TINY LEADERSHIP HABITS THAT REDUCE MISCONDUCT RISK
What does an ethical leader look like in practice? People often reach for abstract concepts such as integrity, fairness or trustworthiness, but translating these ideals into everyday management behaviours is harder than it sounds. For risk and compliance professionals, this gap between principle and practice is a familiar challenge.
Research drawing on large-scale ethics survey data suggests that around 80 percent of employees that raise ethical concerns do so through their line manager rather than a formal speak-up channel. This finding highlights a powerful opportunity to strengthen ethical culture through the day to day actions of managers.
Habit theory offers a useful framework for turning ethical leadership from an aspiration into a routine. Behaviours are more likely to become habits when they are broken down into small, repeatable actions that are linked to existing routines and reinforced over time. This concept known as ‘tiny habits’ was popularised by leading habit researcher and behavioural scientist, BJ Fogg.
The tiny habits outlined below take inspiration from this research and combine survey-derived insights with habit-formation principles to give managers practical, evidence-based ways to reduce misconduct risk and create environments where employees feel comfortable speaking up.
Tiny habits for encouraging speaking-up behaviours
One of the most important responsibilities of an ethical leader is creating psychological safety. Team members are far more likely to share concerns, admit mistakes and raise sensitive issues when they feel safe doing so. This matters because early warnings allow managers to address issues before they develop into serious misconduct problems.
Oct-Dec 2026 Issue
University of Zurich
Novartis