Ethics and 6 Words You Need to Know

Written by Judy W Bell on April 26, 2010. Posted in Ethics

In how many ways can we refer to ethics?  Keeping ethics in the forefront of our lives and businesses does help keep it alive.  And keeping ethics alive in today’s times is both important and noble.  How many Ponzi schemes have been uncovered in the last few years?   Worse still, how many have yet to be uncovered?  How often can regulators turn their heads away from irregular transactions and unethical behavior before our financial ecosystem completely collapses?

Let’s take a look at some of the words associated with ethics:
Integrity: There are no shades of gray here.  We may be “generally” people of integrity, but within any particular circumstance, we either have integrity or we do not.

Morals: Morals are not to be confused with integrity.  They are codes that a group consider acceptable of its members.  These codes generally shift within various religious groups or cultural beliefs.

Principles: A guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct.

Character: Character comes from the frequency with which we adhere to our principles.

Rules: Rules have a place and value but cannot compensate for a lack of integrity.  One’s overemphasis on “rules” actually stifles integrity.

Truthiness: Truth that comes from the gut, not the books.

Ask yourself how well you place on the ethics continuum.  Integrity, emotional maturity, and great leadership are inseparable.

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Judy W Bell

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Tags: Character, Ethical Leadership, Ethics, Integrity, Judy W Bell, Morals, Truthiness