As business leaders we all have targets on our backs. It seems you can’t listen to the news without hearing about some government, sports, business, or religious leader someone is trying to defame. Even as owners and senior managers of small companies we are targets. People watch the things we do very closely and are quick to offer judgment. This is something from which none of us are immune.
The question is—do we have a responsibility as business leaders to act nobly on and off the clock? Do we have an obligation to be upstanding members of society simply because of the position we hold in business? Or is it for selfish reasons that we choose to act appropriately, knowing the negative impact inappropriate behavior would have on our companies?
Chuck Violand
In today’s 21st century work environment managers and leaders are faced with much more complex issues than we ever thought possible just a few short years ago. One thought provoking topic centers around whether employers have the moral and ethical ‘right’ to restrict certain behaviors both on and off the job. Should employers be concerned about and attempt to address employees who participate in dangerous/high risk hobbies? What about freedoms of speech and expression and other protected civil liberties? How about health issues such as obesity or smoking that could lead to increased health care costs? The question I am posing here is this: Do employers have legitimate business reasons for attempting to limit or abridge certain “activities and/or behaviors” on the part of their employees? Your thoughts, comments and feelings would be appreciated.
Scott Tackett
With all the corporate scandals in the news over the past several years, it got me thinking about one company whose name has not appeared...UPS. Why? Simply put - because UPS sees ethics as a primary part of achieving a competitive advantage with customers...and as an aid in attracting and retaining employees. They have taken a number of actions to “lead with integrity” and place a daily emphasis on ensuring corporate integrity and ethical behavior. The determinate of ethical behavior is the organizational culture… it’s how things are done at UPS.
Many managers think of ethics as a personal sense of right and wrong; a confidential matter between individuals and their consciences. Some managers may even think that employees’ misdeeds have nothing to do with the company; that it’s not a management issue. Wrong! Ethics and ethical behavior is as much an organizational issue as a personal issue.
The other side of this is that many managers rush to implement a compliance approach in hopes that having standards in place will help them get through the day without being indicted.
Neither view is acceptable in my opinion.
As effective leaders we must help guide and coach our employees so that everyone (including you) looks at the needs of the customers (internal and external), suppliers, the company and the community when making decisions. Leaders, like those at UPS, define morality and the “right” or acceptable standard of behavior and never, ever waiver from that position.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said “As long as there is poverty in the world, I can never be rich… As long as diseases are rampant, I can never be healthy... I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.”
Think about it.
Scott Tackett
RSS Feed