Ethics is a popular topic at corporate meetings today because managers correctly see the benefits. Good things tend to happen to companies that consistently do the right thing, and bad things tend to happen to those that even occasionally do the wrong thing. Being ethical is playing the odds. Ethical companies have a competitive edge because people prefer to deal …
QUOTE: Good decisions are good decisions. — Michael Josephson
They are good in a practical sense — that is, effective — and they are good in a moral sense — that is, ethical.
OBSERVATION: “Our moral obligations and the expectations people have of us do not go away just because we ignore them.” – Michael Josephson
I once saw a cartoon depicting a CEO speaking to assembled management team at a conference table: “We have some difficult issues to resolve today. Before we begin, Ms. Gladstone, will you please hand out the moral blinders?” It may make the decision easier but it doesn’t make it better. We can’t escape moral responsibility through legal loopholes — our conduct will …
QUOTE: You can dodge your responsibilities, but you can’t dodge the consequences of dodging your responsibilities.
Whether it’s in our personal lives or work lives, there are always things we need to do, and we always have to do them ethically. We fail to do so at our peril — to our relationships, our reputations, and the esteem of those we care about.
OBSERVATION: The Ethics of Numbers — Hitting the numbers without meeting the goals.
In the last decade, the ability to track and measure almost any factor of business performance on a daily, even an minute-by-minute basis, has resulted in an even greater emphasis on setting quantitative goals to assess effectiveness and drive effort. The concept of “hitting your numbers” is a dominant theme in many organizations. The problem is, sometimes without the knowledge …
OBSERVATION: The Dalai Lama on Universal Ethics
I am confident that it is both possible and worthwhile to attempt a new secular approach to universal ethics. My confidence comes from my conviction that all of us, all human beings, are basically inclined or disposed toward what we perceive to be good. Whatever we do, we do because we think it will be of some benefit. At the …
QUIZ: What should you do when your best salesperson is a jerk?
You are a regional sales manager, and, despite your admonitions, your highest producing salesperson regularly verbally abuses clerical help, stretches the truth, and ignores other company policies. Business is bad and this person accounts for about 20% of your business. You feel certain that if you are too harsh, or if you fire her, she will go to work for …
Change, Serenity & Wisdom
God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it’s me. -unknown
WORTH READING: Heart of Change by John P. Kotter and Dan S. Cohen
Professors John Kotter and Dan Cohen’s 2002 book The Heart of Change focuses on organizational change, and provides research support for many of the claims and theories in later books. A significant insight is that in almost all successful change efforts, the sequence of change is not ANALYZE — THINK — CHANGE, as is normally assumed by those who believe …
COMMENTARY: How to Change Attitudes and Behavior — “I Can Do It and It’s Worth It.” 758.6
In yesterday’s commentary, I talked about a teacher named Shavonne who was at wits end with several students, including Leon, whose lack of self-control when he became angry or frustrated constantly created trouble. She was certain that nothing short of intense therapy could change his behavior. Changing Leon’s behavior will be a challenge, but it has to start with changing …
ODDS AND ENDS: “It is nice when something you have waited for lives up to your expectations.” Pat Chambers, essay contest winner
“It is nice when something you have waited for lives up to your expectations. Lunch with Michael Josephson was great. He spent about 3 hours with us, we toured his offices, looked at new products he is working on and discussed a lot of current issues. His staff was amazing, kind and funny. Thank you to all for a great …
ODDS AND ENDS: Essay Contest Winners To Meet Michael and Each Other at the Josephson Institute Today
In the fall, about 80 listeners to Michael Josephson’s radio commentaries submitted essays describing how his daily messages affected their lives. Ten finalists were selected and a vote of readers of Michael’s newsletter and this blog selected the winners. We invite you to read their essays below and make your own comments.
WORTH READING: “For fourteen years, I have personally grown with Michael, learning to summon the moral courage to choose the road less traveled and to build my character day by day, decision by decision.” – Essay contest winner David Williams, high school teacher
In the fall, about 80 listeners to Michael Josephson’s radio commentaries submitted essays describing how his daily messages affected their lives. Ten finalists were selected, and a vote of readers of Michael’s newsletter and this blog selected the winners. Here is the entry of one of the five winners, David Williams. I confess that I keep a secret list of influential people …
WORTH READING: “Michael’s words have changed my world and I have transcended his words into my actions.” — Essay contest winner Jim Uhl , police officer and professor
In the fall, about 80 listeners to Michael Josephson’s radio commentaries submitted essays describing how his daily messages affected their lives. Ten finalists were selected, and a vote of readers of Michael’s newsletter and this blog selected the winners. Here is the entry of one of the five winners, Jim Uhl. St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times; …
WORTH READING: “‘The road to achievement and fulfillment is dotted with hazards and tragedies that can wound us, frighten us, and slow us down. But afflictions and misfortunes can stop us only if we surrender.’ These words by Michael Josephson made me courageous!” – Essay contest winner Denise Osier-Bell, teacher for at-risk kids in Reseda, California
In the fall, about 80 listeners to Michael Josephson’s radio commentaries submitted essays describing how his daily messages affected their lives. Ten finalists were selected, and a vote of readers of Michael’s newsletter and this blog selected the winners. Here is the entry of one of the five winners, Denise Osier-Bell. I left the Sheriff’s Department to go back to college to …
WORTH READING: “Think about what kind of family you are going to be.” — Essay contest winner Pat Chambers, La Crenta California Presbyterian Center for Children
In the fall, about 80 listeners to Michael Josephson’s radio commentaries submitted essays describing how his daily messages affected their lives. Ten finalists were selected, and a vote of readers of Michael’s newsletter and this blog selected the winners. Here is the entry of one of the five winners, Pat Chambers. I can’t remember the exact year, but I remember the experience. I …
WORTH READING: “There is no radio broadcaster who has had a greater impact on my life than Michael Josephson.”– Essay contest winner Suzanne Carter, high school teacher
In the fall, about 80 listeners to Michael Josephson’s radio commentaries submitted essays describing how his daily messages affected their lives. Ten finalists were selected, and a vote of readers of Michael’s newsletter and this blog selected the winners. Here is the entry of one of the five winners, Suzanne Carter. There is no radio broadcaster who has had a greater impact …
COMMENTARY: Changing Self-Limiting Beliefs and Bad Behavior 758.5
Shavonne, a third-grade teacher, was at the end of her rope with disciplinary problems, but she wasn’t enthusiastic when she was told that her school had adopted the CHARACTER COUNTS! program. Now she was expected to explicitly seek to instill and enhance in her students core ethical values like honesty, respect, and responsibility, and to help them develop positive social …
COMMENTARY 758.4 CHANGING THE WORLD ONE BITE AT A TIME
About twenty-five years ago, I founded the Joseph & Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics in honor of my parents because I wanted to change the world for the better. My goal and strategy to achieve change is captured in a short mission statement: “To improve the ethical quality of society by changing personal and organizational decision making and behavior.” I …
WORTH SEEING AND READING: Powerful Posters with Images and Quotations About Racial Prejudice
You are welcome to copy the images, paste them in Word, enlarge it and print them
COMMENTARY:The Wisdom and Philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 758.3
For a man who never reached the age of 40, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., left a powerful and important body of thought. He was a preacher and orator, so rather than writing in the form of books or treatises, Dr. King spoke to the world in sermons and speeches and a few articles. His impact and image as a …
Langston Hughes on Democracy
“I swear to the Lord I still can’t see why democracy means everybody but me.” — Langston Hughes, The Black Man Speaks
COMMENTARY: Why Martin Luther King is a Hero 758.2
The dictionary defines a hero as “a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life.” A “personal hero” is someone you or I hold in especially high esteem. For me, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is both a national and personal hero. I have no illusions that …