Ethics Over Excuses
You can't out exercise a bad diet. Maybe if you are young, but not forever. At one extreme, I just ran 12 miles and burned 4000 calories so I can have an extra glass of wine--or four--can't I? No. There are a few reasons. First, very few of the serious exercise calories come from fat so they aren't really weight loss. Second, weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. If you are out of balance you go up or down.
We have enough people that write in this blog to talk about quality in your diet so I am not here to add to that. My point is that in many facets of life and business, a really good habit can’t overcome a really bad one. Straight A’s in school doesn’t really work if the same person gets kicked out for cheating. Enron’s stock price going through the roof doesn’t really work if it is based upon fraud. Fixing the financial system doesn’t really work if you don’t fix it all. Cutting the deficit doesn’t really work if you cut essential services.
A phrase that has gotten a ton of traction in the last generation is “It’s not personal. It’s just business.” It originated in the “Godfather” and absolutely fit the scene where it was first uttered.
But think about that. Do we really want business ethics to be driven by an example from the mob? Is organized crime a good role model?
I would suggest that part of Wall Street’s problem is they do believe that as long as they make money ethics aren’t as important. There is a reason I never looked seriously at taking a job there.
It isn’t just business. Any business I want to be a part of, and I suspect that is true for most if not all of the readers of this blog, doesn’t check their compassion or ethics when they go to work. We manage the diet so it is good enough to where we can out run it.
I do think ethics in business are making a comeback but as the recovery takes hold, it will be very easy to go back to “I ran 13 miles so I can eat and drink whatever I feel like.” Don’t.
What can each of us do to help keep business ethics front of mind?
Thanks for reading.
