Every day we face challenges and none are more formidable than testing the strength of our ethics. Whether in our personal or business lives, ethics describes our human conduct and specifically recognizing the difference between what is right or wrong. The biggest temptations often come in the smallest sizes offering us choices. My friend Leslie Sekerka, Professor of […]

We all have expectations and just maybe that bar is too high. Why do people whip themselves into a frenzy regarding how others should be? I don’t have the succinct and clear answer for you. “When expectations are high it is an invitation for heartbreak and disappointment.” The American writer Laura Ingalls Wilder said, “Persons appear to […]

Regardless of the industry, winning teams are glued together by values. You can hire the best talent, throw gobs of money at them, and provide all sorts of freedoms. Yet, without a core set of values that act like super glue the chances of any team holding together very long and succeeding is slim to none. What seems […]

Human conduct can infinitely improve if we are conscious of our words and corresponding deeds. There are few places where this places out more than daily human interaction and the civility in play. Unfortunately, at a local convenience store a few blocks from home I witnessed human conduct at its worst. Having pumped gas at one of the […]

We all have to take stock and measure conduct in our personal and business lives. That means being responsible and accountable every day. I have many heroes from yesterday and present that command serious attention in my life. One of my favorites is Saint Joan of Arc. She elaborated on this subject in a clear and thoughtful […]

There are many ways to build ethical cultures and they deserve to identified and discussed. Due to the sheer magnitude and scope of what constitutes an ethical culture and the processes/initiatives/training that need to be fully in play, I thought we could start outlining some important areas that are relevant for all of us. Consider the following: 1) Have […]

I have a simple theory that is tested and personally experienced: you cannot have business ethics without personal ethics in place. While sounding logical and simple, the challenges facing Ethics and Compliance leaders are nothing but that. In fact, creating values based cultures that are honest, accountable, and responsible is akin to learning how to pole vault. The barriers are high […]

Every whistle blowing program I have seen has cracks, fissures, and ethical crevices. When I started my business career thirty seven years ago, whistle blowing programs simply did not exist. If you had first hand witnessed conduct that was not ethical or rose to an illegal act, the normal course was talk to your boss and or contact a […]

Can ethical values provide organizations with true differentiation? It is tougher and tougher by industry to determine true differentiation of products and support services. In the brick and mortar retail sector what real differentiation is there? In the banking sector what real differentiation is there? In the transportation industry what real differentiation is there? In […]

How many shortcuts have you taken personally or in your business lives that proved to be beneficial? I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota; land of road construction where many projects are in full bloom from early April to the end of October. On the way to a meeting last week, three lanes were condensed down to […]