Provided by George S. May International Company 

 BUSINESS ETHICS GUIDELINES AND RESOURCES

Home > Doing What's Right: Check Before You Act

As a businessperson, you have the ultimate responsibility for your actions. You are the person who decides if you should act ethically. If you are a supervisor or manager, you need provide the means that allow your people to act ethically. This is how an organization supports the ethical actions of its employees.

Knowing what is ethical, in your own mind, is essential. However, far more difficult than knowing what is right is doing what is right. Doing the right thing is not always easy, but it is always right. It is a requirement for long-term success.

The first step in doing what's right is checking if the action or activity is right before moving ahead or implementing a decision.

Use the questions below, or other questions your organization develops, to test the rightness or ethics of a decision or action. These are similar to the guidelines for knowing what's right. Essentially the following list is a double check to make sure you are headed in the right direction.

If you answer "no" to any one of these, you should develop an alternate strategy or seek counsel and advice from appropriate sources.

Doing What's Right: Ethical Action Test For Ideas and Actions

• Is it legal?
• Does it comply with company rules and regulations?
• Is it in sync with organizational values?
• Will you be comfortable and guilt-free if you do it?
• Does it match stated commitments and guarantees?
• Would I do it to my family or friends?
• Would it be okay for someone to do it to me?
• Would the most ethical person you know do it?

These are very practical and useful tests of your ideas and actions. You should not limit these to only your business dealings. Remember, acting ethically is not something you turn on and turn off. Acting ethically is part of everything you do.

Using these questions to test your ideas and actions will help you live up to your potential to be ethical and to be a successful businessperson.

For more ethics articles visit the George S May Blog for weekly updates.

This information is compiled and provided by George S. May International Company.
Visit the George S. May International Company Web site to learn more about our services.