Originally written for my ethics and entrepreneur class, I decided I thought it was worth sharing :) Enjoy.
While successful business ownership is built by the hard
work of many, it truly begins with the ethics and values of one. So many new
business owners overlook the important step of personal development and
defining their own code of ethics, and too often it comes back as a lesson that
can cost them both personally and professionally. Throughout the first half of
this class, there has been a large emphasis on the importance of knowing
thyself and being able to observe that which defines one’s decision making. In
the internal struggle between right versus wrong, good decisions versus poor
ones, those who don’t have a clear representation of what their personal
ethical values are will allow circumstance to dictate their actions. This can
lead to poor decision making, and often leave one with feeling as though they
have compromised themselves in the process.
Personal ethics are a large part of what ends up becoming
business culture. They change and evolve with the person who constructs them,
ever molding into something that one would hope would be better than before.
With knowledge, responsibility, and experience come a whole new set of
standards and values. Maintaining personal ethics is an ongoing process that
must be re-evaluated on a regular basis because our lives are ever changing. We
are constantly receiving new input, experiences, feelings, thoughts, and
reactions. We have relationships that change, grow, or diminish and the
associated lessons that come along with each. Throughout this process we call life,
our personal ethics are constantly being called into question and challenged by
ourselves and others. We can choose to hold fast to these ethics, change them,
update them, or let them go as we see fit.
Many people never stop to question what it is they really
believe in. They have a general idea, but don’t have a concrete grasp of what
it is that make them who they are. They know that there are certain things that
they like or dislike, want or don’t want, but don’t know anything about the
blueprint of their character that shapes everything they do. They don’t take
the time to understand their successes or failures, and ask themselves what
they can do to up their life fulfillment quotient. Often people will invest in
new cars, new clothes, or other material items that they think are going to
make them successful, but far fewer make the best investment they could ever
make to impact their life: themselves. Personal ethics and personal development
as a whole have a lot to offer when it comes to getting where one wants to go. While
they are not tools that are easy to use because they force one to ask
themselves the hard questions that can sometimes be difficult to answer, they
are valuable beyond measure. They are the flashlight shined on the monsters
under the bed, the guiding light to bring the ship ashore.
The
bedrock of both personal and professional ethics must be solid and well defined
with ingredients that are engineered for success. What I believe to be the best
foundation for any personal code of ethics and a great value for business
culture is integrity. The dictionary defines integrity as:
“Adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character;
honesty; the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished; a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition.”
While that definition gives a basis for
understanding, integrity is so much more than a few words on a page or a
buzzword to be thrown around to feel good about one’s character. Integrity is a
lifestyle. It is walking the walk when others want to talk the talk. It is
about being dependable, reliable, a person of your word. It is about acting in
the same caliber you would in a room full of people, when no one is watching.
Integrity is doing the right thing, standing up for what you believe in, and
doing so with honor, honesty, and pride. The great philosopher Immanuel Kant
said it best when it comes to a guideline for integrity and personal ethics as
a whole when he wrote his categorical imperative. His rule? "Act only according to that maxim whereby
you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law without
contradiction.” If one should act at all times as though what they do will
become a universal law and all people from that moment would act as they do in
the same situation, they would quickly find that which they find ethically
valuable.
In business, the values
of those who create it make a huge impact on the company’s culture. Personal
ethics quickly translate to the overall message and face of the business in
numerous ways, and become the foundation by which the business will crumble or flourish.
While it is impossible to know exactly what to do in each and every ethical
decision that will be faced, by establishing a strong framework of ethics a
compass is created that will guide one through any tough situation. This is
important for the culture of any company, big or small. If the owner and the
employees know what the company values, and it is communicated in a way where
there is no grey area to the ethical beliefs of the business, employees can be
empowered to make sound decisions that will benefit all involved.
Few
business owners realize that not only is their ethical groundwork shaping their
business, but their employees as well. A large portion of life is dedicated to
work, and the work environment shapes and molds individuals that work within
its walls both personally and professionally. Strong company ethics become
engrained in the person, and translate into their life outside the business.
Their decisions both on the clock and off become a reflection of the kind of
ethics they deal with the most. It impacts their confidence, their character,
and their own standards by which they hold the other people in their lives.
Ethics is like a large boulder hurled into a lake: the splash and subsequent
ripples reach far beyond the break in the water’s surface. This is why it is so
important to be well established in strong ethical code… it affects everyone
that comes in contact with the source.
There will always be an
ethical decision to face, a hardship to confront, or stand to be made. Such decisions
will affect one’s character, relationships, business, and all of those who
depend on them. While all of the world’s wrongs cannot be undone with a snap of
the fingers, change begins in one place that can reverberate to stretches far
beyond that which can be imagined. One person acting kindly, ethically, and
justly can change the face of business and the lives of all whom that business
touches. It can make all the difference the world needs. And it just starts
with one.
