Watching the various Occupy protests around the country caused me to take another look at my Honesty and Trust report from 2006. I found this conclusion from Jamie O’Boyle of The Center for Cultural Studies and Analysis: “Most Americans have moved beyond thinking of violations of honesty and trust as the problem of a few ‘rotten apples,’ but instead view our major institutions as a...

The sub-head for a story in the Wall Street Journal caught my attention recently: “Companies spend a lot of time focusing on ethical behavior. But that’s not where the crisis is.” Author of the book, The Decision to Trust, Dr. Robert Hurley, professor at New York’s Fordham University amplifies his sub-head with the following: “Infamous frauds and financial crises have wrecked the public’s...

That was the advice given to Bob Woodward by secret sourceDeep Throat regarding the journalist’s investigation into the Watergate scandal, a scandal that ended with the resignation of a president. That was also the underlying scrutiny in a series of questions asked by a member of England’s Parliamentary committee looking into a scandal that, not unlike Watergate, began with one incident...

Although faith is not an ethical value, its importance in driving ethical conduct should not be underestimated. In fact, the word faith comes from the Latin fidere meaning ‘to trust.’ During his thirty-five-year career in the Marine Corps, General Charles Krulak served two tours of duty in Vietnam and rose through several command and staff positions to become Commandant of the Marine...

Reading some after-talk comment cards, I came across a note which read: “Nice talk, but how about using a personal story or two to make your point?” Okay. Being trustworthy requires more than being honest. It requires us to make reasonable efforts to keep promises and obligations, and carry out the necessary integrity to resist temptations and pressures and do...

The Dilemma is a comedy about honesty, or rather about how dishonesty contributes to a loss of trust. The film follows best buddies and hi-tech business partners Vince Vaughn and Kevin James at work and play. Ronny (Vaughn) is a 40-year-old former gambling addict and bachelor who exudes so much self-confidence about his product (an electric car engine that sounds and...

In Colin Powell and the American Dream (1995), Judith Cummings and Stefan Rudnicki write about an early choice made by a man who would rise to become an extraordinary leader and statesman. “In 1964, stationed in Fort Benning, Georgia, Powell pulled into a drive-in hamburger stand on Victory Drive. The waitress said she was not allowed to serve him, but if he...

Earlier this week I gave a keynote address at a conference of security professionals – a group whose integrity is embedded in their DNA. “This Code of Conduct and Ethics signifies a voluntary assumption by members of the obligation of self-discipline above and beyond the requirements of the law… members intend to maintain a high level of ethics and professional...

What follows is the introduction to the new e-book, “Shameless – The Ethical Case Against Three Out-of-Control Critics and the Need for Civility Now, More than Ever.” More next week. We currently live in a cable news media-induced echo chamber where, much of the time, opinion too easily passes as fact. This is as much the fault of those who...

Robert Spence works in the financial sector as a broker/dealer. When the company that employed him was acquired by a larger firm, he transitioned to the new organization. At the time, the company policy held that individual investments had to stand on their own merits, have full quality oversight and complete transparency. When, in 2006, Robert began to question a...