SWiM® Starting with Me™

On Making the Most of Freedom

2009-07-02T22:57:00.004-05:00

In the USA, we pride ourselves on our freedoms, we remember those who paid dearly for gaining them and honor those who protect them - with our words. But what does our behavior say? Do we merely act like someone who has been freed FROM, or do we make the most of our freedoms to make America a better place for all?

"Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil." And yet news stories are filled with those who have done just that. Shame on them. Ah, but it's easy to point fingers at the mighty who have fallen by abusing their freedoms. It's much harder to be honest with ourselves.

How many of us break the laws of our land because of our own self-centeredness, or just because we can? Does that truly honor our forefathers? Our men and women in uniform?

This holiday weekend, give some serious thought and sincere discussion to the topic of honoring and respecting our freedoms. Take a close look at your daily behaviors and ask yourself if you are proud of each of those actions. Imagine yourself explaining to the families of those who have died for our country how you are making the most of the freedoms their loved ones bought. Picture yourself taking a policeman along for a ride in your car; a pastor along at work; a social worker home with your family. Compare your freedom to make money with your freedom to give; your freedom from persecution and harassment with your freedom to help and comfort.

Repeat this: Freedom will always be highly valued in word AND behavior, Starting With Me.

On the Ethics of Buying Things

2009-06-26T09:33:00.003-05:00

It used to be such a simple decision: Do I need this or not? Can I afford it or not? The ethics were fairly simple - that is, does buying this item line up with my values or not?

Actually, it was never that simple. There have always been ethical questions connected to our buying behavior. There may be a few more to be aware of now, but I maintain there is almost no action we can take, or word we can speak that does not have ethical considerations, and always have had.

A few things to consider before you decide to buy that next item on your list:

Does buying it mean not buying something else that is more important to you or your family or business?

Does buying it distract you from accomplishing something of higher value in your life?

Does buying that particular item violate one or more of your values? For example:
Does the manufacture, distribution or use harm the environment?
Does the manufacturer use unfair labor tactics or employ child or coerced labor?
Do you believe it is better to buy locally; or buy union-made; or buy used; or buy from small sellers over large; or buy things exported from free trade zones; or buy things from minorities?

Does buying it have collateral ethical consequences, that is, while there may be nothing unethical about the product itself, does it communicate values that are contrary to what you want to convey? E.g. The small business owner who buys luxury items while paying minimum wages to employees.

Buying is not a simple decision. Our buying behavior is closely tied to many ethical issues.

Repeat this: Buying decisions will always support and further positive values, Starting With Me.

On Creating an Ethics-Friendly Environment

2009-06-23T09:53:00.004-05:00

We've all read them: "The Statement of Organizational Ethics" in most well-run corporations, public and private, government and not-for-profit. Many are very well crafted and are vital to articulating company values as they relate to employee, community, customer and shareholder alike. Mandatory orientation and training press home both the details and the spirit of those statements.

But in practice, employees in some of the best run orgnizations I know compain of the chasm that exists between the official ethics statement and the daily process of making ethical decisions.

Why? What's going on? How can such carefully researched, well-written documents, backed by intense ethics training fall short in guiding day-to-day behavior? I maintain that the missing element is modeling and support at the operational level. An ethics training study I ran across at EthicsWorld.org gives credence to that thought. Some of the conclusions of the study say this:

"-- In terms of the outcomes studied, organizational support for ethics is more important than any aspect of training. Whatever training method is employed, however frequently it is offered and by whom, developing a culture that is perceived to support ethics is the most important thing an organization can do to influence ethics-related outcomes."

"-- Perceived organizational support for ethics (from leadership and coworkers) contributes much more to favorable ethical outcomes than does any type of training method."

I applaud boards and executives for the time and effort put into developing corporate ethics statements, but I urge them to spend at least as much time and effort into building an ethics-friendly environment - that is, one in which ethical discussion and decision making is supported and encouraged at every level. I believe the result will be healthier ethics throughout the entire organization.

SWiM® Starting With Me™

On Judging Others

2009-06-16T20:02:00.005-05:00

I know a lot of entrepreneurs, and I find they cover every imaginable kind of personality type, social and economic class, race, creed and culture. So, why is it that I can still make the rookie mistake of judging someone by his or her looks, or style, or dress or ????. Everytime I think I've matured past judgementalism, I get surprised by finding that I've done it again!

I believe it is part of our DNA. Judging others is, in some primitive part of our brain, a defense mechanism. We scan others to see if they are a danger, or if they are prey, or if they are simply part of the landscape. This presents us with an ethical dilemma.

Judging people is almost always done on inadequate, incomplete and incorrect information. (I remember my father often asked, "On what do you bias your opinion?") I value diversity, creativity, and individualism - all things that could be easily mistaken as threats to my values of self-preservation and protection of my family, my friends, my business and my possessions. The mistake I make isn't in judging others, but in PRE-judging them without sound insights into who they really are and what they value and what they represent.

I choose to always consider others as better than myself, therefore keeping a teachable spirit about me. I choose to live out the Golden Rule, treating others as I myself would like to be treated. I choose to seek out as complete a picture as possible of people before I make my judgments.

Repeat this, "Seeing others first as allies is less likely to establish them as enemies - Starting With Me."

On Seat Belts as an Ethics Issue

2009-06-10T10:43:00.006-05:00

Beginning this month in Minnesota, seat belt laws were tightened up. It is now the law that everyone in the car be belted in and that for the first time, law enforcement officers can stop and ticket on that offense alone.

Minnesota is reported as having an 87% compliance rate for seat belt usage and this law is expected to nudge it up to 92%. So, what about those 8% who still will not be belted in? Is this a legal issue only, or an ethics issue in addition?

What are the values decisions involved in a decision on whether to wear a seat belt or not?

What value do you place on your own life?
What value do you place on the lives of those in your vehicle?
What responsibility do you have as a driver in keeping yourself physically restrained during an accident so that you have a chance to maintain or regain control?
How does increasing risk of injury or death affect health care, auto insurance, availability and cost of emergency services, etc.?
What is your responsibility to your surviving family members, friends, work associates, etc.?
What value do you place on authority and the laws of your municipality, state, etc.?

(As an aside, I posit that any legal issue is also an ethics issue. How one interacts with laws is based on what and how one values the government's authority in our lives. By definition, ethics is choosing behavior based on one's values, so how we behave in relation to any rule or law is an ethical decision.)

Seat belt usage, then is a great launching point for discussions on our values. Don't let this news item go by without entering into discussions with others. It will help you define and strengthen your own values as well as challenge others to do the same. (Scroll down a few blog entries to May 19 and listen to the short Power Point on Proactive Ethics).

Repeat this, opportunities to examine and mature value based decisions will not be wasted, Starting With Me.

On Humility - A teachable heart

2009-06-02T10:45:00.003-05:00

I began thinking about humility as a business asset. True humility is having a teachable heart; recognizing it isn't all about me; being willing to see the value in other people and ideas. I don't imagine the subject comes up real often in business schools, but perhaps it ought to.

Humility positions a company, a board, a CEO, a manager, an employee to grow and improve. It creates a sense of openness to others' viewpoints and activities as having some value for one's own. It invites sincere inquiry and fosters constructive conversation and collaboration. It validates others while expanding and strengthening self.

Purposefully putting oneself in a position where we expose ourselves to those viewpoints, beliefs, and opinions is only useful if we do so with an attitude of humility - having a teachable heart.

Peer advisory boards, business roundtables, professional organizations all have greater value when entered into with an expectation that we will learn, grow, be challenged, even corrected.

Having said that, be forewarned against false humility, which is really pride in disguise. False humility projects an image that is unteachable and unchangable and positions us to hold on to the present.

Repeat this, from now on, humility will be added to the necessary tools in my business, Starting With Me.

On Becoming Aware of Your Values

2009-05-22T07:46:00.002-05:00

Lawrence Kohlberg, a researcher in ethics, taught that moral maturity comes as a result of being exposed to different values and having to work through our own reactions to them based on our own beliefs. (Admittedly, that's an oversimplification of Kohlberg's work!) I think you will find that to be true, though.

Try this. Expose yourself to new and diverse situations. Plan to put yourself in situations in which you will experience people outside of your usual circles. Step out of your comfort zone over the next month. Work at a food shelf, visit a shut-in, mentor a troubled teen, teach a budgeting class at a prison, become a big-brother or big-sister. If you live in the suburbs, volunteer to work at an inner city agency. If you're from the inner city, do the opposite. Look for a cultural celebration in a culture unlike your own and participate in it. If you are not a church attender, choose one and go four weeks in a row.

By purposefully exposing yourself to new and varied belief sets, you will begin challenging your own values. You will either change and adjust them or you will strengthen and more fully appreciate them. Either way, ethics will become a more central part of your thinking and decision making.

Repeat this: Discovering and acting on moral truths will become an integral part of life, Starting With Me.

2009-05-19T12:01:00.001-05:00

Proactive Ethics Slideshare

View more presentations from Bob Ryan.

On the Paradox of Pro-Life and Pro-Choice

2009-05-16T12:33:00.003-05:00

Item: Judge orders a 13-year-old Minnesota teen to undergo chemotherapy for cancer, even though the toxic treatment contradicts the spiritual beliefs of him and his family.
Item: A Wisconsin woman is accused of manslaughter for praying while her daughter died of undiagnosed diabetes.
Item: The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that there is no constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide, but requires all states to "not obstruct the provision of adequate palliative care."
Item: Roe v. Wade holds that a mother may abort her pregnancy for any reason, up until the "point at which the fetus becomes viable.’

Does anyone else not see a paradox of epic proportions here? On the one hand the government disallows individuals and families from making decisions about prolonging their lives and treating disease, while giving mothers the legal right to terminate pregnancies within the first 7 months.

In the first item, a family is required to use painful and unwanted treatment to keep a boy alive.
In the second item, a woman is held responsible for not seeking medical treatment for her daughter, even though she did seek treatment she felt was viable.
In the third item, physicians are required to provide palliative care, but are enjoined from physician-assisted suicide, ending a life that is clearly not viable.
In the fourth item, a life that would be viable with a mere 7 months of in-vitro care, is allowed to be ended with physician-assisted abortion.

There are different ways to describe this paradox:
Life is valuable, except for when it's not.
Treatment is required, except for when it's not.
Individual choice is sacred, except for when it's not.

This inconsistent application of values and core beliefs is not about ethics. It is about politics - making decisions based on competing perceptions of "rights" and prevailing opinions and popularity.

Repeat this: Ethical decisions will always be based on responsibility to core values, not rights, Starting With Me. SWiM®

On The Rewards of Honesty

2009-05-14T21:16:00.003-05:00

True story. My wife spotted a special teacup that she likes to collect at a garage sale marked 10 cents. Knowing that it was truly worth $28-$48, she suggested the owner reconsider selling it. The owner explained her mother left her a collection of teacups, but she didn't recognize this one as being special. She did reconsider and decided to add it back into the collection.

To see the happiness on my wife's face when she told me the story said a lot about the rewards of honesty. Where most people would have quietly bought the cup for ten cents and gained something that would be all but lost on a shelf for years, my wife gained the satisfaction of having added to that woman's life. The woman gained back a piece of her mother to pass on to who knows whom.

Repeat this: many and great rewards will be reaped from doing the right thing, Starting With Me. http://www.swimstartingwithme.com

On Teaching Morality

2009-05-14T09:44:00.004-05:00

On an old rerun of The Golden Girls, Blanch bought a new dress, planning to wear it once and return it as new. When Dorothy challenged, "You can't do that," she answered, "Well, yes I can honey, I'm just going to put it on for a few hours and take it off again."

While the behavior itself was unethical, what struck me more was that she didn't see it as unethical. Either she wasn't taught what is moral and what is not, or she was taught that this behavior was moral.

How do we teach morality? What are our employees, our kids, our co-workers learning? One of the Greek philosphers is credited with saying, "The teaching of virtue is the asking of questions." We must create an environment of endless inquiry; a mileiu in which challenging the status quo and examining our motives and behavior is not only tolerated, but encouraged. We must equip ourselves, our children, our workplaces, our schools and our government to ask questions respectfully, yet relentlessly.

There will always be immoral behavior, but it never need be because someone didn't know it was immoral. Repeat this, motives and behaviors will always be questioned - Starting With Me. - SWiM®

On Price Shopping

2009-05-07T07:43:00.006-05:00

There is a whole culture built up around shopping for the best price. There are descriptors deemed positive for people who industriously hunt down the lowest prices. "Thrifty" is clearly a desirous character trait, but what are the ethics involved in price shopping?

On the positive side shopping for the lowest price may seems like good stewardship, protecting the very resources entrusted to us. We make our family's or our company's dollar stretch.

On the negative side, shopping for the lowest price may challenge some even deeper held values without our realizing it. Here are some examples to think about the next time you begin checking out prices for the best deal.

Does the lowest price represent a decrease in quality?
Does the lowest price indicate a sacrifice of safety?
Does buying at the lowest price sacrifice a valuable relationship with a long-standing vendor?
Is the lowest price attained by use of unfair or abusive labor practices?
Does the lowest price separate you from some of the benefits of warranty, service, availability of parts, etc.?

Ethics is all about asking questions of yourself and your values and how your behavior fits those values. What seems like a "no-brainer" on the surface, may in fact be fraught with all sorts of ethical dilemmas.

Repeat after me, "Buying decisions must be made with an eye toward values and beliefs, as well as price - Starting With Me."

On Adding Value to My Workplace

2009-05-04T08:13:00.003-05:00

There've been a number of blogs lately questioning the ethics of employees using social networking sites at work. I own my business, but it poses a dilemma for me, too.

What if we all asked ourselves this question: "How does my activity bring value to my workplace?" After all, that's why we were hired or that's why we started our businesses. If we were to weigh each of our actions (and our words) against that question, what kind of difference could we be making? What kind of an impact would we have for our customers, co-workers, and our community?

Repeat this, "With every thought, word and deed, my workplace will be improved, Starting With Me." www.startingwithme.com

On Swine Flu in our Homes

2009-04-30T20:36:00.004-05:00

There is a rush on surgical masks. The vice president is advising against frequenting enclosed spaces. Health departments are urging extra care in self-protection with hand washing. If we are vigilant we may yet stave off a pandemic - at least of the H1N1 variety.

But what of the moral pandemic we can't see? Are we being careful to keep our children from ingesting depictions of violence? Are we avoiding following the crowds who have made "business ethics" an oxymoron? Are we aggressively cleansing ourselves of the moral threats that are all around us?

The message about swine flu is clear - we must be proactive, vigilant and alert to prevent harm. The responsibility lies with each one of us.

So, too, with our ethics. We must actively take personal responsibility seriously or risk a pandemic that is far more debilitating than H1N1. Repeat after me: I will defeat the moral threats to my family and community - Starting With Me.

On Controlling Litter

2009-04-20T14:35:00.004-05:00

My absolutely favorite ethics blogger is Chris MacDonald, Ph.D., professor at St. Mary's University in Halifax, Canada. Add him to your must-read list.

His latest blog poses interesting questions about the responsibility for litter and the social contract that exists between buyer, seller and society.

Once more, there is an opportunity for each of us to take personal responsibility. It's as simple as, "Stop littering." If each of us looked seriously at our part in the litter problem and acted on it, litter would be greatly diminished. Of course, not all litter comes from individuals tossing candy wrappers or cigarette butts out of car windows, but we could at least make a difference.

Dispose of your own litter.
Use tamper-proof and wind-proof covers on garbage cans.
Decline the offer of the unneeded receipt or sack.
Clean out your pick-up/boat/trailer/back seat before heading down the road.
Shop retailers that encourage use of your own cup/container/grocery sack, etc.

Litter can be significantly reduced - Starting With Me.

Padding the Bill

2009-04-07T15:29:00.004-05:00

One of my clients was faced with this ethical question. Would he, as a subcontractor, do $500 worth of work for a contractor and pad the bill with an extra $200? Certainly, the contractor wants to mark up the subcontracted work, but is it right to ask the sub for a false bill? What would you do?

Both my client and I agreed, "No." While it is an accepted practice to mark up work and pass it on to the consumer, submitting falsified invoices crosses a line. The key question here is NOT whether charging the end user $200 extra is fair, it is whether lying to achieve an end is fair. If the contractor is not confident enough in his pricing policy to charge the mark up openly, then, I would suggest he is violating some of his own values as a provider.

Once again, openly asking questions about the values behind a situation and the effect on the stakeholders, provides a fairly straight-forward way to evaluate an ethical dilemma.

Fighting the Recession - Ethics Pays

2009-03-31T08:44:00.005-05:00

Add Walgreens to the list of companies who are stepping out and offering free services to people hit hardest by the economic downturn. Small, Main Street businesses, car manufacturers, and remodelers are joining a growing group of socially conscious providers of goods and services that are fighting back.

Oh, yes, there is a self-interest being served in many cases, but it just goes to show: Ethics Pays. Doing the right thing often costs in the short run, but always pays off in the long run. It may or may not be a financial pay off, but these companies will enjoy payback in many ways.

What about us individuals? What can each of us do to counteract the effect of the recession on our neighbors or on strangers? Will this be a time in our nation's history when stories of random acts of kindness will abound? Challenge yourself. Is there a debt you can forgive? Is there a chance to pay for someone else's groceries? Can you begin driving someone to work to help save them gas money?

All these actions help - not only others, but ourselves; and that's okay. Ethics pays. And that's how it was designed to be.

Give Back Part of YOUR Check?

2009-03-26T08:12:00.004-05:00

How much did you make last year? How much did you produce last year?

This blog has always been about challenging ourselves to look at our part in the ethical equation - Starting With Me. So, I try to take a look at daily events, news stories and issues and ask if there's something we can learn about our own values and behavior.

The conversation around the $3 dollar coffee cups right now often focuses on whether the AIG execs should have voluntarily or otherwise returned their bonuses. Turn the question around.

Did you truly earn all of your paycheck this year, last month, yesterday?
Did you commit not only to the company goals but to the common good?
Did you rise above your position's expectations and add value to your product or service?

I challenge all of us to take this pledge: Beginning today, my company is getting full value for the money it pays in salaries and bonuses - Starting With Me.

Governing by Anger

2009-03-24T13:54:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, President Obama indicated he would not support a bill forcing AIG executives to pay a special tax on their bonuses that was being spirited through Congress. His reason was that he did not want to govern by anger. Senators and representatives, having been embarassed by AIG's actions, were trying to "right the wrong" by doing an end run around ethics. Regardless of where you come down on whether AIG execs should have accepted bonuses, the legislature's attempt to take them back is an abuse of power and authority.

I hope that President Obama's stance will send a strong message for discussing the ethics of decision making in government.

Can the Stimulus Package Stimulate Our Ethics?

2009-03-13T20:26:00.007-05:00

The biggest challenge facing President Obama and the Congress is not engaging the clutch that will put our economy into gear, but rather engaging the heart and spirit of Americans in putting the stimulus package to work.

Already we are hearing of behind-the-scenes maneuvering by individuals, companies and local governments to put themselves in position to take advantage of the various incentives to advance their own needs. Homeowners who are current with their mortgages are complaining that those who aren't are getting help. A local county has already figured out how to use stimulus money to pay itself back for something it did two years ago. Corporations are scrambling to reinvent themselves to grab up as many stimulus dollars as they can.

The drive to fulfill self-interests will surely outweigh the intentions of creating something for the greater good, unless we begin asking questions; and that is the stuff of ethics.

Does it serve the common good for me to apply for mortgage relief when I really don't need it?
Does it serve the common good for us to simply refill county coffers rather than create new opportunities for employment?
Does it serve the common good to jump from provision of one set of products and services to another just because there is money there?

I know I'm not smart enough to ask all the questions that need to be asked. And I know the questions I have asked are much more complicated than I have presented. But I am smart enough to know that unless we ask the questions and discuss the answers publicly, we will likely miss the very opportunities President Obama and the Congress are trying to create.

On Loyalty to Your Employer

2009-03-12T09:03:00.001-05:00

We expect a lot from our employers. Fair wages, good benefits, opportunity for growth and development, and a satisfying work environment to name a few. Bur what is our obligation to our employer? What does employee loyalty look like? Caring about the product or service and not just the job. Sticking with the employer even in hard times. Resisting the temptation to job-hop for a few cents more per hour. Acting as an ambassador for the company’s line. Respecting the supervisors and co-workers. Treating the place as we would our own homes. Being good stewards of company property and equipment. Repeat this: Starting with me, loyalty in the workplace will work both ways. I will be supportive of my employer and my fellow employees. For more tips and information, visit www.swimstartingwithme.com.

On Supporting the “Sin Industries”

2009-03-06T10:34:00.001-06:00

There’s a lot of debate in the investment community about supporting so-called “sin industries” – drugs, pornography, prostitution, gambling, etc. That debate is being played out on a large scale in corporations, funds and the stock market, but what about us? Do we support those industries either knowingly or unintentionally? Are we aware of what companies are represented in our mutual funds? Do we know if any of our retirment investements are supporting companies that promote gambling? Do we use products from companies tied to child labor? Do we purchase tickets from entertainment companies that produce pornography? Benign neglect and innocent ignorance are not ethical choices for us. Repeat this: Starting with me, investing will be more than a financial activity; it will reflect solid ethics and family values. I will start asking more questions. For more tips and information, visit www.swimstartingwithme.com.

On Your Personal “Brand Promise”

2009-02-28T11:06:00.001-06:00

In marketing terms, “brand promise” refers to the consistency of quality and experience a customer can expect. A company with a strong brand promise has a clear, definable character in the mind of the customer. What is your personal brand promise? One of the most often used self-descriptors I hear is, “person of integrity.” Integrity and integral come from the same root, which means entire and whole. Does your brand promise extend throughout all your dealings? Do people know what you value by how you act? Is your character consistent? Is their experience with you positive and satisfying? Repeat this: Starting with me, people will be able to depend on my actions being consistent with my beliefs – my personal brand promise. For more tips and information, visit www.swimstartingwithme.com.

On Living Your Values in the Workplace

2009-02-20T14:20:00.001-06:00

Minnesota has been at the center of a number of thorny issues around living our values in the workplace. Cab drivers refusing to carry people who carry alcohol. A grocery checkout refusing to touch meat packaging, and others. While this is a complicated issue, let me suggest a starting place for you and your values. First, choose a job which by its nature is consistent with your values. Second, within that job try to make reasonable accomodations with your employer for your personal beliefs. Third, be willing to pay a price for those accomodations (Such as working every Saturday while others work your Sundays). Finally, respect others, allowing them to act according to their beliefs. Repeat this: Starting with me, the workplace will be more than a job. It will be a part of who I am and what I believe. For more tips and information, visit www.swimstartingwithme.com.

On Abuse of Employee Hours

2009-02-16T15:41:00.002-06:00

There are legitimate, mission-critical reasons for employing part-timers, seasonal employees, etc., but there are many companies who hire and schedule with the express purpose of avoiding paying full-time wages, benefits, raises, bonuses, and so on. It’s easy to see that such practices cheat the employees. But companies that do it are also cheating the consumer because they are using less skilled, experienced and committed employees. They are cheating themselves because they are sacrificing quality, stability, and morale for short term savings. And it cheats the rest of us by flooding the economy with goods and services at unrealistic, untenable prices. Are you one of those companies? Repeat this: Starting with me, I will treat employees as the most important resource my company and industry have for building a future. For more tips and information, visit www.swimstartingwithme.com.