Professional Ethics Cases » Personal And Professional Ethics

"... If you are not prepared to resign or be fired for what you believe in, then you are not a worker, let alone a professional. You are a slave."
--Howard Gardner

He is uncomfortable. He is watching things happen within his organization about which he has ethical questions. He is uncertain. Perhaps everything is ok. Perhaps it is he who is out of balance. After all, nobody else is saying anything. He isn’t privy to all the details. There are many unknowns. He is uncomfortable. What if he confronts the issue? What if he is wrong? What will they think? What if he is right? What will they do? He has bills to pay. He has responsibilities. He is uncomfortable.

In a world where “Just Do It” becomes a mantra, the concept of “Just Do Right” can be lost in the dust of the just doing. Sometimes the rush to perform blows the doors off right and wrong. We can drift into a numb and dumb state of personal ethics; so focused on the ends that we become numb to the means. So concentrated on our piece of the pie we are dumbed down to the larger picture.

The prescription for ethical numb and dumb comes in small doses. It comes with allowing out inner discomfort to signal us something is out of balance. It comes with knowing what we really and truly believe to be right and wrong. It comes with the courage to ask questions, seek clarity, and keep an ethical banner flying. It comes, too, with the courage to act. "It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible but for what we do not do," wrote Moliere.

It may seem an over simplification to assert that “Just Do Right” is the answer, but is it not so?

Jim Gustafson is author of Take Fun Seriously -- Little Thoughts and Big Ideas for Living Laughing and Loving. He was ordained in the United Methodist Church and has served as a local church pastor, pastoral counselor and consultant. He has more than 25 years in sales and marketing management. http://www.jimgustafson.com

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