“Meditate often on the interconnectedness and mutual interdependence of all things in the universe. For in a sense, all things are mutually woven together and therefore have an affinity for each other – for one thing follows after another according to their tension of movement, their sympathetic stirrings, and the unity of all substance.”
– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.38
This quote is from today’s entry in The Daily Stoic. Ryan Holiday, the author, follows with an observation from Anne Lamott that “all writers are little rivers running into a lake”. He offers that what is true for writers is also true in many industries, “though sadly, even inside the same company, people selfishly forget they’re working together.”
Many ethics & compliance professionals experience this disconnect within their organization. Who among us hasn’t complained about HR’s secrecy, or neglected to partner with Learning & Development? One day we think we can go at it alone and the other we’re frustrated by Operations ignoring us.
Perhaps today we would do well to ask, at the outset of a task or project, “Who else is affected by my work?” For certainly we will start a chain reaction that will go full circle and affect us sooner or later.
The Ethical Leader 