WHY BE ETHICAL WHEN SO MANY AROUND YOU AREN’T? The importance of what you do goes beyond what it gets you; it determines who you are – and that is infinitely more important than what you own. – Michael Josephson
Ethics Does Not Demand Self-Sacrifice
Ethics does not demand a life if self-sacrifice nor require us to ignore our desires and needs. It does expect us to care about right and wrong, to know the difference between what we want to do and what we should do, and muster the moral courage to do what is right. – Michael Josephson Subscribe to a weekly newsletter featuring …
Ethics is Bigger Than Compliance
Ethics is bigger than compliance. Compliance is doing what you are required to do; ethics is about doing what you should do. An act is not ethical simply because it’s legal, nor is it proper simply because it’s permissible. In an ethical culture, people are expected to do more than ask what they have a right to do; they are …
Ethics Doesn’t Demand a Life of Self-Sacrifice
“Ethics doesn’t demand a life of self-sacrifice nor require us to ignore our desires and needs. It does expect us to care about right and wrong, to know the difference between what we want to do and what we should do, and to muster the moral courage to do what is right.” – Michael Josephson
The Ethics of Hunting for Sport
I just can’t understand the ethics of hunting for sport. How can one get joy out of killing one of these animals for thrill or fun? I know there are a lot of good people who do hunt but I can’t understand any rationale for why it is okay. Can someone please explain this?
ETHICS: It’s not easy!
It’s been said in many ways: “Ethics is easier said than done.”, “If it was always easy or advantageous to be ethical,
We’re all ethical in our own eyes
-When it comes to our self-perception of our ethics, most of us have delusions of grandeur. – Think of the most ethical person you know. Do a lot of people come to mind or only a few? Are you having trouble thinking of anyone? If I asked that question of the people who know you well, how many would name …
COMMENTARY: The Peculiar Concept of “Ethics Laws”
Cynicism about the ethics of elected officials may be at an all-time high, continually fueled by new stories of outright corruption or bad judgment. At every level of government there are politicians who can’t seem to recognize or resist conflicts of interest, inappropriate gifts, improper use of the power or property entrusted to them, or the discrediting impact of shameful …
COMMENTARY: A Lifetime of Setting and Changing Goals
I believe in setting goals. I also believe in changing goals. As a fourth grader, I was a guest on the TV show Kids Say the Darndest Things and I said, “I want to be a lawyer because my mother says I talk so much I might as well get paid for it.”
COMMENTARY: “You’re Only Cheating Yourself”
It’s in the news all the time – kids are cheating in school in new ways and at unprecedented rates. One of the reasons is the way schools and parents deal with or ignore the underlying issues of integrity and character. For instance, to discourage kids from cheating, adults commonly say, “You’re only cheating yourself.”
COMMENTARY: The Application of Religion to Business
Most Americans say they’re religious and their beliefs are important to their lives, yet I’m astonished at how many seem to ignore their religion’s moral expectations and
COMMENTARY: Good Ethics Make Better Relationships
While I believe that good things tend to happen to people who consistently choose the high road, the correlation between ethics and success is a loose one at best.
COMMENTARY: Everyday Ethics: What You Do in the Grocery Store
You can tell a lot about people’s character by how they act at the grocery store. I remember being in a crowded store when there was a shortage of shopping carts. A prosperous-looking fellow was pushing a cart when another man stopped him. “Excuse me,” the second man said, “but this is my cart.” The first guy looked really annoyed. …
Ethics are about the Ought
Ethics are about the ought, not the is. Ethics are not about the way things are, but about the way they should be.
Be A Person of Character
BE HONEST even if it costs more than you want to pay. TREAT PEOPLE WITH RESPECT even if they don’t seem to deserve it.
Bonus Commentary: THE SUPREME COURT CONTROVERSY: Hiding Our Own Hypocrisy by Pretending That Politics is All About Principle.
Has the political divide become so wide that it is an unbreakable chasm? If we do not re-learn the art of accommodation and compromise all we think we are preserving by our passion will be lost — all in the name of passionately held principles. Whether a President in his last year should nominate a replacement Supreme Court Justice and …
COMMENTARY: Good Ethics is More Than Good Business 759.2
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 …
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 would you do? Handling an upset customer.
An important and demanding customer has just called. He is upset that his order has not been delivered. You quickly research the issue and discover that you forgot to give the order to the factory, and it will take at least two weeks to get the customer what he needs. If you tell him
COMMENTARY 751.2: What Is Character?
Here’s a riddle: You can hardly ever find it anymore — especially in politics or business. Lots of schools don’t teach it anymore. We want more of it in our children and in all the adults who interact with them. We want it from our bosses and the people who fix our cars. And most of us believe we have …
OBSERVATION: There is no such thing as business ethics; there’s just ethics.
There are no exemptions from basic rules of honesty, respect, caring, and fairness just because money or careers are involved. Our private lives, our relationships, and the way we make a living are governed by the same moral principles. Don’t get caught up in rationalizations and pressures. In every setting we have the opportunity and obligation to be a good …
COMMENTARY: Good Ethics Really Is Good Business 749.4
A challenge I frequently face while consulting with senior executives and boards of directors of public companies is a belief that their primary mandate is to make profits and enhance shareholder value. Thus, ethical principles like honesty, fairness, and caring are proper guides to decision making only to the extent that they can demonstrably improve profitability or incorporated into …
COMMENTARY: Courtesy is Kindness in Action 749.3
As a society, we have become almost obsessed with identifying and asserting our rights – to think, say, and do what we want. That’s not surprising, given the history of our country and the prominent role the Constitution and Bill of Rights have played in shaping our culture. We have a right to be unkind, thoughtless, and disrespectful – but …
COMMENTARY: Changing Lives 747.1
Long ago when I was a law professor, I was at a conference and a man I didn’t recognize greeted me warmly. He said he wanted to thank me for changing his life. I was embarrassed as I listened to him tell me that he had met me after a speech I had given at his law school. He said …
COMMENTARY: We Are All Ethical In Our Own Eyes
Think of the most ethical person you know. Do a lot of people come to mind or only a few? Are you having trouble thinking of anyone? If I asked that question of the people who know you well, how many would name you? Almost all? About half? Just a few? Unless this commentary makes you more humble, you will …
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