Ethical mindfulness, the DNA of moral authority

A widespread lack of moral awareness and courageous action across organizational leadership has contributed to global disruption through social injustice, geopolitical threats to democracy and, most urgently, our collective climate emergency. Perilous threats demand a reformation of our social structures to sustain our survival as a species. Despite these facts, business schools, and ethics education in general, remains complacently aligned with helping students develop extrinsic skills to be successful in an extractive economic model. There is little emphasis on the intrinsic skills critical to developing self and moral awareness and necessary to lead change at this crucial time. In this paper I use subjective data from my personal life experience, along with adult development theory, Jungian analytic theory, and contemplative neuroscience to put forth a new pedagogy that targets a holistic elevation in students’ meaning making systems to attempt to create more ethical student leaders.