Leigh Fazzina pointed me to this posting on ethics and suggested I may wish to comment. You know me, I can’t resist a keyboard. Here’s the link. http://comprehension.prsa.org/?p=792&cpage=1#comment-2877
Ethics–if all it required was an understanding of the English (the language, not the British) then there wouldn’t be much to say.
I am not someone who believes there is a need for ethics training. The rules for what constitutes ethical behavior have not changed. Something is either ethical or it isn’t. What has changed are the boundaries. Individuals constantly shift the boundaries, expanding the realm of what is ethical. In the minds of most individuals, those boundaries differ by person and by situation.
I operate from a mindset that ethical boundaries are fixed. As an example, consider the boundaries between the US and its neighbors. Those are fixed. That doesn’t mean there aren’t those who don’t like where the boundary is between the US and Canada, or those who would argue that the boundary should be different, or those who believe the boundary is different. Disliking the positioning of the boundary, or disbelieving the positioning of the boundary does not invalidate the boundary.
When people expand the boundaries for what they choose to call ethical behavior, they rarely do so at their own peril. Generally, they do so for their own convenience, they do so to remove any latent feelings of guilt. Each time they move the boundary, it makes it that much easier to move it the next time. Taken to its limit, at some point there are no boundaries.
Setting larger boundaries in some sense allows people to draft their own sets of Commandments, like little mini-Moseses descending from Mount Sinai with their sets of ethics. Unlike Moses’ stoned-carved commandments, the mini-Moseses draft theirs on an Etch-A-Sketch, making them much easier to change.
However, I don’t think ethical behavior need stem from nor be limited to any religious belief. It need not be employed because of some fear of punishment, but because of a love of righteousness and out of respect for others.
My perspective is integrity is doing what’s right even if nobody is watching. A person of ethics knows what’s right even if nobody is asking, and ethical behavior requires action in order to be expressed.
Pale Rhino Consulting 
Interesting subject! I agree that ethics are one of those things…you either get it or you don’t (well, more like you either have them or you don’t). At the same time, like you said, there is the mini-Moses + etch-a-sketch scenario…but it’s not just the mini-Moseses who are redefining the boundaries, it’s the people who listen and use the evolving drawing on the etch-a-sketch as a map of sorts. Does group think play a role?
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I’m glad Paul commented. I value his input. Ethics in the workplace no matter what industry you work in is so ever important. It IS deciding what is right and what is wrong – simply put of course. But today so many people are not doing “what is right…”
In a world of transparency there continues to be too many unethical business “things” going on. One can either say, “okay I am going to play this game to and be unfair to others and lie, cheat, or steal,” (maybe all of those things or just one of those things, or maybe two!) or “I am going to do what is right and not be engaged at all and break my ties.”
On the initial blog post at the Public Relations Society of America (http://bit.ly/2olbvL), it was Alain Jourdier who shared that his friend told him “I need the job so I close my eyes and try to get less tainted each day.” Many people do this. And its sad. Real sad.
Sometimes doing the right think takes risk. But in the end taking the risk will definitely drive in the wins down the road. Know why? Cause that neat thing called “Karma” will always come back and around and get the bad guys and give good to the good guys.
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Thanks Leigh, well stated.
I posted a request a few weeks ago on Twitter and several LinkedIn groups looking for people who might want to form a consulting partnership. MY first statement was that I was looking for people whose personal and business ethics were above reproach. While a few handful “got it”, others actually wrote and questioned why I’d write that and eliminate such a large number of potential candidates.
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