Senin, 14 Juli 2008

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Shifting Culture and Climate in Todays Corporate World

This articles relates to the AlphaMeasure core competency Culture and Climate. AlphaMeasure defines climate as the effect an organization has on the employees, while culture refers more to the acceptable behaviors, attitudes, and habits of the organization as a whole. Knowing and understanding workplace culture and climate leads to a better understanding of what factors are influencing employees. In relation, the level of service your customers receive is almost always influenced by the culture and climate of your organization. This competency can be especially insightful if your organization is experiencing customer service related issues or problems working together internally.

A Tale from the Corporate Frontlines: An Employee's Perpective on Culture and Climate. This short story is part of AlphaMeasure's Tales from the Corporate Frontlines.

When large, multinational corporations acquire medium-sized, locally-oriented businesses, huge shifts in the culture and climate of the workplace can occur.

I experienced such a shift while working for a prosperous company with a rich local history and plenty of prestige in the community. When I started there, years ago, the culture was very friendly and laid back. This may have been due to the fact that although an eastern company, it was owned and directed by a larger west coast entity.

The culture and climate was relaxed and friendly. Occupants of executive row could be seen mingling with "regular employees" at company functions, which were many- the bill nearly always footed by the company. They recognized employees and their families by name, and were regularly spotted in offices, hallways, and the cafeteria, catching up with fellow workers, and enjoying themselves. Morale was high, along with productivity and profitability. It reminded me of working for a family business, even though 500+ people worked in the building.

Then came the sale. At the first of many employee meetings, the details of the huge corporate transaction, of the kind so common these days, were outlined. This new parent company turned out to have a climate and culture exactly the opposite from what we were used to for years.

Change didn't occur overnight, but gradually the shift began. Then it washed over our little company like a tidal wave. Executive row was walled in like a fortress, and its occupants stayed inside. We were barraged by memos, new rules, more rules, dress codes, building regs, vacation regs, holiday changes, work process changes, changes for the sake of making changes (or so it seemed to the employees), layoffs, restructurings- the climate became tense and chaotic. Morale suffered, as well as productivity.

Eventually, things worked out. Communication between various levels of management improved, understandings were reached, and the company survived and thrived again. But I always wondered---couldn't someone have done something to make the shift easier and smoother? With sales, mergers, and acquisitions so common these days, there has got to be a better way. It seemed to me that if a little consideration had been given to the radical climate and culture changes involved, the company could have handled the transition more smoothly, to the benefit of everyone involved.

This article may be reprinted provided it is published in its entirety, includes the author bio information, and all links remain active.

2004 - AlphaMeasure, Inc. - All Rights Reserved

By Josh Greenberg


Ethics in Business...A Lost Art

While watching Face the Nation one Sunday earlier this year, Bob Schiffer discussed the airline industry, his mother and ethics in business. Like Bob, I think it is a sad commentary today, that we have to police businesses. Whatever happened to going into business to provide a needed service, being loyal to employees, and keeping promises.

It seems like no one today is concerned about doing good business or being ethical in the process. Our forefathers would be ashamed at what this society has come to. I know I am.

Chuck and I teach our students how to run a good business, by being ethical, and making sure that everyone is happy. We run our business using the adage, "The customer is always right". We know, however, from looking at others in business both on and offline, that we are in the minority. For most it is all about making money. They don't care who they have to step on, how many lies they tell, just "show them the money". As I pointed out in my article regarding "The Almighty Buck", this should not be your only incentive for going into business, and if it is, you won't be in business long.

We see sites every day that you can't find a telephone number on, an address for, they just want you to take it on faith that they are on the up and up. Years ago, a business would never even think of operating this way. Their name, address, phone number, slogan etc. was very prominent on everything they did. Unfortunately today, you can't take people on faith anymore. It's very sad, but it seems if you do so, most of the time, you will get burned.

Years ago, companies were known for their honesty, their integrity, and their good products. They had to be to stay in business and keep the good image they wanted to project. This gave their company a good name. As many of you know, we come from New York. Kodak, Grumman, and IBM were major companies in down and upstate NY. If you got a job with them you had a job for life, and once you retired you didn't have to worry. Today, people are losing their medical benefits, their pensions, their life savings; due to businesses thinking of only the bottom line.

Every time you open a newspaper or watch the news today you hear about another business' unethical business practices. They cook the books, take bonuses they don't disclose, while they expect employees to work for less. There is something very wrong with this picture. It also says to our future entrepreneurs, that this behavior is alright, just don't get caught.

Like Bob Schiffer, I'd much rather go back to the time when businesses dealt with us in an ethical manner and didn't only concentrate on lining their pockets, like today. Also, like Bob, I think what we need are different teachings in our business schools. The philosophy of today's teachers, needs to re-vamped to reflect the philosophies of old. What we need is to "throw out the new, and bring back the old". As Bob said, if his mom was teaching today, students would get a completely different view?an old fashioned one. Kudos to Bob's mom!


Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Diversity And Success, In The Workplace

This article relates to the Diversity in the Workplace Competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. This competency explores whether your organization provides understanding and supports interaction among diverse population groups while respecting individuals' personal values and ideas. Research shows that by fostering a climate where equity and mutual respect are intrinsic, an organization can create a success-oriented, cooperative and caring work environment that draws intellectual strength and produces innovative solutions from the synergy of its people.

All businesses can benefit from a diverse body of talent bringing fresh ideas, perspectives, and views to the workplace. However, a diverse workforce means that the managers within your organization must be capable of capitalizing on the mixture of genders, cultural backgrounds, ages, and lifestyles present in your staff to respond to business opportunities more rapidly and creatively.

This short story, Diversity----and Success, in the Workplace, is part of AlphaMeasure's Compilation, Tales from the Corporate Frontlines. It illustrates how one manager recognized and used a diverse team to achieve the best possible work product for the company, and win new business as well.

Anonymous Submission

It was a project unlike any our small ad agency had ever undertaken. A new client, selling a completely different product than we usually worked with. And our team had been awarded the opportunity to develop the perfect campaign and win the continued business of this new client. We all looked at our project manager, who was with us now for six whole months, like he had lost his mind. Why not team A? They had twice the experience and were always the group chosen to woo new clients with their work. Surely they were a safer choice. Why risk the client on us?

Our project manager patiently explained that out team had the required diversity for this project. If ever a project demanded workforce diversity---this was it. We looked around at each other, sure enough, we referred to ourselves as the "odds and ends" we were all so different. Our writers and designers represented a mixture of newbie talent, on fire with ambition, more mature people on their second careers, and new hires who earned their stripes far away, in big city agencies. We worked okay together, but our projects so far were small cast offs from the senior teams.

Yes, the project manager continued, this campaign required a diversity that the more entrenched teams lacked. More of our members represented the target demographic, and the deadline demanded quick turnaround. That was one of the reasons our company had landed the project. Times were tight and potential long-term clients were nothing to sneeze at. He was confident that if we pulled together, we'd achieve the best possible outcome for everyone--- a brilliant campaign that would lure the new client onto our roster forever.

Still thinking that he was crazy, we began our work. The entire process was amazing. Our brainstorming sessions produced several great concepts that we developed eagerly. The newbies provided smart, stylish slogans, while the latecomers worked overtime to combine them with vibrant design. Our client loved it. So much so that our firm was awarded three more projects with the expectation that our team would do the required work.

Yes, our project manager was crazy. Crazy enough to go against the usual procedure and capitalize on the workforce diversity of our team to the benefit of the company. We succeeded ---with his guidance, of course.

© 2005 AlphaMeasure, Inc. - All Rights Reserved

This article may be reprinted, provided it is published in its entirety, includes the author bio information, and all links remain active.

Measure. Report. Improve your organization with AlphaMeasure employee surveys.

By Josh Greenberg


Business Ethics: An Oxymoron?

Why do I believe good PR and business ethics are inextricably linked? It comes down to definitions. Ethics is learning what is right and what is wrong and then doing the "right thing." PR involves providing counsel on the "right thing" to do and then helping the organization get credit for it.

The business and political excess of the last 10 years have taken some PR practitioners to the dark side because they felt it was the only way for their company to profit. Although I personally believe doing right for right's sake is enough, there are some who may not share this view. OK, here's a reason that any good capitalist can embrace: research now shows that socially responsible behavior is good for the bottom line.

A recent analysis of overall financial performance of the 2001 list of 100 Best Corporate Citizens shows that this group of firms did significantly better than the remaining companies of the S&P 500. Professors at DePaul University found that the mean ranking of the 100 Best was more than 10 percentile higher than the other firms of the S&P 500.

Additionally, they had a significantly better reputation among corporate directors and security analysts based upon results of the Fortune Magazine survey of most admired companies.

So, you see, it really does pay to do the right thing.

By Harry Hoover


Ethics? How To Take the Measure Business

When asked to write a small piece pertaining to ethics and integrity in the business world, my first inclination was to draw on personal experience.

Everyone has bad experiences to relate. We deal with a business, determine that we were treated shabbily therefore that business has no integrity. Or perhaps we disagree on the implementation of a refund, hence the business or owner has no ethics.

Rather than using ethics or integrity to describe business practices, a better definition might be "character".

My dusty old copy of Webster's New World Dictionary provides the following definitions for use in this context:

-ethics...the study of standards of conduct and moral judgment; moral philosophy.

-integrity...the quality or state of being of sound moral principle; uprightness, honesty, and sincerity.

-character...an individual's pattern of behavior or personality; moral constitution. moral strength; self-discipline, fortitude, etc. reputation.

If you will look at these definitions you can see that ethics relates to standards of conduct. Period. Ethics are...no good or bad comes into the mix. Integrity either is or isn't. Sound moral principle is relative to the observer or end user.

It stands to reason, therefore, that the best measure of good or bad practice falls to basic "character".

Okay, so what does all of this have to do with business. Well, I wish I had a nickel for every time someone has asked me the following questions:



"How do I tell if a business is good or bad?"

"How do I know where to shop?"

"Are they a good business?"



My response is always the same...check the fruit on the tree. What is the pattern of behavior? What is the company's reactive personality? Is the moral constitution flexible rather than rigid? Check the reputation.

The offline world provides numerous resources to determine the patterns and trends of businesses. Trade associations, chambers of commerce, better business bureaus etc.

In the online world, however, we are still treading murky waters when it comes to measuring the "character" of a business. By far, the best route to take are testimonials.

Testimonials on your website are powerful. But, they must be honest and sincere. Don't just make them up. Add a link back to the provider and it will increase your credibility TENFOLD!

Now I know what you're thinking, "Who wants to be answering tons of email for ME?" Nobody. That's why you use the technology available at your fingertips. With the permission of the author, use a line or two of their testimonial on your site with a link to an autoresponder for the full message.

Now, sit back and watch your credibility soar!

By Patty Baldwin


Work Ethics - A Paradigm Shift

Work ethics is a hot topic in today's business and educational worlds. Yet, how do we define this hybrid phrase with the word work meaning more than a specific outcome and the word ethics being more than the values that enhance that outcome?

When we say we are going to work, work becomes the place of employment. When we say we are working, the implication is that we are engaged in a work-related activity and should be performing one or more specific tasks. However, the word work in today's global economy does not easily denote specific outcomes much less measurable ones.

Years ago when our economy was agrarian based, farmers said they were going to work the fields. Their work or more specifically the outcomes of their work could be viewed from the plowed fields to the stacked bales of hay. In today's technology and service driven economy, workers outcomes are not as nearly recognizable, but what is noticed is their behavior.

Now, ethics is a difficult word to define, as it is more than the enhancement of outcomes. This is aptly demonstrated by the variety of expectations such as being to work or school on time, performing quality work, being self-directed, having self-initiative, or being positive to both fellow contributors and customers. Ethics, from these expectations, encompass the internal behaviors of the contributors or what I really believe are attitudes.

Let's step out of the box and construct a new and more accurate term that meets the expectations of both the business and educational worlds. First, let's ask ourselves are we more concerned with the behavior or the attitudes? If we recognize that it is the attitudes that drive the behaviors that generate the outcomes, it would suggest that the contributors' attitudes have the greater impact on the outcomes.

Next, since behavior has numerous meanings, possibly we can substitute performance for behavior. Performance can be measured provided the organization has accurate and complete expectations, valid assessments that do not penalize the contributors along with a well-communicated strategic plan. Through clearly articulated goals with consistent leadership and management, contributors have the opportunity to improve their performance thereby achieving measurable results.

Attitudes of performance appear then to better describe the desired outcomes and expectations that we have as employers, educators or even parents. As we all are contributors, by focusing on attitudes early in our performance experiences, we have the means to improve ourselves, our businesses and more importantly our communities.

By Leanne Hoagland-Smith


Business Ethics

There is much talk today about ethics in business - as there should be, but there should be more than talk; there should be a high moral code for all executives who are responsible to both their customers and their shareholders.

I have been the president and CEO of one publicly owned company and also was president of another that was responsible to customers who traded equities. This carries a high responsibility to all concerned. You have to be more than worried if you do something wrong because you will go to jail. You must have the desire to try to always do your best for everyone who works for you as well as all the customers or investors that deal with your company.

Ethics is supposed to be either black or white, right or wrong, but today it is many shades of grey. If any company does shady business you can be sure it starts at the top and filters down because the president is the one who sets the example for the actions of the entire company. This is as true for actions of our elected officials as it is for corporations or individuals. We have had some pretty sorry examples of that in Washington.

Each time there is a new scandal the public seems less disturbed. The recent disclosure that mutual funds have been allowing hedge funds and other large traders to take positions after the closing bell is a brutal example. Maybe investors are not aware that someone is writing checks on their account. This is stolen money that is no different than a guy with a gun holding up a 7-11 store. Yes, the one difference is that the mutual funds have allowed millions of dollars to be siphoned off from those to whom they owed a fiduciary relationship. The fund manager is a crook and deserves jail time. He just took the money with a click of the computer keyboard and that was his weapon. White collar crime deserves the same punishment as the guy with a gun.

When you give a brokerage company, a mutual fund or any financial institution your money you expect, in fact, you demand, that they treat you fairly within the rules of the industry. When you are short-changed you should not accept it.

Because of the huge amounts of money available and accessible to people in the financial industry it is easy to understand how they can be tempted into criminal actions. That is why all publicly traded companies are required to have their books audited annually. Lately we have seen that even these audits are tainted.

Investors rely upon the numbers set before them in order to make decisions about owning stock in a company. If the information is dishonest a proper decision cannot be made.

Today we are seeing another type of corporate officer being created. He is called the Governance Officer. It is his job to see that the company maintains high ethical standards. I applaud this action and hope he cannot be seduced by big bucks.

By Al Thomas


Business Ethics: How The Sales Function Can Transmit Company Values

I recently got a "thank-you" call from a man who read my new e-book Buying Facilitation.

"Boy," he said, "this method sure helps me close more deals and make more money. Thanks!"

"Glad I could help. Is that all you're looking for? To make more money?"

"What do you mean?all? What else is there? Sales is about closing deals and making money, right?"

"I'm surprised you didn't notice the value of becoming a trusted advisor, or how you can use the seller's role as one of a servant-leader to lead your clients to discover their solutions quickly."

"Well, I noticed all that. But it's all in service of me closing deals and making money, right? I don't mind doing it nicely if it gives me better results. But what's sales about if my job isn't about me making money?"

I'm wondering how many people out there still believe sales to be a job that is focused on making money? Or only about making money. All of us want to get paid fairly for what we do. The question is: how can we make money and make nice.

Most people get paid for doing a day's work. But most sales people get paid for the results of their work, not necessarily for a day's work. This leads to the tendency of sellers to have a different focus in their jobs than their non-sales colleagues: they often focus on 'closing' a sale rather than on the results of the interaction, or on 'doing a deal' rather than making sure the client has all their ducks in a row prior to making a purchase. As a result, sales practices and sellers can be seen as aggressive, pushy, eager to get immediate results, and less aware of the other person in the interaction.

What causes money, greed, manipulation, and self-interest to prevail at the expense of serving? What's stopping sellers from using their jobs to promote respect, integrity, servant-leadership, collaboration, and trust - for their customers, for their companies, and for themselves? Why is there a belief that it's not possible to serve and make money? To support and be aggressive? To be a trusted advisor and close rapidly?

I once began a Buying Facilitation® program at a major brokerage house. As I was being introduced, the manager mentioned that my program was the precursor to the program they were having the following week on 'closing' techniques. I was dumbfounded.

"You won't need that! You'll be able to close twice as many accounts in half the time after this program. What else do you need?"

"I know you say that's possible, but I don't believe it. It's one thing to have values. It's another to make money." After the program, the decision was taken to delay the 'closing' program and give it 8 weeks to see what the results would be from using Buying Facilitation®. It turned out that the brokers had a 25% increase in closed sales - the first month after the training. They cancelled the 'closing' program.

Given our business climate today, and the need to bring values throughout our corporations, and into our interactions with staff and clients, let's discuss how the actual function of sales can be used as a major delivery vehicle of ethics.

CONSULTATIVE SALES

As a start, let's look at the model and beliefs that modern sales folks operate from.

Fifteen years ago, Consultative Sales found its way into the sales culture. The promise here was to move away from just pitching product and include buyers into the process by asking the buyers questions - to help a buyer actually recognize a need for themselves so they'd clearly understand that they have a problem.

I'm not convinced that the addition of Consultative Sales has changed the equation any; the process is based on the theory that if the client discovers a need, he'll make a purchase. The questions are therefore manipulative: they are cleverly rooted in those areas in the client's environment that the seller knows will come up lacking, based on the seller's understanding of the buyer's environment and probable needs.

"Why do you ask questions?" I repeatedly ask consultative sellers?

"To discover what the client needs."

"And, what will you do with that information once you have it?"

"Understand their environment better."

"To what end?"

"To help them solve their problems [with my product]."

And there you have it: the assumption that just because the buyer may have a need in the seller's product area, they will be ready, willing, and able to align all of their internal systems and variables in a way that will allow for something new to enter their system.

Let's look at the above assumption. On the face of it, consultative questions seem to be supportive of the buyer, ostensibly showing care about the buyer's needs. But if a client has a need, does that mean she'll make a purchase? Does it mean that all of the internal deciding factors are ready to do something different? That the client wants to follow the path that your product will lead?

Doesn't the buyer have a string of decisions to make that are independent of the seller's product?

If the buyer has a need in one area, it is only part of a systemic issue that must be solved internally and systemically, and it can't be solved by the simple addition of a product. Not to mention that the buyer may have a specific time factors to weigh, partnering issues, strategy issues. We have no way of knowing the micro elements that maintain and create the problems we perceive.

When sellers assume their job is to understand the buyer's needs and solve them, they are committing the ultimate disrespect:

- that an outsider knows more than the insider;

- that the insider has been unsuccessful in solving his own problem;

- that the problem is a simple one (and eschews all of the politics, partnerships, initiatives, and personalities that have created and maintained the problem) and can be solved by purchasing a new 'something';

- that all of the internal variables contained within the prospect's culture will easily assemble around the seller's solution in a way that will serve the organization's mission and strategic vision.

In other words, at the point that sellers believe they have a solution for their buyers before the buyer has discovered all of the systems pieces that need to be lined up, and before buyers can specify all of the systemic components of what a solution would need to look like, they are committing the ultimate act of disrespect.

VALUES

Sales people are in a primary position to be a company's ethical representative: they are the primary emissary who touches clients daily. Sellers hear clients' needs and concerns; they share thoughts and ideas. Sellers are also in a position to convey client information back to the company. Successful companies understand that their sellers are their brand ambassadors.

Who are the sales people in a company? At UPS it's the delivery people. At the phone companies it's the customer service reps. At banks it's the tellers. At service and repair companies, it's the techs. In doctors offices it's the admin, or the payment officer. Every person who touches a customer is doing a sales job, and by definition must carry the values of the company. Every person.

I've recently had a spate of calls from banks and financial institutions seeking to expand their environment from one of a service environment to a sales environment. I have asked them all the same question:

"What are your criteria for training up your people?"

"To increase revenue."

"Is that all?"

"What else? We do service well. Now we just have to bring in more revenue."

Sales people - all of the people who touch customers - are in a prime position to teach customers how to:

- make their best decisions efficiently;

- differentiate between vendors and products;

- recognize and organize their own unique internal issues so they won't face chaos when they make a purchasing decision. Sellers are also in a prime position to become trusted advisors - even on short telesales calls.

Because sales has been based on getting products sold and using product data as the main vehicle (Tell me who among you has never assumed that because your product is terrific that buyers will know how to buy it?. once you explain it, present it, advertise it, and pitch it brilliantly??), ethics have often been ignored.

For me, the answer to the question that my caller asked - "But what's sales about if my job isn't about me making money?" - is serving.

For me, the responsibility of sales people, as the representatives of companies who touch customers daily, is to create an ethical foundation on which companies can flourish. Without business healing the world can't flourish. And sales is the foundation on which companies stand: without selling product or touching customers there is no need to have Boards, or to discuss leadership, for example, because the companies won't exist.

We can use the job of sales as the way to promote, offer, exhibit our company values; a way to show our customers and our partners, our vendors and our teammates exactly what we stand for.

WHAT DO WE STAND FOR

And what, exactly, do we stand for? As companies? As employers? As product manufacturers?

If we don't know, we shouldn't be in business. If we don't want more than to sell product, if we don't enter into business with any idea other than making money, we are losing a big opportunity of using our position to make a difference.

I believe - and I'll go out on a limb here - that those companies who thrive by creating values-based organizations will fare better over the next decade then those that don't. In my definition of values-based, I include:

- caring about people - employees, customers, vendors, partners;

- caring about the environment and how the manufactured product supports the earth rather than destroying it;

- caring about the world - finding a way to use some profits to give to groups with need.

Most large companies have community out-reach programs and have their favorite charities. But some large behemoths that we all know give large sums to world health and education, while their sales force remains greedy, manipulative, and aggressive.

For me, giving with one hand and taking with the other is out of balance. It is not only possible, but necessary, to run a sales force that turns over large amounts of business while serving its customers with respect and exceptional care. And for me, if you are just pitching information, or posing questions, with the hope of making a sale, rather than using that opportunity to be a servant-leader, you are losing an opportunity to exhibit your company's values.

As worker-bees, we have a responsibility to our customers, our staff, our Boards and shareholders, to serve them with respect and care and make money. As sales people we are in the primary position to connect in a way that will make it all possible - to make money and make nice.

BUYING FACILITATION®

As a wrap up, I'd like to put a plug in here for The Buying Facilitation Method®. I created Buying Facilitation® as a result of selling in a manipulative world, and as a way to bring my own spiritual, ethical values into my daily workplace. I believe I'm part of something bigger - my company, my family, my relationships, my country, my world - and that I have a responsibility to be in service at all times (well, as often as I'm humanly able). And I like money. I like what it buys, I like to pay bills, and I like giving it away.

To that end, Buying Facilitation® was developed to help sellers reach more customers more efficiently, support customers ethically as true Advisors and Coaches, and help customers buy quicker. When I created Buying Facilitation® I discovered a secret: that no matter how I sell or how great my product is, buyers absolutely cannot buy until they align all of the variables - the people, the systems, the initiatives - that create their current situation. Sales just doesn't work.

Buying Facilitation® will find you more buyers. It helps people who need your product (but didn't know they need it) understand how to buy. It will help them close quicker because the time it takes buyers to discover their own answers is the length of the sales cycle, and Buying Facilitation® helps them find their own answers.

This Method is not a sales method - it's a facilitative communication model rather than a sales technique. It's a way to serve by helping people make more efficient, systems-centric buying decisions that include all of the people and variables that get touched by the purchasing decision. The Method uses a collaborative, servant-leader process that is ethical and truly consultative in the truest sense. And, best of all, it crosses contexts: it can be used by managers to communicate with staff, with coaches to work with clients, with Board members to use with each other, for customer service reps to use with annoyed customers, for nurses and docs to use with patients, for parents to use with children.

It is indeed possible to use ethics in our daily communication. It's not only possible, it's a necessary component of our lives.

By Sharon Drew Morgen


Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Work Ethics and the Customer

This article relates to the Ethics in the Workplace competency, commonly evaluated in employee surveys. It gives examples of how employees and customers consider ethical behavior and sound values an integral part of your organization. This competency covers a variety of topics like customer treatment, employee professionalism, and expected/acceptable organizational behaviors. At a high level, this competency will investigate the standards by which your employees treat your customers, co-workers, and the organization itself.

This short story, Work Ethics and the Customer, is part of AlphaMeasure's compilation, Tales from the Corporate Frontlines. It provides a view from the customer's side of the counter that might inspire you to rethink the old phrase "the customer is king".

Anonymous Submission

I work in a back office environment. The front lines of customer service are far away, so I don't think much about the ethical matters involved in providing good service.

All of that changed recently, when I found myself on the customer side of that check out terminal (formerly known as a cash register), and in dire need of help.

I was shopping for a USB computer keyboard to attach to my computer. I needed that type, and only that type, and I needed it that very day. I visited four different retail stores, all large chains, and had four noteworthy experiences that left me thinking about ethical behavior.

On he first visit, I asked an obviously available (he was playing a video game) sales person how I could tell the difference between PS2 and USB port keyboards as the display models cords were embedded into the rack. His response was -" I just know from working here". Okay. Not unethical, but not helpful either. Well, which one is cheapest, I asked. He showed me a $70 keyboard. I left the store.

At the next stop, I saw no keyboards, so asked a sales person (once she was off the telephone making plans for the evening.) "Oh, she said, the only ones we have come with the computers." I thanked her and went home. The rest of this odyssey would have to wait.

At home, I called another chain store, navigated the voice mail, and asked the clerk if they had USB keyboards in the store and for the cost of the lowest priced model. After a quick click and a short silence, he told me of course, they are $24. Great, I was on my way. It was Saturday evening and the store was packed. I found the keyboard section, and stood there amazed. He had outright lied. The lowest priced model was $80. There was nothing remotely near $24. The few clerks on duty were swamped. I found one available in another department and told him about my situation. He was genuinely sympathetic and suggested that I visit the nearby superstore on the hill. I thanked him and left.

There my journey ended. I found my keyboard, after hours of searching, amid opened boxes (apparently some of them lied, too) in a crowded aisle in the electronics department of a store selling every product imaginable. I was exhausted. No wonder people shop online.


Enron's Ultimate Victim: Ethics

FROM the 'MORAL HIGH GROUND', where we imagine ourselves, the Enron fiasco should have come as no surprise. Enron is simply a quintessential example of the degradation of principles such as trust, loyalty and ethical standards.

Why it happened,however,is what really needs to be understood if business is to restore its ethical foundation and survive tumultuous times.

Few will argue that business today is more challenging and competitive; most everyone accepts that the marketplace is more cutthroat than ever. We live in a dog-eat-dog world where for most, corporate survival is focused on just trying to not get eaten.

Not long ago, things were not so ruthless, or so we'd like to think. Companies had a tacit understanding with their employees: the company will always be there for you. The expression, "I'm a company man," once represented the unquestioned relationship between employees and employer. The company was our family, and families looked out for one another. Anything less was considered disloyal and unacceptable.

The 1990s ushered in changes that still exist today. The 90's also started us on the slippery slope that altered the ground rules for ethics and basic corporate loyalty. Call it downsizing, rightsizing or realigning, but dedicated employees suddenly found themselves on the outs with new, supposedly competitive, corporate initiatives that were sold as necessary to keep companies viable. Keeping viable sometimes meant severing long-serving employees, who were left disillusioned, betrayed and often unarmed to fend for themselves.

Pre-1990, the downsizing of corporate workforces was inconscionable. Companies had an obligation to look after their people, didn't they? Apparently, they didn't. The targets of the realignment strategies were the suddenly "overpriced," tenured employees. Survival strategies were designed to replace higher-income staff (in reality, those who had given the most to the company) with less experienced workers to reduce payroll expenditures.

Cuts in tenured staff were easy to justify providing you bought into the argument that older employees were redundant, i.e., bereft of computer skills. There was some legitimacy to this, but therein lies one of the clearest examples of expediency and cost-cutting prevailing over loyalty and ethics.

It was train existing staff or replace them with young techno-grads at half the price. History demonstrates the route most companies took. It also marked the beginning of the separation of trust between employees and their companies. There is little loyalty left.

Today, employees lucky enough to have outlived the 90's occupy many of the corner offices on the executive floors. Those who write the cheques and run the companies are the surviving veterans of the last decade, well-trained in guerilla management now unfettered by moral obligations for traits such as loyalty or ethics.

This is not to cast aspersions upon today's executives but to show how "Enronesque" outcomes can result when industries abandon components essential to sustaining moral values.

Ethics and morality have taken a backseat in business, and there is no greater example than the outgoing settlement cheques being issued to Enron execs. At the same time, 20- and 30-year Enron employees are losing their entire retirement portfolios.

Executives cannot be held totally to blame. They are victims themselves, the byproduct of those well-trained in the new business religion. Most new executive contracts include a Parachute Clause, insurance against the executive or company who wants to part ways. The practice is ethical but, in my opinion, another example of a breakdown in loyalty. It all but promotes failure.

Parachute Planning is analogous to a prenuptial. The purpose and logic is understood. The facts speak for themselves. I read recently that reported 98.9 per cent of prenup-weddings in North America fail within three years. From another perspective, it appears there are now tangible rewards for failure or disloyalty.

The Bottom Line:

Ethics, trust and loyalty are still there. Fundamental values have not changed. Companies who buck the "all-for-me" trend to garner respect and trust will benefit everyone, but it will take time.


Business Ethics: An Oxymoron

An oxymoron: the juxtaposition of contradictory words or concepts. That is what we have with the term "Business Ethics". The very contradiction that is inherent in this latter phrase is an indication of the challenge that individuals who work for organizations face as we all approach the resource limits of this planet.

The global concept of business is fundamentally based on the principle of competition for limited resources. That is the practice of maximizing one's gains at the expense of others. This ultimately has the effect of creating a hierarchy of those who have and those who have not. This is really paramount to "eliminating the enemy" i.e other human beings.

The concept of ethics is based fundamentally on moral principles. That is, principles of right and wrong as dictated by the core human values that we as human beings hold dear in our hearts. These are core values of fairness, love, compassion, integrity, respect, peace, joy, fulfillment, harmony, beauty, etc.

In other words business is about engaging in activities that essentially go against our core human values. Now this may come as a surprise to some because most consider business as normal a human activity as breathing. It is this inherent contradiction that has led to the spate of business executives coming under the ethical spotlight in recent years. In a sense this outcome was inevitable and the trend will continue unless we begin to redefine the principles on which business is carried out.

In order to help this along I suggest that it is important to examine the forces that led the founding principles of business practices astray in the first place. These forces consist of negative beliefs and emotions that we as human beings fall prey to but which are inherently not in alignment with core human values. Such beliefs come in the form of "I won't survive if I don't compete for my share of the resources". This belief is based on the underlying negative emotion of the "fear of not surviving".

Now some may begin to say that this is our reality, so there's no need to question it. I would however like to take you, if you wish to follow me, on a journey of self discovery that may help you to recognize something you have always known but have temporarily forgotten. Here we go.

Read the following statement to yourself:

A) "The fear of not surviving motivates me to work hard, earn my keep and therefore survive so that I can live a happy and fulfilled life"

Do you believe this? Yes, No?

Now read this to yourself:

b) "The fear of not surviving, makes me afraid that I won't survive if I don't work at a job that I hate, that has nothing to do with what I really love in my heart, deprives me of the time and energy that I need to do those things I really enjoy, it thereby eats my life, it also causes me to do things to other human beings that I would never do even to my pet, it causes me stress, predisposes me to illness and death"

Do you feel this is true for you? Yes, No?

Now clearly statements A and B are yielding contradictory results but you probably found yourself agreeing with both of them. Isn't it strange that you could agree with two contradictory statements at the same time? How can contradictory statements be true at the same time? Well in fact they can't!

For example:

C) I'm sitting down, and
D) I'm standing up

Are essentially contradictory statements and these cannot be simultaneously true for you, can they?

So, if you look at this situation closely, I think you will recognize that one of the statements (A or B) has to be false. Read them again and see if you can determine which one is false for you.

To help you, just say to yourself: "I'm afraid I won't survive" and notice how it makes you feel. Which statement, A or B more accurately describes how this statement makes you feel. I think that after some reflection you will notice that B is really the truth and A is the one that is false.

So if A is false and you were believing it to be true then were you lying to yourself about what this fear was doing to you? I think you will recognize that indeed this is what you were doing without even realizing it. Is this what you want to be doing, lying to yourself about this? What is the consequence to you of perpetuating this lie? Well I think you will see that it would mean that you would still be prone to being a pawn of the "fear of not surviving" and this would perpetuate the state described in statement B above.

Is this what you want? If not then just make a sincere statement asking that the lie and the fear be cleared from your life and see how you feel.

Now if you followed this so far you will likely notice that something significant may have shifted in your outlook towards your life. For those less successful I just wish to add that this is not an easy exercise to convey in print so please accept my apologies if you are feeling confused or frustrated.

Now let me return to the issue of "business ethics". In my view the ethical problems faced by the business community will continue to escalate in future if it does not begin to realign its fundamental principles with core human values. In order to do this it is my view that our individual and collective beliefs about our environment and ourselves will need to be challenged.


Nick Arrizza M.D.


Laws and Ethics?. Who's Kidding Who?

Years ago I read an article by a renowned psychologist wherein he wrote his studies found one percent of all human beings would never lie, cheat or steal. One percent would always lie, cheat or steal and given the right set of circumstances, the rest of us would likely lie, cheat and/or steal.

I mention this to highlight the fact that, if we can buyoff on this one principle - sobering though it may be - we have then, a benchmark from which to begin to at least try to understand the denigration of ethics that lead to outcomes like Enron and WorldCom.

Most believe morality walks hand-in-hand with unquestioned ethics. A quick look-up in a dictionary for Morality reveals words like, ethical, good, right, honest, decent, proper, honorable, just, principled and so on. All good words, no doubt. Words too that describe what most of us - including Enron Exec's - see in ourselves, Morally Upstanding.

Nevertheless, there is no shortage of those who climb high upon their perch in an attempt to [dare I say] distance themselves from the great unwashed by proclaiming their undaunted commitment to honesty and ethics all the while engaging in activities to the contrary. Foyer walls of most companies utterly ooze words of benevolence and righteousness - there only for others to see, but in practice, never to be followed.

To be fair, the great unwashed are not sacrosanct from unethical behaviors or from a reluctance to take ownership for actions deemed untoward. Even if it's something as simple as misusing the Internet or pinching office supplies from the company stockroom.

The fact is, the Enrons and Worldcoms have not cornered the market on unethical behavior. Like it or not, moral degradation is systemic in today's society.

In an attempt to enlighten us on the realities of true ethical behavior, USA Supreme Court Justice Potter said, [Ethics] "?is knowing the difference between what you have a legal right to do, and, what is the right thing to do".

Omniscient words to say the least! Words that in theory make a whole lot of sense. In practice, however, one may point out to his Honor, when he is seated on the Supreme Court bench and asked to adjudicate anything, his moral and ethical position, is and will always be, compromised by one factor - in the end, what is LEGAL? what is the LAW?

Climb any pedestal he wants, in practice, his dedication to ethics is only words, like so many words used to make up so many smarmy Corporate Mission Statements that run juxtaposed to routine.

The Judge in this case, should not be criticized for knowing the fundamentals of true morality / ethics or for advocating the benefits therein. Neither should he be allowed to stand apart from anyone when clearly, in reality, he too is handcuffed by the very principle that challenges the rest of us - the thing that governs the outcome of most every ethical business decision - IS IT LEGAL? The decision to lay-off 1-100-1,000 or more employees; we can do it - but is it legal? The decision to withhold commissions, payables or taxes in order to weather corporate economically challenging times - Q: What are the legal ramifications?

The ethical dilemma regarding whether to cut back on contracted services to improve the bottom line and appease the shareholders - Ethics be damned - Q: What's our legal position?

It's not a pretty world and it serves no purpose in kidding ourselves by attempting to extirpate our own involvement by blaming the Business-Barons from the likes of WorldCom. Let's agree, when faced with most ethical dilemmas, we all hide [if we can] behind the skirt of the lady who holds the scales of justice.

????????????????

The question still remains, however, how do the Enrons and WorldComs get so out-of-hand?

The answer is not all that mysterious, especially if you buy-off on what was written earlier - ... given the right set of circumstances, nearly all of us [from time-to-time] will take the wrong path.

It's shortsighted to believe high-level executives get out of bed each morning thinking about how they can swindle the world, take unfair advantage or act unethically. Just the opposite! That's not to say, however, just like in Supreme Court Justice Potter's case, there are circumstances beyond their control that may unequivocally govern decisions, which may challenge their innate moral commitment to ethics.

For example; who among us cannot think of a boss we once had [have] who said to us something like, "I don't want to hear how you're NOT going to achieve what I asked and the company EXPECTS?. I only want to see RESULTS!"

In many cases like this and in practice, the decision we are left to make is, is our ethical position more important than keeping our job and putting food on the table for our family? It's a tough world out there for those without a good job. So suck it up soldier! You're only doing what you've been ordered to do! It's not your decision! Somebody else will have to take responsibility for your unethical actions if the doo-doo hits the fan.

?. And we all then fall a little deeper onto the sword of ethics?

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Everyone's for corporate and personal liability to include financial recompense and/or jail terms especially for those at the top entrusted by us to always do what is right. We must be careful tough. To level our sights only on CEOs or CFOs is to miss the real perpetrators by aiming too low.

Like us, CEOs have bosses too. They report the Board of Directors. Granted, Boards have shareholders to whom they are ultimately accountable, but in practice, the buck stops at the Board level where ethical decisions - bad or good - are made.

In the book, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras speak to this issue by highlighting the [Board's], "explicit emphasis on Fair return rather than Maximum return".

Again, I must point out, fine words we can all embrace because they altruistically revolve around the Golden Rule of fairness. In general, however, they are not always practiced. Sadly, we live more today, an aberration of author *Ayn Rand's existential position - there is no room for altruism in business.

Understand a CEO's ethical dilemma when challenged with a take-it-or-leave-it Maximum return challenge. In the end, an executive's lifespan is predicated on one thing: 'carrying out' or being 'carried out'.

????????????????

My observation should in no way be construed as an endorsement for the illegalities engaged in by Enron / WorldCom or others still to be discovered. The point is, what they are accused of didn't just happen overnight. Given the right set of circumstances, the right amount of time, the right global competitive business climate, the right protection under the law, these large companies evolved - learned to become what they are today.

Does that make them any less culpable? No! But it should serve more as a lighthouse warning that, a) This problem is more far-reaching - insidious - than we might once imagined, and, b) It Must be corrected - Quickly!

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On a positive note, there are and have been many reputable studies done on the positive impact of ethics in the workplace for example **Harvard Business School Professors John Kotter and James Heskett who studied the performance of 207 large firms over an 11-year period. In their findings they wrote:

Corporate culture can have a significant impact on a firm's long-term economic performance. They found the firms with cultures that emphasized all the key managerial constituencies (customers, stockholders, and employees) and leadership from managers from all levels outperformed, by a large margin, firms that did not. Over an 11-year period, the former increased revenues by an average of 682% versus 166% for the latter, expanded their work forces by 282% versus 36%, grew their stock prices by 901% versus 74% and improved their net incomes by 756% versus 1%.

The net-net of this demonstrates companies that paid attention equally to customers; stockholders and employees outperformed those that didn't and over an 11-year period garnered a net growth income factor of 756%. Ethics Pays!

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On the other hand, all the positive studies in the world will do little to stop the dismantling of morals and ethics as long as those who engage in unethical behavior are allowed to continue. It's time Governments and law-enforcement agencies bring more pressure to bear on those who sit back comfortably at a distance [Corporate Boards] creating policies that stretch the boundaries of law and fan the flames of ethical undoing.

Stronger laws and penalties with teeth - financial and criminal - are needed to bring needed consequences to already financially comfortable Board Directors who, I think we'll find out quite quickly, will be more willing to re-embrace the "Do Unto Others" principle that keep business strong and elevates the collective!

* Ayn Rand: Author Atlas Shrugged

** Jeffery L Seglin: Author The Good the Bad and Your Business


By Paul Shearstone


Do Organizations Serve Us Or Do We Serve Organizations

We have seen an erosion in the confidence that society has in organizational leadership and its integrity recently with the numerous accounting scandals that have become public.Clearly this has led to the demise of several large organizations. In performance terms it is obvious that erosion of leadership integrity is not good for business.

The integrity that exists within an organization either lives or dies with the mission statement and underlying values around which an organization functions. Often the mission and values focus on such things as organizational performance, customer service, quality products, profit goals etc. These are then used as guiding posts and navigational aids to lead and inform leaders and employees at all levels within the organization.

Effectively, individuals then have to "integrate" themselves within the organizational directive in order to survive there. The organizational mission becomes an overarching theme in the lives of these individuals whether or not it is truly aligned with their own values and purpose in life. Of course most individuals are not in the habit of considering their values or purpose in life so they are only too happy to adopt someone else's in order to stem the inner feelings of insecurity that arise from not having their own.

The organization then becomes a species in its own right and the individuals working within it have to alter their own values and purpose if they hope to remain a part of it. The problem arises however with the fact that organizational mission and values are often not aligned with basic human values. A clear example of this relates to the increasing number of hours that individuals find themselves working in a week and the increasing incidents of burnout related illness. Truly, I think anyone would say that this is not what he or she desires.

So the organization has become an entity that runs individuals lives rather than a means for individuals to achieve their purpose in life. They serve the organization not the other way around. But wait a minute here, isn't an organization a "human" construct meant to further our goals, desires and purpose in alignment with our basic human values? After all don't we want to do something in life that gives us joy, happiness, peace of mind, that helps us expand our creative potential in meaningful ways, that furthers the quality of our lives and the lives of others on this planet and that protects our environment? Have we therefore given up our power to an entity that doesn't represent us? Is it possible to restore our rightful place in this equation and return the organization back into an instrument (or perhaps more accurately a process) that serves human values and humanity in general?

If we come back to the issue of integrity it becomes clear that the integrity, that is the "survival", of the organization has become the imperative, not the integrity, that is the "wholeness", of the individual. Notice that I have used the concept of integrity in two different senses here. The individual loses her/his sense of wholeness by repressing his/her basic human core values, effectively "cutting off" important parts of themselves. This repression often occurs out of fear of not surviving and effectively is an unconscious way of "lying" to oneself about what is truly important to that individual. The behavior of lying to oneself is about being "dishonest" with ones' self or losing one's integrity or wholeness.

At this point one might ask, is trying to survive not a basic human value? Well I might say that if given a choice an individual would rather "live" than just try to "survive". Yet because the fear is so powerful most of us have even lost a sense of what it means to live. The idea of survival has a negative feeling attached to it for most people. It's a feeling of just getting by and for no other purpose. It begins to feel like a meaningless exercise. Living however feels more positively motivating and full of potential. It in fact encompasses most of the human values for joy, peace of mind, creativity, etc. that I mentioned earlier.

Now if you follow me so far I think you are beginning to see that the problem of integrity has something to do with how we as individuals have been conditioned to react out of fear throughout our lives. It is clear that there is a lot to be afraid of as we are growing up in an uncertain world. It is this accumulated fear that we carry around that ultimately undermines our integrity (sense of wholeness and sense of personal honesty) in the long run.

Coaching for Organizational Integrity is about restoring our sense of wholeness and sense of personal honesty. This will allow us then to have the awareness of what we truly desire for ourselves and possibly enhance our courage to pursue it. Its premise rests on the observation that our conditioned responses to life long trauma become associated with limiting negative beliefs about others our environment and ourselves. Below is a short example of an exercise that I have used with individuals in my coaching practice to help them go beyond internal limitations to a place of greater awareness and self determination

Example:

A sales executive selling water treatment equipment is under pressure to meet his sales quota for this month. The economy is in a slump and he knows he will be unduly pressured to explain why his performance is slipping. He generally likes his job and has felt that his mission in life has been to help improve the environment and offer customers a product that they will truly get health benefits from. But under recent pressure he has started to doubt his sales abilities and this has inhibited him from being his normal ebullient self. He has started to have fears of failing and worries that he might get fired if he doesn't meet his monthly quota.

Analysis of Situation:

There are a number of beliefs that this individual is unconsciously entertaining that need to be addressed:

1. His doubts about himself suggest that deep down he "doesn't believe that he is capable of succeeding". This is evident because if he knew with certainty that he could succeed doubt about this would never arise.

2. His fears of failing suggest that he " believes he could fail". This is evident because if he knew with certainty that he would never fail this thought would never arise.

3. The worry suggests he "believes the quality of his life would be made worse with failure to meet his quota".

Now from the standpoint of integrity the highlighted beliefs clearly are not doing him any good. They are causing him to turn against himself; they create anxiety, confusion, inhibition, and ultimately reduced performance. We therefore have an individual who is "disintegrating" not one who is "integrated" or "whole". So why would anyone accept these negative statements to be true?

Well over our lives we unconsciously learn to accept such negative beliefs about ourselves based on the failed experiences we have had. Rationalizations form around these negative beliefs and anchor them in our minds, whether we want them there or not. Let me illustrate:

1. The negative belief " I don't believe I can succeed" is held in our unconscious by the rationalization: " Well if I believe this then I will work harder and I will succeed".

In other words we unconsciously come to believe that this negative belief actually "helps us to succeed".

2. However when we look at the evidence the belief " I don't believe I can succeed" actually ushers in self-doubt, anxiety, fear, confusion, inhibition all of which ultimately lead to reduced performance and potential failure. There is no success in this picture.

3.The rationalization "Well if I believe this then I will work harder and I will succeed" is actually a "lie" we choose to accept as truth. By doing so it anchors the negative belief in our minds and makes us susceptible to its ravages.

It is possible to make individuals aware of their negative beliefs and the rationalizations that anchor them. Additionally through a simple exercise, known as the Mind Resonance Process?, it is possible to permanently release this kind of unconscious material. This allows individuals to live with a greater sense of freedom in alignment with their own true values and desires. This freedom leads to enhanced motivation, joy, creativity and performance. The result is a more " integrated", "whole" individual. Such an individual is living, and working, from a place of power, creativity, joy, passion, etc. Clearly this is the kind of person any organization would value.

Some of the benefits to the organization are increased performance, increased productivity, and a greater creative resource in employees fostering continued innovation. As employees become integrated in this way they will more effectively help shape the organizational process in ways that will make it serve the real needs of others in its environment.


BY Nick Arrizza MD


How To Build A Business Ethics Program

Recent corporate financial scandals have highlighted the importance of business ethics and legal compliance. Yet a recent National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) survey of 280 corporate CEOs and directors found that "only one of three directors felt that they were highly effective in ensuring legal compliance".

Ethics in Business

Most companies realize that they need to develop and implement a business ethics and compliance program.

An effective program can:

? Establish a code of conduct that reduces risk of criminal behavior

? Detect wrongdoing, foster quick investigations, minimize consequences

? Demonstrate company's ethical/legal philosophy during an investigation

? Reduce fines if company is found guilty of wrongdoing

? Enhance company reputation and stature

Looking at the Options

But how do you build an effective program? Companies find themselves with three options to build the program:

? Develop in-house from scratch

? Hire an external consultant

? Use a pre-written manual

And most of these companies learn a few lessons - sometimes the hard way.

Making a Strong Company Policy

Developing a program from scratch can be very time consuming and costly. Also, the company might not have the knowledge or understanding of the complexity involved. But hiring an external consultant is not always a cost effective option either. So what's left?

Developing Your Business Ethics Program

By using a pre-written template or manual, many companies have found it easier to develop their business ethics program. And to do this, they look for what a strong program needs.

A highly effective tool for creating, organizing and implementing a sound business ethics and compliance program should provide:

? Sample policies and procedures

? Step-by-step instructions for the development of a program

? A business ethics training program outline with classroom materials and a detailed session leader's guide

? Business ethics and compliance officer position description

? Templates for employee involvement

? Sample code of conduct

Implementing Your Business Ethics Program

If the company board has committed to a strong business ethics and compliance program, the next step is to put the manual in the hands of corporate executives responsible for implementation. Used properly under advice of legal counsel, this efficient tool will yield a solid program that the board can understand, endorse, and monitor for effectiveness.

With step-by-step guidelines and accompanying examples of policies, procedures, training program, and employee survey, an effective tool provides an excellent road map for implementing an ethics and compliance initiative.

Maintaining a Culture of Ethics

Companies should make certain that their ethics compliance manual provides fully editable MS Word files with sample policies, surveys, forms and training session outlines. Also, businesses should ensure their ethics compliance system manual is fully endorsed by The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) as a tool to maintain a culture of integrity.

By Chris Anderson


Ethics In The Workplace

Workplace Ethics is a subject that we have all heard of. In fact, the subject of Ethics in general is something that most people are familiar with. And, what is commonly understood about ethics is there are ethics and then there are workplace ethics. What most people don't realize, however, is that there is no such thing as workplace ethics; ethics are the same, (or, should be) whether in the workplace or in personal life.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT

Ethics are about making choices that may not always feel good or seem like they benefit you but are the "right" choices to make. They are the choices that are examples of "model citizens" and examples of the golden rules. We've all heard the golden rules: Don't hurt, don't steal, don't lie, or one of the most famous: "Do unto others as you would have done to you." These are not just catchy phrases; these are words of wisdom that any productive member of society should strive to live by.

In our personal lives, most people try to do exactly that. Ethics are thought of by many people as something that is related to the private side of life and not to the business side. In many businesses, having ethics is frowned upon or thought of as a negative subject. This is because business is usually about doing what's best for number one, not about what's really the right thing to do. You probably are already feeling uneasy just reading this.

A GOOD EXAMPLE

Take ENRON, for example. Were the actions of ENRON's CEO's a good example of ethics? No. But, what they WERE was a CLASSIC example of was two things: One, those actions displayed how ethics were not used in any way. Two, their actions painted a grim and realistic picture of what can happen when ethics are neglected. Had ethics been considered in the first place by the leaders of the company, there would have been no scandal. If ethics were used on a daily basis in every company, there would never be scandals.

Martha Stewart comes to mind when speaking of ethics. Again, there is a feeling of uneasiness when dealing with this topic. But, why is it like that? Ethics are supposed to improve our lives and invoke good feelings. Perhaps the reason ethics is such a sore subject is because they are so often poorly used, if used at all.

A NEW WAY

Ethics are making a comeback. To begin with, more and more corporations and businessmen and woman are now realizing that ethics aren't checked at the door when entering the workplace. Ethics have every bit as much a place in the public as they do the private. How is it there should be separate sets of ethics, depending upon whether it is your personal life or your work life? The answer is that there shouldn't be a separate set and in light of recent events that we see on our television sets as of late, more and more companies are realizing this fact.

Some companies are incorporating ethics into their training. It is s subject that can go hand-in-hand with business and when employees and CEO's alike understand what ethics are about, business can improve. Not only will the community take note of the ethical nature of a business but also so will customers.

Periodic reevaluations are suggested in ethics training as well, since times change many things that some would never consider ethical or non-ethical. For instance, when the first computer hacker to send a work into a university computer system crippled the entire network that the system was a part of, including that of public utilities - simply because he could do it - a question of ethics is hard to pose. Computers were new, at the time. And, no one had ever been able to do such a thing before. With new times comes new technology and new ways of doing things. Ethics will still play a part of it all and refreshing ethics training only re-strengthens what has already been learned, when new ages come about.

In the end, it's all about what a person understands about ethics. Many university curriculums are now heavily applying the teaching of Ethics and for good reason. Young minds will take this information into the workforce and understand that ethics need to be applied there as well as in the private sector. Corporations will be able to avoid embarrassing scandals that are presented all over national news. Small business will be able to keep and attract more clients and customers. Negotiations between businesses could be accomplished with more consideration for the other company in mind, which would only help both.

Above all, a high level of ethics in your business should be in place at least for the customers. If anything, it is the customer that should be considered the most when it comes to ethical business practices. In the long run, a company will reap great profits from a customer base that feels it is being treated fairly and truthfully.


By Myron Curry


Ethics in Business - Please Have Some

Is your business ethical?

What I mean is "Does your business do the right thing when faced with that decision?" It's a simple question, which many businesses struggle with. I just don't understand the struggle part?

I have worked for companies that believed they were ethical, and really have no clue. Meaning the decisions they make everyday towards their customers and employees does not advocate ethics.

So, what is it? When someone in business gives you their word and then reneges, that is unethical. Your word is your promise. Even if it is your business making the statement.

Doing good business and being a good employer is more than your product or people, it is the guidelines in which you do that good business. I'm disappointed in how many unethical businesses exist today. I have worked for some of them and they just don't get it... they 'talk tough' but when the decisions are made I can't fathom what motivated them come to their decision? It was not necessarily 'doing the right thing'.

Yes, I know profits are pinnacle to most, but that IS NOT the bottom line! The bottom line is how your customer, partner, client or prospect walked away from their experience. What's so hard to get? It also helps you feel good about yourself and your business, and you should sleep better too!

Treat them the way you want to be treated... I mean it!

Don't say something you have no intention of backing up with your action. Keep your word in business, in compensation promises, in client promises, in doing good business. This is pinnacle!

I don't want to ramble here, but some businesses need a wake-up-call (yesterday). What puzzles me is why? When you do good business, you get more good business. I'm not just talking about the Enron's or Arthur Anderson's of the World, I'm talking about every type of business out there, in every industry.

If each one of us refused to do business with these unethical companies - we would have a lot fewer of them.

Be one of the ethical ones. Do good business, keep your word, don't venture into gray areas, and do the right thing! Sure, it will occasionally cost you something, but it will pay you back, and it won't cost you your dignity or pride or any client worth having. Isn't your business worth it? Or how about your personal reputation?

Try this: The next few times you're faced with 'doing the right thing'? Well, when you 'do it' - do it with extreme pleasure!*

*This will pay you and your business back ten-fold. Why? Because that person (customer, employee, client, etc.) is going to tell at least 3-12 other people (potential customers who like to be treated well too). Remember, you did it with extreme pleasure, they're not just going to say they received a refund, or a promotion, - they're going to be jumping up and down at how well their situation was handled!

- Make someone else's day! - you'll be surprised at how well your day goes.

I look forward to running into more good business out there - hopefully yours.

Remember - Doing good business rewards your business with more of it... we're all here seeking to do business with reputable firms, let's do just that.

The upside? If your business does good ethical business? Then you are already ahead of a good chunk of your competitors! There's opportunity here. Keep up the good work, partner with other 'like types' and only do your personal business with other more ethical companies, like yours. We could see a decrease in our unethical competition very soon.

Thank you for allowing me to voice my thoughts and encourage the type of business that helped this Country, it's people, and every business - Grow and prosper.

Good luck in your business promotions!


Written by and Copyright © Scott Sedwick


Business Ethics: The Law of Corporate Karma

According to the shamanic traditions, the great mystery of being is that all things are alive and have a level of intelligence. This is because all things are a part of the Great Spirit. However, all things also function individually, in thought and action. It is in these individual actions that karma is born. Karmic laws also state that all karma, both good and bad, must also return home...return to sender!

Most of us don't have a good grasp of group karma. Simply stated, if you agree to be a member of a group situation, you are also agreeing to it's collective karmic pattern of return. So sooner or later problems at work, in your business or corporate structure will show up at your front door. It's like you caught the flu from the group...but now your personally ill.

As humanity grows in it's awareness...it also grows in karmic responsibility. So years ago many industries caused environmental problems, but were not aware of that fact. However, karmic law states all things must return home..........so these industries don't really exist today.....or operate in a weakened condition [ in the future they will not exist at all].

According to my spirit guides, there is a big push these days too clean up the karma of the global business world. We know from the news that many business institutions, and even very large corporations are in trouble these days..many will not make it through the heavy gate of karmic return. They will fail.............

On the brighter side, Spirit is not against business, but is really pro-business....so now what?The newer business model that is emerging is much more holistic. By agreeing to function more holistically, much less damaging karma developes.....and if you're really aware of all business levels...very little negative karma developes. So, if you're in a corporate or business situation, and things are not really going right...take the time to clear the issues up, before you catch the karmic flu!

Just at the environmental level, many things should be addressed....but just start by keeping your office or work space clean and organized....this helps clear out negative energy patterns. Taking it one step further...use Feng Shui tools and techniques if you know how. Or buy a book, hire a consultant or use trial and error to solve some of the ongoing issues around you at the job or business.

By Jerry