One and done?

Which is more effective? A business school that offers a separate business ethics class or one where business ethics is weaved into every topic of every class?

The answer is obvious.

Similarly, an organization that provides an annual business ethics training session is not nearly as strong as one where leaders share the ethical considerations of every decision.

As a leader, you will make at least one decision today. That decision will either be in line with your organization’s values or it won’t. Talk about it with your team.

And then do it again tomorrow.

That donut sure looks yummy

We all know someone who carries an unhealthy amount of excess weight. Despite all the warnings from the media, doctors and loved ones, they don’t change their habits. And then, inevitably, a health crisis hits and they are forced to change.

A similar thing happens in an organization with a poor culture. Despite all the warnings from the media, ethics officers and employees, they don’t change how they do things. And then, inevitably, a compliance crisis hits and they are forced to change.

Yes, that jelly donut looks yummy. Yes, that jerk of a CEO drives profit.

Is it our life’s mission to eat donuts or promote jerks?

Surely we can do better.

The only constant

You worked hard to create your Code of Conduct, your policies, your training, your controls, and your investigative and disciplinary guidelines.

But yesterday the world changed.

Oh, it was nothing big like 9/11 or Enron. It wasn’t a festering issue suddenly emerging on social media like #metoo or #okboomer.

But the world changed.

Were you paying attention? Because now you need to change your program accordingly. And do so while the world is changing, again.

Find the others

Seth Godin often encourages us to “find the others.”

If we want to do something significant, we can rarely do it on our own. Changing the culture at work, for example, is not something that any single individual can do on her own, not even if she’s the CEO.

We need to find the others. Not just a supporting boss, but others in different departments, functions, countries and companies. We need to share a clear vision* and mission with others and welcome those with whom it resonates.

How many do we need? As long as the change we seek is yet to be, we need more.

* I define vision as “what the world will look like when the mission is accomplished.”

Ethical answers are in your pen (or keyboard)

I met with a small class of 7th graders yesterday to discuss ethics.

One student shared that when she does something wrong at home, she often writes an apology letter at night and leaves it on her parents’ bed before going to sleep.

It reminded me of the power of putting thoughts to paper. Not only after an event but also before we take action. There is magic in writing things down. What we know to be true surfaces.

When you face your next ethical dilemma, consider writing about it. Privately or publicly. The truth will more readily show itself.

Assume positive intent

As a native French speaker, the words “enfant” and “enfance” stir much stronger emotions in me than their English equivalents “child” and “childhood”.

I am told that in Thai, there are eight different words that can be used for the English word “ethics”, yet none of them have the exact same meaning as the English word.

In some cultures, yellow is a sign of bravery. In others, a sign of treason.

Communicating clearly is very difficult. When we create compliance policies, ethics training, posters and other materials, things get lost in translation. Mistakes are made unknowingly. Confusion emerges from subconscious levels.

Employees and management must recognize this reality and face it with humility and kindness. Let’s give each other the benefit of the doubt and assume positive intent.

Do your employees know that you care about ethics & compliance?

As a leader, do you wish you were more visible and vocal about the importance of ethics and compliance, if only to show your team how important it is to you?

You simply need to create a new habit. Make a chart and leave it where you can see it all day. Let it be a reminder that you want to say something at a meeting or in an email that will demonstrate your commitment to do the right thing. When you send that message, mark your chart.

Aim to do this every day if you can, but no less than 3 times a week. Do it for a month or two, and you won’t need the chart anymore. Not only will you do it out of habit, everyone else in your organization will start shifting under your leadership.

Are you keeping up?

How long ago did you get your job?

If it’s been more than 5 years, have you thought about what new risks and skills you need to focus on?

What do you know about cybersecurity? About privacy laws in Europe and in California? About the #metoo movement? About AI? About working with a remote workforce? About the gig economy?

Can you dedicate 15 minutes each day to learning about these new trends? It’s just one article a day but it adds up to over 90 hours of learning each year. We no longer live in a world where compliance requirements are stable from one year to the next. All E&C professionals must be lifelong learners.

What was the last thing you said?

Last night, a politician won his election by a narrow margin. The night before, the President of the United States had visited the politician’s district to show support. The visit is credited by many as responsible for the win.

In the workplace, many employees make decisions based on the last message they heard from leadership. Was it a message about making the numbers or was it about quality? Was it about shipping on time or about safety?

How visible and vocal is your leadership about the importance of ethics & compliance?

Are you ready to report?

Seneca recommended that we practice poverty in case we became poor.

Soldiers sweat in times of peace so they bleed less in times of war.

Likewise, employees should practice reporting wrongdoing before there is anything to report. The ethical leader should gather her team and periodically ask: “If you noticed [blank], how would you report it?” This is easy to do. Just look at this morning’s headlines to identify some corporate wrongdoing to discuss with your team.

As Mary Gentile described in her book Giving Voice to Values, people who observe wrongdoing know what to do but they struggle with the how. Who should I report this wrongdoing to? When? What should I say? Should I go alone or bring someone with me? It can all be confusing and paralyzing.

A well-trained soldier does not paralyze on the battlefield.