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 convince ourselves that considerations of right and wrong are not applicable to decisions that in any other circumstances would be ethical dilemmas.”
This sounds like a “whitewashing” of a serious problem. “when moral aspects of an ethical decision are OVERLOOKED.” Overlooked is a conscious act, a deliberate decision NOT to make a truly ethical decision. It is deliberate, not a” fading”, or a “lapse”, but a choice made by not taking into consideration necessary to make the best possible decision!
I weary of how some entities, “play down” ,with the use of language, the seriousness of the ethical decision making process in conjunction with one being personally accountable. There are no excuses so this type of explanation why there is lying in the Army or anywhere else for that matter.
Let’s not think of catchy catch phrases that can give the impression that this is not a serious issue and then offer excuses for the decision! Every decision is important, serious and has consequences.
Go slow, choose well and never minimize the process and responsibility of true ethical decision making.
fbucaro
Like you, business ethics and ethical leadership expert, Frank Bucaro has seen the challenges and problems of corporate leadership, particularly over the past few years in regards to poor decision-making, SEC violations, and record breaking financial settlements in a number of different industries.
With over two decades of executive training, speaking, writing and with real life experiences, his view and approach to ethics in the workplace is uniquely different. He emphasizes that ethics is a moment-to-moment choice and has little to do with position, titles, personalities or education. Ethics is everybody’s responsibility from the top down.
His goal is to help organizations to:
a. Strengthen their ethics training initiatives in order to significantly decrease the odds of an ethical/compliance violation.
b. Energize, train and motivate employees to understand the value of consistent “high road” behavior as a business advantage.
c. Support individuals and thereby the organization by contributing to its success by quality, ongoing values based leadership development.
Frank is known for his very practical, slightly irreverent, yet somewhat humorous approach to ethics and leadership development. His conversational style and real life stories connect with his audience in a personal, intense and practical level.
Companies such as Bayer Healthcare, BP, ReMax International, EnMax Energy, Danone, etc. have partnered with Frank when they want to proactively stress the message, tools, insights and practical applications that good ethics IS good for business!
