Companies can now put their corporate policies in a version of ChatGPT and let their employees ask questions like “Can I give a bottle of wine to a customer for Christmas?”

So far the results I’ve seen are mediocre at best, and sometimes misleading. But soon the AI will be better and provide correct answers. What does this mean for ethics professionals?

For now, they need to work closely with their digital technology friends to make sure the AI tool is heading in the right direction. Once the tool is able to provide correct, unbiased answers, ethics professionals can use their newfound time for more meaningful work (more meaningful than pointing an employee to section 4.2.11 of the gift policy, where the answer resided all along).

Ethics professionals are not going away anytime soon. It’s not like there is a shortage of business ethics issues to be addressed right now. The more complex and deserving ones often get pushed aside because of the urgency created by an employee who needs a Christmas gift reviewed on December 19. We can let a chatbot take care of that, and focus on questions that require creativity, empathy, and generosity.

People want to fit in.

It’s in our DNA. It ensures our survival. So we do what other people do.

If we don’t see anyone at work actively creating and managing a positive culture, we hesitate to go first.

But if we go first, others might follow. If they do, we’ll create something beautiful together.

If they don’t, it’s a sign that we need to work elsewhere.

First day back at work for 2024.

Will your company culture be the same this year as it was last year?

Will you try to make it better? If so, what will you do differently? What intentional behaviors will you adopt?

The wars, the upcoming elections, AI and ChatGPT – they will all influence your culture, all on their own, and probably not for the best.

Unless you are intentional about making your culture better.

President Lincoln is said to have written many letters in anger, and to never have sent them to the person he was angry with.

If we meditate on our anger, and focus on its physical manifestations, all of it often dissolve rather quickly.

Anger is simply an elevated heart rate and a troubled mind. Who can make good decisions in such a state?

Whether we are a parent or a manager or a politician or a general, let us be mindful of our state today.

Cultural differences sometimes create compliance problems.

The only way to truly solve that compliance problem is to truly understand the cultural difference.

How much effort are we willing to exert to understand another’s culture?

A direct flight from New York to Charlotte can be more expensive than a longer flight from New York to Miami that stops in Charlotte.

It only makes sense if you understand that flight distance is only one price factor. For example, airlines charge travelers more for the convenience of a direct flight, just because they can. They also charge more for less-travelled routes and routes with less competition, just because they can.

So I find it ironic that airlines are now attacking passengers that engage in skiplagging – and the websites that facilitate the practice. If they want their passengers to be “fair” with them, perhaps the airlines should behave accordingly.

Most companies have zero tolerance for certain violations.

But what does zero tolerance mean? You might be surprised to learn that most employees (and many ethics professionals) believe it means that the offender faces certain termination.

In fact, zero tolerance simply means that the offender will not go unpunished. The punishment could be a demotion, or a suspension, or a written warning. It could also be termination, but that is not the only possible outcome.

If your company uses the expression “zero tolerance” in its code of conduct or in a policy, consider explaining its meaning to your employees.

Too many leaders look for a simple solution to their cultural problem.

There is no simple solution.

Culture emerges from every single behavior of every single employee.

We get what we tolerate. And what we ignore.

Managing culture requires that we make it a priority and maintain a relentless focus. A focus on how we hire, fire, promote, compensate, greet, celebrate, talk to each other. It’s complex, contextual, nuanced.

It requires caring.