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You Can Be Proactive about Ethics
Bob Ryan, About Purpose, Inc. ©2004
Enron, Tyco, Martha Stewart, etc. Some say our country's moral fiber is eroding. Is it really true?
Commentators comment, the press reports, academicians research, and all of us – well, we tend to wring our hands and complain. We shake our heads and say, “How could they have gotten themselves into this mess?” While I believe there are some evil people out there, I think most of the ethics troubles people get into happen because they just didn’t see it coming. And that’s a danger for all of us.
This article suggests a proactive approach to ethics. It’s something I’ve been teaching and practicing for years and it works. Follow the diagram from the top, going clockwise as I explain.
Plato, or Socrates, or one of those dead Greek guys once said that the teaching of virtue is the asking of questions. He maintained that values development comes from openly challenging ourselves to purposefully think through what we encounter in life. As we do this, we develop strong personal values. (Mind you, they may not necessarily be positive values, but they will have been purposely developed).
As we then make decisions based on our purposely derived values, our actions will be more mature – that is, thought out and deliberate as opposed to careless and reactive.
As we act on our values, our behavior is evident to those around us. This, in turn, serves as a challenge to them – “How is it that she acts this way? Why did he do that?” The result, according to the Greek guy, is that they become more purposeful in defining their values. Finally, they begin to act on their values and as we witness that, we again are challenged to think through what we are seeing.
Here’s an experiment you can try to prove this out. Ask yourself what you really believe about gossip. Think it through and be prepared to put it into words. Now, the next time you hear gossip (which will probably be soon), express your newly formed value. Perhaps it would be prudent to express it in the form of a question like, “I wonder if our talking this way about Jim is harming our team effectiveness in any way?” Watch what happens. Usually the gossip stops, and a conversation about the merits of team spirit ensues vis a vis the effects of gossip. The fact is, questioning our values results in changed behavior. Not always for the good, but more often than not.
So, how can we put this into use? You can be proactive about ethics. You can actively challenge your own thoughts and the beliefs that reside in your own environment – home, office, school, social group, etc. As you articulate your own response to each of these, you will begin to behave in a way consistent with your beliefs. (If you don’t, you will quickly experience something called cognitive dissonance – the uncomfortable realization that you’re a phony.)
Carry this into the “public” arena, by engaging your coworkers, friends and families in these discussions. I have created an Internal Ethics Audit for workplace discussion. (You can get it free by downloading it from my website.)
Make copies and discuss it over several staff meetings or in a retreat setting. You will no doubt uncover some ethics "red flags" that will suggest some critical action steps for you to take.
If you sense the topics will be difficult or sensitive, you may want an outside facilitator. I can help you identify your aim and shape the session to accomplish it. Call or e-mail me and I can help you identify a clear aim and shape a design to help you meet it.
As you read the newspapers or listen to the news over the next few weeks, ask yourself if you are being purposeful about your own ethics. Are there situations at work that could eventually lead to you or others making bad choices because you haven’t thought things out ahead of time? Isn’t it time you got proactive about ethics?