There's No Such Thing as "Business" Ethics

There's No Such Thing As "Business" Ethics, John C. Maxwell, Warner Business Books, 2003

This book was published in the time of the collapse of Enron. A person could be forgiven for thinking that there is one standard of ethics in big business (Don't Get Caught) and another standard of ethics for the rest of humanity (The Golden Rule). The author does not agree.

How would I like to be treated in this situation? This way of thinking is easy to understand and is accepted by most people. Companies that operate this way are consistently more profitable than those that don't. It also works really well as a personal compass.

Before a person can change their business, they need to adopt the Golden Rule as their personal integrity guideline. Make your decisions, personal and business, accordingly. Some people blame their choices on circumstances. Other people make good choices regardless of circumstances. Which are you? Doing nothing is also a decision. Consider asking others to hold you accountable for your decisions.

There are many things that keep a person from adopting the Golden Rule. Most corporate ethics violations come from "cooking the books," so there can be lots of pressure to not say anything. Those in power sometimes feel that the assets of the company are their personal checking account, to be spent any way they want (who cares about ethics, I want it now). Having pride in yourself is a good thing. An excessive amount of pride, focusing only on yourself and your interests, is a bad thing.

After the Great Recession, it sure seems like there are a whole new generation of business leaders who need to read this book. It's short, very easy to understand, and each chapter has in-depth discussion questions. It is very much worth the reader's time.