Ethical decisions are not rule and policy dependent. Current politics and strategic plans are informative but they often lack a basic philosophy of what is right.
Simon Sinek in Leaders Eat Last, illustrates the tragic impact of a series of poor ethical decisions … “an explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed eleven workers and caused five million barrels of sticky black crude oil to start spewing into the Gulf of Mexico-creating an environmental and financial disaster that would take far longer to fix than the five months it took to cap the well. How could a catastrophe of such epic proportions happen? And we all make mistakes. But that so many would later call the accident inevitable means this was more than an isolated error. A survey of workers on the Deepwater … taken just weeks before the blast, showed there was an overall feeling among workers that the Deepwater rig was entirely unsafe.”
Integrity, “Is not about easy choices, it’s about the courage to make the right choices.” (The Book of Hard Choices by James A. Autry and Peter Roy) An ethical employee makes right decisions that assist all of us to live better lives. Positive decisions in ethical matters are made by those with high character values. Fortune Magazine (March 2003) confirms that “Integrity begins with accountability”. That accountability is not only to the employer but to a network of internal values to strive for the greater good.
Employees with Positive character benefit ethical employers by coming to work with a positive attitude. They are loyal to employers, highly productive, dedicated to the vision, mission and values. They are consistently honest, accountable and loyal.
“Everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48 NIV)
Leadership is ensuring that ethical decisions and values are integrated into everything you do.
Yours in Service,
Laurie D. Kennedy
Leadership Coach
Jethro Group
ldkjethrogroup@gmail.com