In an op-ed article in the New York Times in 1990, Michael Levin argued that teaching courses on Ethics is a waste of time. In 1991, Irving Kristol wrote a similarly themed piece in the Wall Street Journal. They both argued that teaching business ethics will not improve the behavior of business people, and it is naive to think they will. Levin and Kristol laid out three basic reasons: (1) People already know right from wrong, (2) Moral behavior is the result of cultural influences, (3) No one can really know right from wrong, which seems to be a direct contradiction of the first point.
So what kind of evidence did the 70's and 80's give to help produce the conclusions of these articles? AIDS reached epidemic proportions. There was the growth in the drug culture, cocaine use was blatantly open in board rooms and bars. The divorce rates hit 50%, some couples begin to practice wife swapping. Hostile takeovers in business became commonplace. It was all about the Me, Me, Me, generation. I could go on and on.
What about the 90's, the 00's? Were those decades any better? Maybe not as blatantly open in some respects, but just as corrupt. I will let the reader fill in some of the moral failures that you can remember from the last two decades. From Enron to Haliburton, from president's to presidential nominees, to moral failures with leaders of large ministries, ethics scandals have created a sense of urgency that business must do a better job of promoting ethical behavior.
Still today, according to an INC Leadership Blog from 6/24/08, that states that many still say that ethics can't be taught, at least not past early childhood. The reasoning is that you either have it or you don't. It's like trying to teach someone who is tone-deaf how to carry a tune.
So, do we conclude that ethics cannot be taught? Absolutely not! Almost 2,500 years ago, the Greek philosopher Socrates debated the question with his fellow Athenians. Socrates' position was clear: Ethics consists of knowing what we ought to do, and such knowledge can be taught.
In "Issues and Ethics", vol. I, no. I, from the Markula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, "they reason that there are 3 levels of moral development. The first level is that of the child, who defines right and wrong in terms of what authority figures say is right and wrong, in terms of what results in rewards and punishments. The second level is the level most adolescents reach. At this level, right and wrong are based on group loyalties; loyalties to one's family, loyalties to one's friends, loyalties to one's church teaching, loyalties to one's nation, loyalties to one's employment. Right and wrongs are defined by what families and institutions have taught them, or what friends or business peers might think. The third level is when the person stops defining right and wrong in terms of group loyalties. Instead, the person at this level develops moral principles that define right and wrong from a universal point of view. The moral principles of this person are principles that would appeal to any reasonable person because they take everyone's interest into account. In other words, before an action is taken this person consciously considers how this right or wrong would affect them individually, how it would affect their loved ones and family, how it would affect their business and the people in it, how it might affect their country," and I will add one more, how it might affect their relationship with God.
Unfortunately, the reason why there are so many moral and ethical failures is because too many adults remain in the adolescent stage of moral development. Far too many peoples' concept of right or wrong is based on what others have taught them, instead of having internal moral principles that guide them. We are taught the "thou shalt not's", and we know we shouldn't, but if ethical standards are not life convictions, if we don't take in consideration the ramifications of our actions, then loyalties alone will not help us. Does this help explain why President's fail, Pastors fail, Business Leaders fail? It does not matter how smart or intellectual or how accomplished someone is, if their moral values are not continually growing, they are prime candidates for moral and ethical failure. When you couple the Christian view of a sinful nature that came through our DNA, our parents DNA, our grandparents DNA, all the way back to Adam, you can see why just holding to a teaching, a belief, a loyalty is not enough. If moral principles are not developed and ingrained within you through continually learning and applying ethical teaching, which I think have their origin in the Bible, you are subject to moral and ethical failure. I'm not saying you will, but you sure are increasing your chances.
How can we learn to be more ethical? The answer is simple. Remain teachable.
Proverbs 9:7-9, "He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, and he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you. Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser. Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning."
Proverbs 15:14, "The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,"
Proverbs 13:20, "He who walks with wise men will be wise,"
Have you been around people who are unteachable? They just seem to know everything already. Maybe some of you reading this supervise others. How does the employee that you have to correct react? Most times, it doesn't go very well, does it? That's what the verses say happens when you try and correct one described as a scoffer. Scoffers are unteachable. The reason they scoff is because they know it all, already. Yet, the verse above also says, if you rebuke a wise man, he will love you. The wise man, the one I am calling the person that applies the knowledge of what he is taught, not only handles criticism well, but also will continue to grow and get even wiser. His ethical and moral training does not reach a point that goes no further, it keeps growing. Don't you think that growth in ethical learning will continue to benefit him in the days and years ahead?
I would like to close with a short 10 question quiz taken from John Maxwell's book, "Self-Improvement 101". Please answer them within yourself, and be honest with yourself.
1. Am I open to other people’s ideas?
2. Do I listen more than I talk?
3. Am I open to changing my opinion based on new information?
4. Do I readily admit when I am wrong?
5. Do I observe before acting on a situation?
6. Do I ask questions?
7. Am I willing to ask a question that will expose my ignorance?
8. Am I open to doing things in a way I haven’t done before?
9. Am I willing to ask for directions?
10.Do I act defensive when criticized, or do I listen openly for truth?
How did you do? If you answered "no" to one or more of these questions, then you have room to grow in the area of being teachable in general and teachable in the area of Business Ethics in particular. Are you ready to start learning and applying ethical principles to your daily life?
How teachable are you?
(Next Week: "The Real Value of Integrity")
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