Do you remember playing games as a child when you made up the rules as you went along? Those rules that evolved on such short-notice often proved to be a source of contention!
Likewise, for leaders at work. When people decide to disregard their moral compass as the official business handbook, they begin to make up the rules as they go. Anything can happen, and the situation frequently proves to be a source of conflict.
Since the rash of high-profile cases from plagiarism to insider trading, attention has been focused on business ethics. But business morality — or the lack thereof — is nothing new. Dwight Eisenhower observed back in his day, “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”
Dennis- the scenario you are presenting is common in organizations where leaders have not invested the time to create a set of values or a code of conduct, with “buy in” from their staff. These values must be lived every day and reinforced regularly. There must be a zero tolerance policy for those who choose not to live them.
Barbara Brooks Kimmel
Executive Director, Trust Across America-Trust Around the World
Zero tolerance, indeed. Thanks for weighing in here Barbara!