ethics pal2007 08 show
TRANSCRIPT
A Discussion of Ethics for the Association ExecutiveTallahassee Society of Association Executives2007-2008 Professional Association Leadership ProgramSeptember 19, 2007
Ethics1 …the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation2 a : a set of moral principles : a theory or system of moral values <the present-day materialistic ethic> <an old-fashioned work ethic> -- …b plural but singular or plural in construction : the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group <professional ethics> …
Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere.
G.K. Chesterton
What is it right (or wrong) to do? Do the intentions behind an action
determine its goodness or does the actual outcome of the action
matter more?Are there any universal ethical rules?
Are ethics culturally based?
Why Have the Discussion?
The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the
conduct of one hour.Japanese proverb
Smithsonian Head's Expenses 'Lavish,' Audit SaysBoard Calls Small's Charges 'Reasonable'By James V. GrimaldiWashington Post Staff WriterSunday, February 25, 2007; A01
Lawrence M. Small, the top official at the Smithsonian Institution, accumulated nearly $90,000 in unauthorized expenses from 2000 to 2005, including charges for chartered jet travel, his wife's trip to Cambodia, hotel rooms, luxury car service, catered staff meals and expensive gifts, according to confidential findings by the Smithsonian inspector general.…
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the
laws. Plato
Nearly a third (31 percent) of U.S. workers have witnessed co-workers engage in ethical misconduct, according to a Hudson survey on workplace ethics. However, only half (52
percent) of those witnessing unethical or illegal acts reported it to anyone in authority.
Hudson Survey, October 2005
The pursuit of truth will set you free — even if you never catch up with it.
—Clarence Darrow, American lawyer (1857-1938)
The Cost of Unethical Behavior
According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, a typical organization loses 5% of its annual revenues to fraud.The estimated 06 US Gross Domestic Product is $13.037 trillion. If we multiply that figure by 5%, the result would be roughly $652 billion lost to fraud.What is 5% of your association’s budget?
$5,000 $15,000 $75,000
To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to
society. Theodore Roosevelt
With whom might you face ethical conflicts?
Association Staff
Members
Board Members
Vendors and Suppliers
Colleagues
Others?
How do you make the decision?
The Utilitarian Approach: What
action will result in the most good and
the least harm? The Rights
Approach: What action will respect individual dignity
and a person’s right to live as they
choose?
The Fairness or Justice Approach: Which action treats everyone the same way and does not show favoritism or
discrimination? The Common Good
Approach: Which course of action
advances the common good? The Virtue
Approach: How will I feel with this
decision? Will others be inspired toward
virtue?
Use your network—personal, professional, or religious
How will you feel when you look in the mirror?
When it makes the news, what will the headline say?
What does that member sitting on your shoulder say?
“Values are like fingerprints. Nobody's are the same, but you
leave 'em all over everything you do.Elvis Presley
Will the organization be better in the long-term as a result of your decision?
How much of your ego is involved in the decision?
Regardless of the reasoning, how will it be perceived?
Can you defend the decision without reservation?
Resources on the Web
Ethics Resource Center has a great Ethics Toolkit: http://www.ethics.org/The Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions (CSEP) at the Illinois Institute of Technology : http://www.iit.edu/departments/csep/Ethics Point for help creating an ethics program: http://www.ethicspoint.com/en/default.asp
For inspiration: The Giraffe Heroes Project (recognizes people sticking their necks out): http://www.giraffe.org/
BoardSource: http://www.boardsource.org/
Scenarios
Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be
without one, be without strategy.
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf