Is
there a cost in “doing the right thing??”...
E.O. Wilson once said, “If those committed to the quest fail, they will be
forgiven. When lost, they will find another way. The moral imperative of
humanism is the endeavour alone, whether successful or not, provided the effort
is honourable and failure memorable.” It’s an agreeable point that those
“committed” should carry a moral imperative and thus are influenced by
honourable behaviour in the execution of their duties. In my view, this concept
extends well beyond team leaders and manager to us all.
So, how does a moral imperative influence individuals,
groups, cultures and companies? Its an open question for further consideration
but In my view, it simply acts as a ruler for good behaviour highlighting bad
behaviour when it occurs. We can be very quick to criticise our leaders and in
some cases, the criticism is very warranted. However, its never all their fault
despite how it may seem so what overt
lessons do we take from their behaviour and apply in our own lives?
Outlook determines how we govern ourselves. If we claim to do
the right thing considering the consequences of our actions on those around us,
then our outlook will accordingly lend to decisions based on an outward looking
viewpoint. This may place the individual at a disadvantage in the shorter term
for just doing the right thing. However, the longer-term benefits are
undeniable when a committed individual moves beyond short-term loss to
longer-term gains.
Values determine
the content of our moral imperative. If we believe in a sustainable future that
is community based where our common success today will dictate the type of
future for our children’s children, then our values will be more circumspect,
social and interdependent in nature. They will also allow us to be more
insightful as the power of people is engaged more readily through the values we
carry in ourselves that drives our behaviour towards others.
Endeavour to embrace the vision of the enterprise, whether it
is in short-term projects or long-term plans growing the business into a multi
national giant of its time. When thinking about this, think about the moral
imperative and how does good behaviour influence the company lifecycle. Does it
take a longer to reach a more sustainable plateau of operational performance
when doing the right thing? Is this agreeable with management and colleagues
alike?
Results are
important and sustainable results are the consequence of a sustainable business
model being run by a management group that respects the moral imperative,
making sure their people are equipped and supported in an informed manner to
make their company great over time. Do results solely dictate how business is
done or does the business dictate what results are possible? There is little
time for “doing the right thing” if a business is doggedly driven to achieve
unsustainable results at any cost. The cost over time will always outweigh the
gain in the short-term acquiescence of unrealistic targets.
Turnover of staff can kill a business very fast. Many consider
finance to be the king of business success, which is not the case. People are
the king of business success from ideas to engineering to process to daily
operations; people make or break a business. People nowadays don’t leave
companies; they leave bad managers, so why not think about employee CHURN as a
key metric in how culture, practice and vision are married in a tripartite
chemistry defining the working environment for staff. Genuinely engage your
staff and they will engage you! Profit will follow and continue to do so where
leaders do the right thing and exercise the moral imperative.
So, to be O.V.E.R.T. is not
only the right thing do so, its is the decree of the better professional who
places the welfare of their company, their colleagues and their customers over
their own knowing a better future for them lies in the success of the whole
rather then any individual part. They give themselves over to the common
success rather then taking short-term success for themselves at the expense of
the company and/or their colleagues to their left and the right. When we do the
right thing in business and in life, we notice the moral imperative is
something others tell us about and we just do…
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Moral imperatives and honorable behaviors are not universal constants. Although I agree with your general sentiments and support high ethics in business, I think it a slippery slope to dictate moral imperatives. One's morality and imperatives vary greatly by religion, philosophy, political views, nationality, social status, income bracket, and many more factors.
ReplyDeleteGreat comments Ed, which is why I posted the article. The slope is only slippery if you tell people how and what they should be doing to be "moral". The moral imperative incorporates the grand diversity of all cultures, beliefs, etc out there and installs a simple value which is to be brave and "do the right thing". Nobody is above or beyond doing the right thing, and I think its high time the message got out there (again)! As the article articulates, one's effectiveness in incorporating the moral imperative (aka "doing the right thing") into one's business and life varies by person and a host of other factors which you hit on. All that said, I believe if you do the right thing in balance with the world around you and within you, then you can only enrich and make better your life and the lives of those around you in the longer term.. even if it comes at a shorter term cost.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the further insights, John. I think "do the right thing" is a bit too vague - one man's right is another's wrong. But, you do bring to light an important concept too often ignored in life and in business - that we have a social responsibility. Businesses do need to address more than greed and profits. They have a responsibility to the well-bing of their fellow man - their customers, their employees, their communities, our shared environment and the public. In the long run this creates a better brand, more customers and greater profit potential.
DeleteGreat points Ed.. You raise an important point I considered also when drafting the article.. I purposely kept the term "doing the right thing" knowing that the articles advice can apply just as potently to evil endeavour as it can do to good. On reflection, I concluded that if you set out to do evil in this world, your inward looking outlook will dictate that you not require such consel. However, if you set out to do good in this world and/or are of the opinion that you will not make a difference and thus may not make an effort, then your outlook will be outwards looking and thus place this article in context to doing the right thing.
ReplyDeleteAs Edmund Burke put it "all it takes for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing". This article is meant to help good men do something thus creating a more sustainable world where good men make a bigger footprint thus lessening the room for evil men to impact the world beyond what they are capable of in a world where good men make their presence felt!