Whatever happened to business ethics?
Call me old fashioned but have business ethics changed or have the liars and cheats always been with us but through the media they are just more visible? The indomitable Ruth Badger of the Apprentice when asked if she would lie on a CV replied ‘sure I would.’ My esteem for the super sales woman dropped in an instant.At a more serious level, the corporate world is littered with senior management who not only lied and flaunted the law but caused mayhem with the lives of their hard working staff. For me, trust is an essential element of doing business. Without it you might as well not bother.
I have always worked on the premise that before you open a door you never know who will be sitting at the desk on the other side. Names you remember vaguely or had forgotten entirely have a nasty habit of materialising from the past. If your history with them was not positive their impact can be very painful. If you have never done anyone down or cheated in the business process you have no fear of this ever happening to you. Honesty has always been the best policy. It also ensures you get a good night’s sleep. In my view business is stressing enough without the added worry of what you might have done in the past effecting the quality of your future.
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May 28th, 2007 at 7:27 am
I have the feeling that in the increasing competitive business world today behaviour standards are dropping. It is very sad because as you rightly say trust is very important. Once that trust has been broken there is no way back and instead of a little gain with the original lie you loose a lot.
June 13th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I think people have always been this way, we’re just more exposed to them today via the global media and reality TV.
November 13th, 2007 at 11:41 am
I have first hand experience of those who cheat as a means to make money, unfortunately at a time when I was most vulnerable. However I believe that most people are basicly honest and if the only defence against the sharks is not to go swimming then I’ll just have to take my chances as I enjoy getting wet so much.
October 18th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
“For me, trust is an essential element of doing business.”
I just wanted to elaborate on this comment. Stephen M. R. Covey (The son of Stephen R Covey, venerable author of ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’) says trust can either be a tax or a dividend.
The following two statements show how this is the case.
“When trust is low, speed goes down and cost goes up” - this is a tax.
“When trust is high, speed goes up and cost goes down” - this is a dividend.
When I first heard this from Stephen M R Covey, this made perfect sense. The only question left to ask is, “do you want a tax or a dividend for your business?”