June 2009 I.2.

-Greetings!

You know my focus is business growth. In every newsletter, I usually pontificate on a related issue. This morning is a bit different.

I had an epiphany over the weekend. I was grocery shopping and as I turned a corner I came within a hair of being run over by a boy riding his bike. In a grocery store, with his mother pushing a cart behind him. When I asked the mom to tell her son to take the bike outside because it was dangerous, her blank stare in response was unsettling.

How can the mom not know, her son not know, how can people who lie, steal, cheat, kill, maim, not know? The epiphany: Our problems have a common root cause: instead of being strengthened in every generation, our ethical foundation is crumbling.

Webster says "ethic" is: "the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation or a set of moral principles: a theory or system of moral values" And "moral" is: "of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior"

I found it intriguing (and refreshing) that there is not a mention of religion in these definitions. That tells me that perhaps one can be moral and ethical while practicing any religion. What a concept! We have begun to rely too much on political laws to tell us right from wrong, when in fact we should know in our gut when something is right or wrong.

What do you think of these as starting guidelines (that anyone can teach)?

--Pre-school ethics: be nice; don't hit
--Kindergarten ethics: share; don't bite
--Grade school ethics: be caring; don't lie
--Middle school ethics: be respectful; don't steal
--High school ethics: give of yourself; don't hurt or kill
--College ethics: protect those who are weaker; don't waste
--Grad school ethics: be responsible for your legacy; don't manipulate the system
--Business ethics: be honest; don't steal
--Parental ethics: feed, clothe, discipline & love your children; don't abuse

Can it work? Can we actually change the pendulum's swing by simply acting on what we already know is right and wrong? More laws won't do it for us. We will do it by simply, doing it.

Here's to our ethical success!