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“I believe that every large institution, whether it’s company, a government or a university needs to have a conscience. The conscience won’t have the answer to every question, but the conscience is a voice that needs to be heard.” Brad Smith of Microsoft. Why is it, that the concept of conscience is rarely referenced or…
So says Andrew Fastow, convicted of securities fraud for Enron in his interview “Companies still bending finance rules, published Nov.6,2015 in the BBC business news. He goes on to say: “I didn’t necessary start out to commit fraud or do harm and didn’t think it could come to do that on just a grand scale.…
Knowledge is everywhere, books, Internet, etc. However, when training is solely based on knowledge it becomes bland, i.e. tends to lose its focus, can be boring, perceived as non essential, time killer, etc. What then has to happen? First, one must understand the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is the stuff and wisdom…
Over the years as an ethics expert and speaker, I have tried to find an analogy that would help my clients understand the importance of discernment before making those tough decisions. It was while watching some kids throw rocks in a pond that I finally came to this realization and example. Decision making is like…
In the newly released study:” Lying to ourselves: Dishonesty in the Army Profession”, It is reported that “ethical fading” is the reason for this. Ethical fading??? What next? Ethical fading is defined in this study as: “Ethical fading occurs when the moral aspects of an ethical decision are overlooked. Ethical fading allows us to…
Part 2 has to deal with the ROI, return on investment. I have found very few organizations that use the term “investment” with any type of ethics training. For most, ethics training is a cost, a line item. When the term “cost” is used, one needs to think about the motivation and reason of…
Ethics training is not just a nicety that looks good to everyone else! It’s a necessity if you want to decrease the odds of ethical problems before they become a potentially expensive legal problem, a public relations nightmare or a trauma to employee morale. How much would you invest to preserve your company’s reputation, growth…
I have been suggesting to job seekers that one of the first things to ask a prospective employer is for their code of ethics. If they can’t produce one, think twice about any possible job offer. Why? Because if a company can’ tell you what their values are, how they are implemented, how ongoing…
I had a 3 hour afternoon ethical leadership program booked for a company in New York, so I arrive early in the day to meet, greet and spend time on a tour of the corporate headquarters. I met with a middle level manager who was my contact and she took me for a tour of,…
After much reflection on working with a client on transparency as a focal point of their value statement, I have come to this understanding of transparency, particularly as it relates to ethics. 1. There are people smarter than us out there so don’t underestimate them. – How much and how long can a person “hide”…
