You’re trapped in an elevator with a guy who looks like a cross between Al Franken and a computer nerd. You’re a little uneasy. Wait, he just put his hand in his pocket, reaching for… a BlackBerry.  You discreetly look over his shoulder to read: “Need your help!  Can you come… fast?” Oh, it’s just Norm. Norm Eisen is Mr. Ethics...

Coming off an incredible week of outrage over the $165+ million A.I.G. bonuses, the question that many in the media and Washington continue to focus on is this:  How do we get what we need from these people without giving them too much, but giving them enough to do what we need to get done? But there’s a more important, longer...

Early in my career, I would read the morning papers and make a list of those organizations that were facing ethical crisis.  I’d then write a letter addressed to both the president of the organization as well as the head of Human Resources offering my services. I must have contacted at least a hundred corporations, associations or other organizations in...

“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...