Ethics vs. People: The Rule Of LawThe Business vs. People: The Integrity Of The ShipEthics vs. The Business: Defining The “How”ConclusionSort: