We all know about our level of intelligence, but there are many different facets of intelligence to consider including your emotional intelligence, your social intelligence and your ethical intelligence, which we will explore in this course.  Ethical intelligence is often ignored in practice, leading to regretful situations where many good people find themselves in embarrassingly bad positions. 

In this course, we explore what is our ethical intelligence and why is it that we can rationalize behaviors and decisions that would not typically be representative of our normal moral character.  You will see first hand using an incredible case study showing how a small indiscretion can spiral into a scandal and ruin your career.

Learning Objectives
  • Explore the state of ethics in the world today and recognize that it’s a far larger issue than most of us consider on a daily basis.
  • Recognize that ethical intelligence is both a function of the brain and a competency that can be developed throughout one’s professional career.
  • Identify the different types of means and ends rationalizations we tell ourselves to justify our decisions, actions, and behaviors.
Last updated/reviewed: August 27, 2023
104 Reviews (460 ratings)

Reviews

5
Anonymous Author
An extremely pleasant way to earn CPE credit for ethics!

5
Anonymous Author
This course provided a comprehensive overview of ethical intelligence, including several relevant case studies as well as valuable insights to consider when navigating tough ethical decisions. I particularly enjoyed the facilitation of this course; Blair and Jennifer presented contents in a highly-engaging manner! Great supporting materials also reinforced key learning concepts.

4
Member's Profile
The case study that was reviewed in this course was very informative. It showed that decisions made, even if they are not considered criminal, can have a negative impact. Although there was no actual theft, the impact of some bad decisions caused a lot of distrust and a large cost in looking into the details and trying to determine if there was fraud.

5
Anonymous Author
Good explanation of emotional intelligence, social intelligence and ethical intelligence, which we will explore in this course. Explains what ethical intelligence is and why we rationalize behaviors and decisions that would not typically be representative of our normal moral character. The case study example was helpful.

2
Anonymous Author
There was a little bit of good info at the beginning of the course, but the last half was entirely about one fraud case that could have been described in 5 minutes. The creators of the training placed a lot of importance on it, but it was a "routine" fraud case, not worth spending that much time on.

4
Anonymous Author
It was interesting learning that Ethical Intelligence is a sought-after "soft skill" of a leader just as Social and Emotional Intelligence are. It was also interesting to see the 6 different areas of "Means and ends rationalizations" and the thought process involved for each one.

5
Member's Profile
I have taken many of Blair's courses and they have all been dynamically presented and have impactful content. Well not Blair has added Jennifer to this program and takes it to an even higher lever. Blair you never cease to amaze. Great Course. Thank you, Larry

4
Anonymous Author
Always interesting and sourced information. Still feels as though they are shouting at you.. and some of the information is dated, but for this topic.. it's still relevant. Occasional updates (every 2 - 5 years or as major events occur) would improve!

5
Member's Profile
Why are you using Canadian instructors instead of USA instructors? Due to this issue, the case study they provided related to Canada though the moral of the case is applicable universally. I feel that the case study should have been that of the USA.

5
Member's Profile
This course provided real world examples of ethical problems in our society and highlighted that trust in our governments and businesses are at an all time low. Very good points were made to consider.

5
Anonymous Author
Wow - what a refreshing and interesting course. It was definitely worth it after studying "Approaches to Ethical Situations." I am enjoying your teaching style - both Blair and Jennifer. Thank you!

4
Member's Profile
The only thing I didn't like was the comment in the nature or nurture video, at approx. 4 minutes. "attractive women make men do stupid things..." wow, it's 2023, stupid comment

5
Member's Profile
This is a change from the typical ethics course, delving into such things as how our brains work and specific case-studies. It was a wonderful break from the typical course.

5
Member's Profile
Really interesting content - particularly relating to the types of ethical rationalizations that can take place and the inherent human nature aspects. Excellent case study.

5
Anonymous Author
This is another excellent course presented by Blair Cook. It explained ethics using a real life example, showing how a small misstep can have a profound impact on careers.

5
Anonymous Author
Informative and impactful. The material is relevant and the presenters use actual case studies to illustrate how vital strong ethics are in today's business world.

5
Anonymous Author
After completing a number of Illumeo Courses, I personally felt this was the best classes. The course was clear, concise and in this 21st century totally needed.

5
Anonymous Author
I really appreciated the concepts of means and ends of raitionalization and will apply this in my daily life. I really enjoyed the format of this course as well.

5
Member's Profile
The presentation (verbal and written) was nicely done with relevant examples including a case study at the end of the course which went into specific details.

5
Anonymous Author
Very interesting case studies were used to effectively teach ethical intelligence. Blair and Jennifer were excellent presenters of this helpful information.

5
Anonymous Author
The course was informative. It was delightful to find an Ethic course that I haven't heard of before. I will definitely recommend this course to my peers

5
Member's Profile
Well presented. Excellent use of technology, with speakers shown alongside course slides and the use of video clips, highlighted press clippings, etc.

3
Member's Profile
Not sure I gained much from this course. The information was there, but I can hardly recall any of it. Presenting ethics in an engaging way is tough.

2
Anonymous Author
Interesting course on the topic. While examples were "strong" and thought provocative, I disliked some of the presumptive notions given as examples.

3
Anonymous Author
There was too much story telling and fluff, but not enough substance. Perhaps incorporate more than one case study to illustrate different points?

5
Anonymous Author
Great course. Would recommend including more of the detailed content on the PDFs so it could be used as a reference once the course is completed.

5
Anonymous Author
This course was engaging and relevant. The in-depth dive into the case IWK case was helpful to see how small actions snowball into bigger fraud.

4
Anonymous Author
The course offers a good perspective of Ethical behaviors. The presentation incorporated good examples of each means and ends rationalization.

5
Anonymous Author
Great content and examples to help understand why unethical behavior can and does happen. Interesting case study within the presentation.

5
Anonymous Author
This course is more like a case study than a theoretical introduction. It could serve well as a complement to other ethical courses.

4
Member's Profile
Great research regarding the IWK case and analysis to assess the impact of poor ethical decisions on the lives of everyone involved.

5
Member's Profile
Great content and I thought the presenters did a great job including excellent example of business case study to align with topic.

5
Member's Profile
Very good overview of the ethical landscape for financial professionals. The IWK example was effective in driving home the points.

4
Anonymous Author
Good review of corporate and social behavior and what actually drives it. It helps to understand why we make certain decisions.

4
Member's Profile
Interesting course, gained alot of information and learned so much about ethics and how it plays into the normal day to day.

4
Member's Profile
Would have preferred more slides and not mainly talking during the first part of course before case study presented.

5
Anonymous Author
I liked the case study the best at the end because it put everything together in a meaningful way. Well presented.

5
Anonymous Author
Good application of real life case, though materiality wise a small fish in the big pool of unethical leaders.

5
Anonymous Author
A good overview of the topic of ethical intelligence. An interesting case study brought the material to life.

5
Anonymous Author
Thank you for offering this course - it was one of the more interesting ethics classes I've attended - 5 stars

4
Anonymous Author
Interesting topic, gives you a bit more understanding of why people may or may not make the decisions they do.

5
Anonymous Author
Very relevant and current material. Brings up lots of things to think about and influences that people face.

5
Anonymous Author
Great job, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Great questions. Very informative. Great instruction.

5
Anonymous Author
It is always helpful to review ethical concepts. Love the Illumeo format. Thanks for the great content.

5
Member's Profile
The course is very practical and easy to understand. I will sign up for more courses from the instructors.

5
Anonymous Author
The course helped provide helpful insight into ethical intelligence and the role it plays in our careers.

4
Anonymous Author
Peaked my interest and will now look to delve further into ethics law. Interesting case study of IWK.

5
Anonymous Author
Highly recommend this course for everyone (management and staff) in light of recent events in the news.

4
Anonymous Author
Great duo! Really entertaining. they outlined the issues nicely and it was not painful to participate!

5
Anonymous Author
Always an important topic for debate with so many ethical decisions in the world today. Great video.

5
Anonymous Author
Really good points on how our minds work and identifying areas of succeptability to rationalizations

4
Member's Profile
A good introduction to emotional intelligence. It would be good to include a followup reading list.

5
Anonymous Author
Interesting to see how the different types of rationalization can play a role in decision making.

5
Member's Profile
Очень интересная подача информации у данных авторов

5
Anonymous Author
Good scientific support for ethical behavior. Example scenario is a little unnecessarily long.

4
Anonymous Author
Content was relative to the topic. Instructors demonstrated knowledge of the subject at hand.

4
Anonymous Author
it will be more helpful if the course can provide an entire course slides (including glossary)

5
Member's Profile
I enjoyed the videos and it help me to get a better understanding of Ethical decision-making.

5
Anonymous Author
This course covered the content that I needed and most importantly I received the CPE units.

5
Anonymous Author
Ethical intelligence is an extremely important concept especially in these times. Thanks.

4
Anonymous Author
Great overview of ethics and the various rationalizations people use to perpetrate fraud.

5
Anonymous Author
Very interesting class. I have not taken very many ethics classes until this platform

4
Member's Profile
Interesting to learn about the different types of means and ends rationalization.

5
Anonymous Author
There were a lot of great examples in the slides. Very informative presentative.

5
Anonymous Author
well designed course and good use of current day situations to make their points

5
Member's Profile
Nice ethics course which covers various topics. Great course, highly recommend.

5
Anonymous Author
Ethical Intelligence was a great first course and the IWK case was eye opening.

4
Anonymous Author
It is quite interesting to learn and understand what is ethical intelligence.

5
Anonymous Author
Good course. The material was presented in a helpful way and I learned a lot.

5
Anonymous Author
A good review of ethical principles. Enjoyed the case study related to IWK.

4
Anonymous Author
The course is well thought, and I love how the speaker discusses the topics.

4
Member's Profile
Interesting case study was used to show real world impact of indiscretions.

5
Member's Profile
Interesting case study provided a good example of why fraud is not worth it.

5
Member's Profile
Material was relevant and case study made it easier to understand concepts.

5
Anonymous Author
Interesting case study and information presented. Lots of self reflection.

5
Member's Profile
Awesome ethics course. I really enjoyed the duo presentation and content.

4
Anonymous Author
The case study was interesting and a good way to demonstrate the material.

5
Anonymous Author
Great practical case study. Very engaging content and good lessons here!

4
Member's Profile
Interesting statistical facts and case study presented in this course.

5
Anonymous Author
Clear and interesting because they looked at various sides of ethics.

5
Member's Profile
I really enjoyed the information that was given in the presentation.

5
Member's Profile
This course covered very current material and was easy to understand.

4
Member's Profile
Super easy to access and take the course. I like to format for sure.

4
Anonymous Author
I think that the handout should be more information about the theme

5
Member's Profile
This is good course. I recommend to everybody to take this course.

4
Member's Profile
Informative course that makes you easy to deal with people around.

5
Anonymous Author
Good case study helped address the topics covered in the course.

5
Anonymous Author
Good overview of ethical intelligence. Interesting case study.

3
Member's Profile
The training was thorough and went into detail on the subjects

5
Member's Profile
Nice little ethics course, liked the IWK case at the end too.

5
Member's Profile
Excellent course, well presented, rich in contents. Kudos!!!

5
Member's Profile
Interesting perspectives I had never heard discussed before

5
Anonymous Author
I really enjoyed the example case of ethical intelligence.

5
Anonymous Author
Very thought provoking course with insightful observations

4
Anonymous Author
Interesting course and the case study was the a nice touch

5
Member's Profile
It was a good course to take. Good information to go over.

4
Anonymous Author
The course was informative and presented in a goo manner.

5
Anonymous Author
This course was very helpful and the slides were useful.

5
Anonymous Author
Interesting course and was taught very well. Thank you.

5
Anonymous Author
An informative course with great presentation. Thanks.

4
Member's Profile
A good class to take. I recommend it to coworkers.

5
Member's Profile
Good review of concepts and provided valuation info

4
Member's Profile
New subject explained nicely for our understanding.

4
Anonymous Author
The speakers talk a bit too fast at certain topic.

Prerequisites
Course Complexity: Foundational
  • Prerequisite Education: None.
  • Prerequisite Experience: None.
  • Prerequisite Preparation:  None 
Education Provider Information
Company: Illumeo, Inc., 75 East Santa Clara St., Suite 1215, San Jose, CA 95113
Contact: For more information regarding this course, including complaint and cancellation policies, please contact our offices at (408) 400- 3993 or send an e-mail to .
Instructor for this course
Course Syllabus
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
  Introduction to Ethical Intelligence2:35
  The State of Ethics10:10
  Nature or Nuture6:07
  Means and Ends8:08
  IWK Case25:30
CONTINUOUS PLAY
  Ethical Intelligence52:33
SUPPORTING MATERIALS
  Slides: Ethical IntelligencePDF
  Ethical Intelligence Glossary/IndexPDF
REVIEW AND TEST
  REVIEW QUESTIONSquiz
 FINAL EXAMexam