The Moral Dilemma

Question: How would you define the role of personal values/ responsibility in the daily operations of a large corporation?

Response: Corporations are composed of people. The collective personal values of the leadership will be expressed in the way that the company does business. The collective personal values of each employee will be expressed in the way that clients/customers, competitors and vendors interact with it.

Some believe that a corporation stands apart from its employees’ values. I think this is completely incorrect. If the leadership does not demonstrate a high moral ground and integrity, the rest of the organization will lose those employees who do take the high road.

The problem in America today is a lack of strong personal values, integrity, and moral knowledge on the part of much of the leadership of large corporations. This has led to nothing but trouble, whether it be the financial crisis, or the political environment, in which corporations get the best that money can buy. The unbridled pursuit of profits at all costs has resulted in a moral dry-rot that threatens to cause an implosion. (While not directly on topic, one can trace a correlation between a decline in moral and ethical behavior and major depressions over history.)

I believe that each of us in our daily lives must make many decisions. We have the choice of aspiring to be the kind of people that are admired for their integrity, honesty, moral fiber and courage. Or we can go along and sink to the lowest common denominator. Each of us has to make the choice. These choices are made in everything we do, whether it is how we deal with a difficult client/customer, the way we deal with interpersonal issues with associates, or how we choose to spend our time.

I firmly believe that each of us, one little action at a time, can make a difference in our workplaces, our economy, our country and our world. It is our responsibility to ourselves to stand up and do the right thing, all the time; to be true to our integrity, our morals, and to our faith. (OK, so distinguish here between faith and religion… please. Faith is what we believe in, our aspirational principles of living, and our view of the universe in terms of causality.)

Go forth; do the right thing. Make a difference where you work. If you find yourself in an environment which is hostile to goodness, lacking in moral direction, and the antithesis of integrity, get the heck out of there and find a new job. Our courses at CEAnow.org in the area of leadership focus on the imperative of integrity and a good moral compass.