Ethics, anyone?

In this time when moral decadence is rife, it is appropriate to talk about the issue on ethics.  Following this drift, I would recommend the book "The Power of Ethical Management" by Kenneth Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale.

Lifted from the recommended book is an article "It's OK, Son, Everybody Does It" penned by Jack Griffin, which appeared in Chicago Sun Times:

When Johnny was 6 years old, he was with his father, when they were caught speeding.  HIs father handed the officer a twenty dollar bill with the driver's license.  "It's OK, son," his father said as they drove off.  "everybody does it."

When he was 8, he was present at a family council presided over by Uncle George, on the surest means to shave points off the income tax return.  "It's OK, kid," his uncle said.  "Everybody does it."

When he was 9, his mother took him to his first theater production.  The box office man could't find any seats until his mother discovered an extra $5 in her purse.  "It's OK, kid," she said, "Everybody does it."

When he was 12 , he broke his glasses on the way to school.  His Aunt Francine persuaded the insurance company that they had been stolen and they collected $75.  "It's OK, kid," she said.  "everybody does it."

When he was 15, he made right guard on the high school football team.  His coach showed him how to block and at the same time grab the opposing end by the shirt so teh official couldn't see it.  "It's OK, kid," the coach said.  "everybody does it."

When he was 16, he took his first summer job at the supermarket.  His assignment was to put the overripe strawberries in the bottom of the boxes and the good ones on top where they would show.  "It's OK, kid," the manager said.  "Everybody does it."

When he was 18, Johnny and a neighbor applied for a college scholarship.  Johnny was a marginal student.  His neighbor was in the upper 3 percent of his class, but he couldn't play right guard.  JOhnny got the scholarship.  "It's OK, son," his parents said.  "Everybody does it."

When he was 19, he was approached by an upperclassman who offered the test answers for $50.  "It's OK, kid" he said.  "everybody does it."

Johnny was caught and sent home in disgrace.  "How could you do this to your mother and me?" his father said.  "You never learned anything like this at home."  His aunt and uncle were also shocked.

If there's one thing the adult world can't stand, it's a kid who cheats.

How does one know that his or her decisions are ethically sound?  Ask yourself:

1. Is it fair?
2. Is it moral?
3. Is it legal?
4. If what I did is published and printed on the front page of the newspaper, how would I/family feel about it?

On customer service

I went to Dunkin’ Donuts to buy a cup of coffee. I asked the crew why there is a timer next to their coffee decanter. 

Crew: For our TA.
Me: What's TA?
Crew: Throw away (TA).
Rule #1 in Customer Service: Do not use jargon with your customers. 

The crew could have  said,  "we use a timer to check the holding time while ensuring that you only get the best quality of coffee." There was no attempt to proactively offer donuts by saying something like, “your coffee will be perfect with our donuts. ”

The supervisor is in her office and missed the opportunity to coach her direct report. It is important for leaders to observe their direct reports while working.  This will allow the supervisor or manager to praise or correct the crew.

Punishing a good behavior

One of my friends in the Book Club sent me a link from the National Post of Canada about a boy who defended a classmate who is being bullied at school. The title of the report is “No heroes allowed: Calgary student, 13, reprimanded for defending his classmate against a knife-wielding bully.” (http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/05/31/briar-maclean-reprimanded-for-stopping-a-knife-wielding-bully-at-school/)


The school principal summoned the student who stopped the bully and was told that the school does not condone heroics.

My jaw dropped from disbelief. A good behavior was just punished. How do you expect the right behavior to be replicated if it is being punished? This type of leadership incompetence is not limited to schools. – even corporate walls are not exempt from faulty decision and poor leadership.

Erroneous decisions will make or break your team. When you lead a team ask yourself “What good behaviors would I want to see in my department?” Make a conscious effort to write down the good behaviors you expect to see so you will be able to spot them easily as the behavior is manifested. Reinforce this good behavior by praising in public.

Catch your team members do the right things. Reward them on the spot if possible and explain how the behavior impacts the group.

When Looking is not Seeing

An illiterate father and his educated son went on camping.  After pitching the tent, they both went to sleep.  At the break of dawn, the father wakes up his son and asks “Look up to the sky.  What do you see?”

“I see millions of stars,” the son said.

“What does that tell you?” asked the father.

“Astronomically,” the son said with pride “it tells us that there are millions of planets.”

The father gave his son a smack and said “somebody stole our tent!”

Why did the son miss the obvious?  Can too much education blur the brain in looking for something beyond the ordinary?  In “Thinking Between The Lines”, K,R. Ravi cited several reasons why we miss the obvious, to wit:

• We think too much even when we do not know how to think
• We look but do not see
• Some of us are so full of ourselves that we have no time for other viewpoints, no time for even plain commonsense
• We are afraid to challenge our cherished opinions and beliefs
• We have ceased to look at the world through fresh eyes, with a sense of wonder

When confronted with an issue, do you have the proclivity to complicate matters with your theories and concepts which you have acquired from higher education or specialization?  If the answer is yes and you still get stuck, maybe you are missing the obvious.

Whether the concern is personal or work related, I always bring to mind what Albert Einstein said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”  If I am giving instruction to a custodian I hear “simplify, simplify, simplify” echo inside my head.  I make a conscious effort that if I can explain it to a kid and the kid understands me, then it is a clear instruction.

If I am proposing an idea, I use Edward De Bono’s “Six Thinking Hats” to make sure I look at the idea from different points of view.  Example: What is the advantage of the idea?  What’s the downside?  What information do I have?  What’s the opinion of others?  How can we make it better?  What’s the next step?

(This blogger is grateful to K.R. Ravi for the permission to cite from the book "Thinking Between The Lines." Mr. Ravi is South Asia's first Dr. Edward De Bono certified public trainer in Lateral Thinking.)

Leadership Quotes

There are a lot of leadership quotes in the internet and in literature.  I would like to share some of my personal favorite quotes.

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams

"The quality of the leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves." - Ray Kroc

"Not all readers are leaders, but all effective leaders are readers." - Harry S. Truman (italics is mine)

"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.  The last is to say thank you.  In between, the leader is a servant." - Max DePree

"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself.  When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." - Jack Welch

"We must become the change we wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." - Proverbs 29:18

"People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision." - John Maxwell

"Live out your imagination, not your history." - Stephen R. Covey

"The attitude of the leader influences the attitude of the team." - Arnel H. Sugay

On Mentoring

The philosopher Socrates mentored his student Plato.  Aristotle was mentored by Plato.  Socrates, Plato and Aristotle: the three great minds in philosophy.

Great leaders develop leaders.  The only way to develop other leaders is to become a better leader yourself then, mentor others.  
Good leaders grow more leaders not followers.

Trivia: Did you know that Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great?

On Kaizen

People who want to learn and are serious in getting better always ask for feedback. This is true for athletes, students, workers and even leaders.
 If you want to stretch yourself, apply kaizen, a never-ending improvement. Small changes, if done regularly, would result to a big change.
 You can ask your boss “on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest and 1 the lowest, how would you rate me as a worker?” If your boss says, “6” ask “how do I make it to 10?” This is a way to level expectations between you and your boss.
Ask your child, “On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest and 1 the lowest, how would you rate me as a parent? What do I need to do to score a perfect 10?’
If you are not a good worker or parent, expect to get hurt with what you will hear. Continue listening and commit yourself to change for the better. This practice of asking questions will be difficult for arrogant and insecure leaders.
 Listening and asking for feedback is a humbling experience. If you are not serious in changing and improving, do not ask for feedback. It will just be an exercise in futility.
Not all change will lead to improvement. But there will be no improvement without change.

"Feedback is the breakfast of champions." -Ken Blanchard & Spencer Johnson, "The One Minute Manager"