Each of us is ultimately responsible for our own actions. Although in today’s business world, I imagine many skeptics would take exception to that statement because there is evidence that people are not held accountable for their actions, even when they are unethical. And even more disturbing, some are even rewarded for unethical actions. Each of us makes a choice to act ethically or to act unethically.
It is essential that we know what is ethical and what is unethical. But, more challenging and difficult than knowing what is ethical, is knowing what is right and then doing what is right. Always doing the right thing is required for long-term success in your business and personal lives. So what advice and guidance are available to check if the action is right before implementing a decision to act? Well, your strategic thinking business coach has a set of questions to provide guidance to you for ethical decisions and actions.
My advice as a strategic thinking business coach is to ask the following ten (10) questions about any action and idea you are contemplating. And if you cannot answer yes to any of these questions, then you must develop an alternate strategy or seek advice and counsel from others.
+ Is the idea or action congruent with your core values and guiding principles of your business life and personal life?
+ Is the idea or action legal?
+ Will the idea or action be fair to all concerned?
+ Will the idea or action pass the Golden Rule test (Do Unto Others Test)?
+ Would the idea or action stand up to a critical public review if brought out into the open?
+ Will the benefits of the idea or action exceed the costs?
+ Does the idea or action comply with your company or organization’s rules and regulations?
+ Will you feel comfortable and without any feelings of guilt if you follow through on the idea or action?
+ Does the idea or action meet stated goals and objectives?
+ Would the most ethical person I know follow through on the idea or action?
These are very practical and useful questions to test your ideas and actions. You may develop other questions and add them to the list. If you use these questions to test your ideas and actions and remember that acting ethically is a requirement in everything you do, you will greatly increase your potential to be very ethical and successful.
If you would like to learn more about the importance of business ethics in your business and how to foster an environment of ethical behavior, please contact Glenn Ebersole today through his website at http://www.businesscoach4u.com or by email at jgecoach@aol.com
J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr. is a multi-faceted professional, who is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of business coaching, marketing, public relations, management, strategic planning and engineering. Glenn is the Founder and Chief Executive of two Lancaster, PA based consulting practices: The Renaissance Group, a creative marketing, public relations, strategic planning and business development consulting firm and J. G. Ebersole Associates, an independent professional engineering, marketing, and management consulting firm. He is a Certified Facilitator and serves as a business coach and a strategic planning facilitator and consultant to a diverse list of clients. Glenn is also the author of a monthly newsletter, “Glenn’s Guiding Lines – Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach” and has published more than 275 articles on business.