This week will be full of new opportunities and challenges. Here is my thought for the week: Leading an ethical life lays the foundation for a clear conscience which will allow clarity for future endeavors.
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you’ll do things differently.”
― Warren Buffett
Flashback to the 2016 election, towards the end of Donald Trump’s campaign for the Top Job, a recording was released of him making a statement to another gentlemen describing one’s ability to touch women inappropriately. The very existence of the tape posed serious ethical dilemmas for multiple parties: the leaker, the publisher, the candidate, and the voter. The leaker faced the dilemma to release or not release the tape. The publisher faced the decision to publish or not publish the tapes. The candidate faced the dilemma to admit or to deny stating the things on the tape. Lastly, the voter faced the decision to continue supporting or shift their support toward another candidate.
Occasionally, we are confronted with ethical dilemmas in life and in the workplace. Perhaps not publicized in such a great magnitude as the presidency, but even still these dilemmas make us question ourselves, our motives, and others.
Every behavior is subject to interpretation. When left to interpretation each individual’s personal experience and beliefs are attached to the evidence making it real and deeply personal to them. This is the impetus to creating ethical dilemmas which can cause a ripple effect of decisions that affect others directly or indirectly.
In the workplace, these can take forms such as: a) taking credit for someone’s work b) not speaking up when witnessing a wrong-doing c) making decisions for personal gain that are harmful to clients. There are many many examples of ethical dilemmas that one encounters throughout a career. Perhaps, you have encountered several of you own. What are some ethical dilemmas you have faced? Leave a comment below.
Our ethics are based on a set of values. While each of us has our own core set of values, there are six core values that most people claim as their own: equality, truth, honesty, integrity, cooperativeness, and self-regulation.
Making a poor ethical decisions is due to a momentary breakdown in one’s value system. The desire for the outcome outweighs the benefits of maintaining the value system–no matter how deeply held. At the end of the day, it boils down to the decision to act or not to act. Intuitively we know when something is against our personal value system. We feel it as a swift kick in the gut! Even when we have the best of intentions, what we do not know is how our decision will affect others–who are led by their own value systems.
Making the wrong decision, can ruin a reputation for a life time, but here is framework for you consciously ponder as you face your own ethical dilemmas.
- Who will be helped by my decision.
- Who will be hurt by my decision.
- What short-term consequences will I face.
- What long-term consequences will I face.
You take the answers and weigh the pros and cons of each. While every aspect is not ideal, I urge you to choose the one that yields the best outcome for multiple parties. This outcome will protect your reputation and lessen the injury to another’s value system.
Having strong ethics is good business. When cultivated in each of us, we create more positive and effective teams, departments, and companies. Your behavior influences how others interact in the workplace. Cultivating this is essential if you want to be an effective leader as it affects the lives and livelihoods of those in your employ.
Business is highly competitive, but you will never lose sleep over a clear conscience. Maintaining a strong value system, is the right thing to do. Readily, you will be able to accept the opportunities for new business and promotions without the need to look over your shoulder.
