an understanding that a culture is the shared values and beliefs of a group and needs to be the foundation of the how, the what and the why of being in business.
With that in mind, leaders need a moral groundwork by which to function, empower and model those values beliefs for the common good.
Here are five “ moral challenges” for leadership to help this process along.
1. It is a non-negotiable for leaders to become actively involved in the culture, i.e.by not just managing the culture but actually leading it. In leading, one makes the decision to evaluate, on an ongoing basis, if the culture is properly serving the long terms goals of the organization.
2. Stop asking “CAN we do this” and start asking, “SHOULD we do this.”
3. Focus on HOW your organization does business, not just what it does.
4. Reward ethical behavior even when it hurts and punish unethical behavior wherever it is seen.
5. Make the decision in the light of a broader context by recognizing the ethics, compliance and CSR practices are merging towards the same purpose.
Which of these five “challenges” is the most difficult?
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!
