In
today’s
business
environment,
where
every
move
is
scrutinized
and
every
decision
has
the
potential
to
go
viral,
legal
leaders
find
themselves
in
a
unique
position.
They
are
no
longer
just
gatekeepers
of
compliance
but
also
at
the
forefront
of
shaping
ethical
cultures
within
organizations.
Robert
Chesnut,
who
served
as
general
counsel
and
chief
ethics
officer
at
Airbnb,
offers
profound
insights
into
how
legal
leaders
can
transform
integrity
from
a
mere
buzzword
into
a
tangible
force
that
drives
company
culture
and
business
success.
1.
Make
Integrity
A
Daily
Practice,
Not
Just
A
Policy
One
of
the
more
unusual
yet
effective
approaches
Chesnut
advocates
for
is
making
integrity
a
visible,
daily
practice
rather
than
just
a
set
of
policies
collecting
dust
on
a
shelf.
At
Airbnb,
for
example,
integrity
wasn’t
confined
to
a
handbook.
Instead,
Chesnut
and
his
team
developed
“Integrity
Yetis,”
a
fun
and
creative
way
to
recognize
employees
who
demonstrated
ethical
behavior.
These
were
not
just
tokens
but
became
symbols
of
pride
around
the
office.
Imagine
an
employee
being
recognized
in
front
of
their
peers
for
standing
up
for
the
right
thing
—
even
something
as
seemingly
minor
as
calling
out
a
colleague
(or
even
a
senior
leader)
for
a
small
lapse
in
security
protocol.
The
act
of
recognition
turns
integrity
into
something
people
want
to
embody
and
be
celebrated
for,
rather
than
something
they
merely
comply
with.
Chesnut’s
experience
shows
that
when
integrity
is
embedded
in
everyday
actions
and
celebrated
publicly,
it
becomes
a
core
part
of
the
company
culture.
It’s
not
about
imposing
rules
from
the
top
down
but
about
fostering
an
environment
where
ethical
behavior
is
noticed,
appreciated,
and
emulated
by
others.
2.
Build
A
Network
Of
Ethics
Champions
Across
The
Organization
Another
unexpected
insight
from
Chesnut’s
work
is
the
power
of
decentralizing
the
ownership
of
ethics.
Rather
than
housing
integrity
solely
within
the
confines
of
the
legal
department,
Chesnut
argues
for
creating
a
network
of
“ethics
ambassadors”
across
all
departments.
At
Airbnb,
these
were
not
high-ranking
executives
but
rather
midlevel
employees
from
various
parts
of
the
company
who
volunteered
to
champion
integrity
within
their
teams.
This
approach
does
two
things:
it
democratizes
ethics,
making
it
everyone’s
responsibility,
and
it
embeds
ethical
decision-making
closer
to
where
actual
business
decisions
are
made.
By
appointing
these
ambassadors,
you
empower
employees
to
become
stewards
of
integrity
in
their
own
right.
They
become
the
go-to
people
for
ethical
questions
and
dilemmas,
fostering
a
culture
where
ethical
considerations
are
part
of
everyday
business
discussions
rather
than
afterthoughts
or
crises
management.
This
network
not
only
helps
in
identifying
potential
ethical
issues
early
but
also
ensures
that
ethical
behavior
is
seen
as
part
of
every
role,
not
just
something
for
the
legal
team
to
worry
about.
3.
Measure
Integrity
With
The
Same
Rigor
As
Business
Performance
Perhaps
one
of
the
most
groundbreaking
approaches
Chesnut
discusses
is
the
idea
of
measuring
integrity
with
the
same
rigor
as
any
other
business
metric.
This
might
sound
strange
at
first—how
do
you
quantify
something
as
abstract
as
integrity?
But
Chesnut
makes
a
compelling
case
that
if
you
don’t
measure
it,
you
can’t
manage
it.
At
Airbnb,
they
looked
at
metrics
such
as
the
number
of
integrity-related
questions
raised
by
employees,
engagement
with
ethics
training
materials,
and
responses
to
ethical
dilemmas.
By
quantifying
these
actions,
Chesnut’s
team
could
track
the
health
of
the
company’s
ethical
culture
and
identify
areas
for
improvement.
It
also
provided
tangible
data
to
show
the
board
and
other
stakeholders
that
integrity
wasn’t
just
a
feel-good
concept
but
a
measurable
and
managed
aspect
of
the
business.
This
focus
on
metrics
helps
shift
the
conversation
around
ethics
from
a
soft,
nice-to-have
quality
to
a
core
business
competency
that
impacts
the
bottom
line.
Final
Thoughts:
Integrity
As
A
Strategic
Asset
The
takeaway
from
Chesnut’s
experience
is
clear:
integrity
should
be
seen
as
a
strategic
asset,
not
a
compliance
requirement.
It’s
about
creating
an
environment
where
every
employee
feels
responsible
for
and
capable
of
contributing
to
the
ethical
fabric
of
the
company.
Legal
leaders
are
in
a
prime
position
to
drive
this
transformation,
but
it
requires
a
shift
in
mindset
—
from
being
enforcers
of
rules
to
being
champions
of
culture.
So,
what
can
you
do
as
a
legal
leader
to
build
this
culture
of
integrity?
Start
by
integrating
ethical
behavior
into
daily
business
practices,
empower
employees
at
all
levels
to
own
and
champion
integrity,
and
measure
it
as
you
would
any
other
critical
business
function.
For
more
on
how
to
implement
these
strategies
and
other
innovative
approaches
to
corporate
integrity,
be
sure
to
check
out
the
full
conversation
with
Robert
Chesnut
on
“Notes
to
My
(Legal)
Self.”
You’ll
gain
deeper
insights
into
how
to
make
integrity
not
just
a
policy,
but
a
practice
that
drives
both
culture
and
business
success.
Olga
V.
Mack
is
a
Fellow
at
CodeX,
The
Stanford
Center
for
Legal
Informatics,
and
a
Generative
AI
Editor
at
law.MIT.
Olga
embraces
legal
innovation
and
had
dedicated
her
career
to
improving
and
shaping
the
future
of
law.
She
is
convinced
that
the
legal
profession
will
emerge
even
stronger,
more
resilient,
and
more
inclusive
than
before
by
embracing
technology.
Olga
is
also
an
award-winning
general
counsel,
operations
professional,
startup
advisor,
public
speaker,
adjunct
professor,
and
entrepreneur.
She
authored Get
on
Board:
Earning
Your
Ticket
to
a
Corporate
Board
Seat, Fundamentals
of
Smart
Contract
Security,
and Blockchain
Value:
Transforming
Business
Models,
Society,
and
Communities. She
is
working
on
three
books:
Visual
IQ
for
Lawyers
(ABA
2024), The
Rise
of
Product
Lawyers:
An
Analytical
Framework
to
Systematically
Advise
Your
Clients
Throughout
the
Product
Lifecycle
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024),
and
Legal
Operations
in
the
Age
of
AI
and
Data
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024).
You
can
follow
Olga
on
LinkedIn
and
Twitter
@olgavmack.