Humanism has many meanings, but what attracts me about it is that it encourages men and women to take a broad view of situations and to think about them from on-the-ground perspectives rather than through theoretical and conceptual lenses.

Don't assume that your personal moral compass, however admirable it may be, will always give you the right answer to complicated questions that require in-depth analysis.

Sometimes, there are no simple or easy solutions to gray area problems. Or, put differently, the "solution" is working intelligently, with many other people, for months or even years - guided by a basic direction and a few central values that really matter to you and others.

Pay real attention to your basic human instincts when you face gray area decisions, but also try to have a clear sense of when you have done all you can reasonably do.

Tempered intuition is more than beneficial. It's usually critical to resolving gray area problems. In other words, in the end, these problems are resolved by someone in a position of authority saying this is what I think we should do and will do to address this problem.

Communication can't always follow the top-down model. With the fluidity of information in business today, leaders need to be masterful listeners; they need to be able to receive as well as send.

Workplace culture within which personal growth and professional development are most likely to thrive is basically, an environment that gives people the chance or even pushes them to try new activities and take on new challenges that build on the skills and experiences they have.