Nobody can claim they have their arms around human conduct, but we certainly can teach at all levels why the construction of our moral compasses is a mandatory exercise in ethical self-awareness and revelation. Who are we, what do we stand for, and what we believe in are key questions for all of us to […]

The morals, principles, and values that any organization designs and the ethical reporting systems they deploy in good theory should be self-policing. Every employee has to have equal input, be accountable, be ethical, and take ownership of problems. These are the components that build strong foundations; they represent the highest standards for conduct and they precede […]

There are ethical people out there and they are in the majority by my counting. Whatever the number is or the percentages, we need a lot more of them because American businesses are largely dysfunctional when it comes to how we hire people, how we train, and how we treat each other. We just aren’t […]

You might ask yourselves just what do personal ethics and the three wise monkeys have in common? The answer just may be more than you think. Sometimes referred to as the three mystic apes, they are a pictorial saying of see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil. In any organization or business […]

Poor personal ethics and entitlement seem to go hand in hand like dirt and germs. More often than not, even warm water and soap can’t scrub them away. It has been my observation and experience that poor personal ethics breeds entitlement. When individuals have a sense of entitlement, they will rationalize and justify the smallest […]

Personal ethics: The basic principles and values that govern interactions among  individuals. For those of us who have been leaders in business or otherwise, it is essential that we understand our personal ethics and what our job is. Very simply stated, it is to teach, enrich, and develop others to be successful. It can’t be […]

How do you teach personal ethics and values to young people? If you are an experienced business person like me and someone who has crossed the line taking shortcuts in the corporate world, you volunteer your time and share your experiences. Several weeks ago, I was invited by a local high school in the Minneapolis […]

On July 31, 2009 my wife and two teenage boys drove me to the Federal Prison Camp in Duluth, Minnesota to start a one year and one day prison sentence for committing mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering against a multi-billion dollar computer manufacturer. My faith and personal ethics were put to the test. […]