During my corporate career, I encountered a number of different approaches to defining and implementing a code of ethical conduct.  That is the moral principles that govern a person’s organizational behavior.

Without exception, these were always founded on the expectation every individual member of the corporate family acted with honesty founded on strong moral principles.

Rules versus Common

Rule-based ethical practices are very popular but I have always had doubts about the effectiveness of this approach.  Behaving with integrity is not absolute and definitely is impacted by both context and personal perspective.

I believe the best organizational code of conduct I ever encountered began with a simple dissertation on the qualities of ethical behavior.

It was neither directive or specific as to what was correct or incorrect relative to carrying out your assigned responsibilities. The key to the code was the simple ending.

Question Yourself

Notwithstanding the high-level guidance employees could read in the document, in the end, all were simply directed to ask themselves, “But, is it right?” after considering all the contextual aspects and before committing to action.

After all, acting ethically is not a simple nor straightforward behavior.  It requires consideration of all the factors, and most importantly the application of common sense.

The intent of questioning yourself is obviously not to cause analysis paralysis, some things just don’t have an easy answer, nor is it intended to create a personal dilemma.

Check Comfortability Rating

Rather asking yourself “But is it right?” is simply a reasonability check.  Take time before committing yourself to action to really ensure you feel comfortable about what you are about to do.