Five Ways to Jump Start Your Company's Ethics

Want to make a real difference in your organization? That is going to take some hard, serious work. Here's where to start.

1. Change Your Vocabulary. "Ethics" has become a word that is too loaded to have much practical meaning. When the situation demands, try substituting "responsibility" or "decency." Instead of asking "Is it the ethical thing to do?" ask "Is it the more responsible/decent thing to do?" See how you feel when you change that one word. Act accordingly.

2. Take the Values-Statement Challenge. Get comfortable with your company's values statement. It probably includes such words as "honesty" and "commitment," just as Enron's did. To make the values more concrete, write a short essay defining each one, giving specific, real-life examples from your company. Next, identify examples of internal company practices that contradict those values. Do the same for the values you proclaim publicly.

3. Be a Know-It-All. What bad news do you keep from yourself? Did that environmental impact statement for the new facility belong in the fiction section? Are your hiring practices a discrimination lawsuit waiting to happen? It's time to face the music. Your new mantra: There is nothing I don't want to know. (Hint: Your public relations director can be a great source of information. Convince him or her that you want the truth.)

4. Hold a Risk Brainstorm. Establish a quarterly process that encourages employees to answer this question: What puts this company at risk in the next year (or five)? The people below you know what's going on. Listen to them. Identify risks on issues of responsibility and decency. Then take your company's online ethics course. Does it help you deal with the risks you've identified? If not, start working on one that's relevant.

5. Slash Your Pay. Do you earn a rich salary and bonus while your employees take pay cuts or lose their jobs? Meet with your boss (or the board, if you are the CEO) and negotiate a lower compensation package. Publicize what you've done. It may sound crazy, but in an environment of mistrust, sacrifices by top executives go a long way toward creating a culture of trust, mutual respect and responsible business practices.

Source: fastcompany.com