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. […]

Has anything slowed down in your business lately? The pressure to drive sales, reduce costs, and be more efficient has only accelerated and it places our personal ethics in harms way. The competitive landscape is no doubt harsh and workers are asked to do more with less. If you are a large company with multiple […]

Most compliance efforts involving ethics typically focus on standards, regulations, and specific laws. One of the key components is centered on sanctions and punishments. An ethics approach focuses on our moral codes and the applications to these issues. Laws and regulations set down explicit rules, and are enforceable by the power of the state, federal […]

How can we determine what the right and ethical thing to do is without a moral code to guide us? The answer is we can’t and shortcuts inevitably will lead to ethical lapses. There are many organizations and companies that deem it important to put on their websites and in other written communications what their […]

I am no expert on FCPA matters although was a former Managing Director for the Americas of an international UK based computer networking company. With operations in twelve countries, I recall many online and offline discussions involving ethics and best practices, some that took place in board meetings about how to do business the right way. […]

How do we achieve a balanced life without the right personal ethics? The answer is we cannot as our morals, values, and principles provide the foundation of who we are and how we act. For some continuing reason in corporate America, many business executives believe they are entitled to certain rights, privileges, and benefits that […]

  Last week my oldest son and I travelled to Minnesota State University located 75 miles southwest of Minneapolis to discuss with undergraduate students my story of corporate wrongdoing and why personal ethics is invaluable. One of the most important themes I stressed is the following: write a short purpose statement about yourself that includes […]

Is there a danger in justifying shortcuts and then rationalizing them in our personal ethics? The answer is absolutely and I have personally done this many times in my life. The smallest shortcuts that we rationalize or justify are likely to repeat themselves. This is not only a dangerous, but can morph into ignoring our personal […]

How much religion should there be in the workplace and can this develop and increase personal ethics? The answer to this question is not an easy one and certainly has at least two parts to it. Perhaps the first answer is simply this. Every individual’s religious views and beliefs in the workplace should be respected, […]