“Everybody does it.”  “I hardly ever lie.” I collect ‘em, like baseball cards. “You don’t understand, Jim,” the owner of a large company once told me, “it’s just industry practice. We don’t want to do these things, but if we want to operate from a level playing field, sometimes we have to [be unethical].” Last October, Lehman Brothers Chief Dick Fuld told...

While researching an organization, in preparation for a talk, I discovered that the group had a very strong ethics component in place.  In fact, a recent situation proved that ethics was not only taken seriously, but critical to the credibility of the organization. This caused me to ask a very basic question:  “Why hire me to give a talk?” Their...

“We are committed to: “Integrity – We will conduct ourselves with integrity in our dealings with and on behalf of the [organization]. “Excellence – We will conscientiously strive for excellence in our work. “Accountability – We will be accountable as individuals and as members of this community for our ethical conduct and for compliance with applicable laws and [organizational] policies and directives.  » Read more about: Here’s...

“If you’ve ever been faced with an uncomfortable challenge, sticky situation, or ethical dilemma, you know how frustrating that can be. “Well, not anymore! Introducing: ETHIX! “With ETHIX, you can fix any situation in 15-minutes or less! That’s right, ethical conundrums are now a thing of the past when you use ETHIX. Simply insert the patented, moral device into any tricky,  » Read more about: As Seen...

“You’re Roland Burris.  You used to be in the Senate.  You used to be big.” “I AM big.  It’s the Senate that got small.” First, he’s in:  Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, arrested on corruption charges stemming from trying to “sell” Barack Obama’s Senate seat, appoints Roland Burris. Then, he’s out:  Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid says the Senate won’t seat anyone appointed...

Did you know that Barneys is having a Warehouse Sale with savings between 50-75% off? ABC Carpet & Home is offering similar savings for its Presidents’ Day Extravaganza! What would Mr. Lincoln say? “Money is only valuable while in circulation…” What about the bankers on Capitol Hill, yesterday, answering questions from a Congressional committee looking into what they’ve done with the first round of bailout...

Remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry’s contacted about late fees on an overdue library book – twenty years overdue? Well, this one’s not quite as bad, but the individual returning the books has a good excuse. California State University at Fresno Library Dean Peter McDonald reported that he got a call from U.S. Airways Captain Chesley Sullenberger “…almost immediately about the books he’d borrowed that were...

Philosophy’s Age of Reason began in the 1600’s marked by such notables as Thomas Hobbes, René Descartes, Baruch Spinoza, John Locke, even the astronomer Galileo. However, four-hundred additional years of empirical and physical knowledge seem to have no affect on individuals who cling to the religious notion that God alone has the power to heal the sick. According to a report in...

The Economy, Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Healthcare, Taxes, Energy Independence – all are important actions Americans want to see accomplished by the next Congress and President. But, before they can begin to tackle an unprecedented “to-do list,” Congress needs to start by reforming how government operates. According to the Gallup organization’s annual Governance poll (Sept. 2008), “Just 26% say they are...

Looking at two recent films, I was struck not only by the similarities in deception but how the underlying aspect of fear transports individuals to act in unethical ways. Frost-Nixon is about the final disintegration of a man’s character. (For some, that would be assuming Nixon had any character to begin with.) But what the film shows us is how easy it is...