In my book Make an Ethical Difference I use the following quote: The master knows the rules without suffering them; the slave suffers the rules without knowing them.”
The Biggest Ethical Mistake
October 5, 2014 — MarkI was recently asked to write something on the biggest ethical mistakes made by CEOs. There are a lot to choose from so this took some thinking.
And the winner is: Judging information you receive by the person who delivers it. I know of no ethical fiascoes, including Enron, that did not have clear warning signs. Somehow these signs were ignored – and not without reason. The information that enables a CEO to prevent an ethical crisis often comes from individuals who are afraid of taking any risks, whine about everything, and have a chip on their shoulder. I have just described one type of whistle blower. Really sharp CEOs ignore the source and act on the information, often at the objection of the top tier of their management. An ethical CEO is always asking, what if this information, although from a questionable source, is true? Would I gamble the future of the company on it not being true?
Getting Fired
September 7, 2014 — MarkEver more frequently, I learn about compliance officers losing their jobs, mainly because they were doing them. A lot of organizations have a compliance officer because they know they are supposed to. But they would really be happier if the compliance officer cashed their paycheck and stayed out of the way. This is confirmed by the fact that the compliance officers being fired are not the dregs but often among the best in the business. Compliance officers are not always adept at organizational politics and tend not to be assertive on their own behalf. But this is a job where you have to get a contract for at least three years. You owe this to yourself and those who depend on you. I know that asking for a contract may seem extreme, but you don’t answer the phone where I work.
On Line Ethics Course
August 23, 2014 — MarkOne of the most popular topics in my writing and speaking is how to influence ethically. I am pleased that SoundviewPro, which is the same company that does Executive Book Summaries, has made available a full video-based course titled “Influence with Ethics.” The course consists of four separate classes each built around practical tools for being effective at influencing with ethics. You can preview the course at https://www.soundviewpro.com/online-courses/_/influence-with-ethics/. Be sure to let me know if the course helps you and how it can be improved.
Influence with Ethics
June 29, 2014 — MarkI recently had a chance to do a webinar for a company called Soundview. Soundview is famous for its its Executive Book Summaries.
The topic is how to influence people with ethics. The key theme is that most books and talks on influence teach you how to manipulate people. Manipulating people has a “rebound effect” when people realize that they have been manipulated. When you influence with ethics, there is no rebound effect. In fact, when you influence someone with ethics, you are building a foundation for your future efforts to influence them. So the webinar definitely talks about how to become an effective source of influence, but it emphasizes the advantages of taking an ethical approach to influence.
You can attend the webinar online at http://tinyurl.com/o7yy9fp.
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Mark Pastin 