01:04 minutes
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August 20, 2026
#45 Giving Voice to Values
The Art of Speaking Up with Mary Gentile
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About The Speaker
Mary C. Gentile, PhD, is Creator/Director of Giving Voice to Values; (formerly) the Richard M. Waitzer Bicentennial Professor of Ethics at University of Virginia Darden School of Business; Senior Advisor at Aspen Institute Business & Society Program; and consultant on management education and leadership development. Among numerous other awards, Gentile was named “2024-25 Practioner in Residence” at Notre Dame University Institute of Ethics and the Common Good; was inducted into the Thinkers50 Hall
of Fame in 2021; was named as one of the “Top Minds 2017” by ComplianceWeek; one of the 2015 “100 Most Influential in Business Ethics” by Ethisphere; and one of the “Top Thought Leaders in Trust: 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award Winners” by Trust Across America-Trust Around the World, January 2015. She was previously “short-listed” for the Thinkers50 2019 award for “Ideas Into Practice” (having also been short-listed in 2017). Giving Voice To Values also won the Bronze Medal in the 2017 Reimagine Education Ethical Leadership Awards.
Giving Voice to Values, a pioneering business curriculum for values-driven leadership, has been featured in Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, Stanford Social Innovation Review, McKinsey Quarterly, etc.and presented and/or piloted in over 1,500 business schools and organizations globally.
Episode Description
What does it really mean to act on your values at work? Most of us think speaking up means confrontation—blowing the whistle, telling your boss they’re wrong, or risking your career. But what if there’s a better way?
In this episode, Senthil talks with Mary Gentile, creator of Giving Voice to Values, about how to navigate ethical conflicts with skill, strategy, and authenticity. Mary spent decades studying how leaders actually speak up—not through preaching or confrontation, but through practical tactics grounded in who they are. We explore what values really are, why we freeze when facing conflicts, and how you can prepare yourself to act on what matters most—even in cultures where speaking up feels impossible.
Additional inspirations from Mary Gentile
Link to the book: Giving Voice to Values: How to Speak Your Mind When You Know What’s Right
Mary’s website: www.MaryGentile.com
