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The Critical Need for Ethics in a Thriving, Productive Work Life

By: Dr. John Schinnerer

Read More About Ethics

A happy, productive and satisfying life as a leader involves behaving according to a set of values. Values are the core beliefs upon which you operate your life. You may be aware of your core beliefs or you may not. In my executive coaching work, I've noticed that the vast majority of people do not have any idea what their top values are.

To get the most from your professional life as a leader, you must believe at your core that you are a worthy individual – worthy of respect, worthy of loyalty, worthy of taking time to rest, worthy of a flourishing and productive life. And you must know your values like the back of your hand.

Our values are the guard rails by which we navigate ourselves through life.

Henry David Thoreau wrote, 'The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.'

Ours is much too busy and noisy a world. Our lives take on a frenetic pace and people lose track of the values that give life meaning and purpose. Everyone says they are for values. The problem is their actions are not in keeping with their words. .

Executives who are unaware of their values are more likely to be uncaring, conforming, inconsistent, and self-conflicted. They are more likely to follow the herd rather than follow their heart.

The less we know what our values are, the more ambiguous our lives are. The more we understand our values, the better able we are to make right choices which lead to right action. This leads to decisive acts of courage which are primarily the ability to say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done in spite of what other people around you are doing.

Ethical Energy Defined

According to the authors of The Power of Full Engagement, ethical energy is…

'… the connection to a deeply held set of values and to a purpose that is beyond our self-interest. Anything that ignites the human spirit serves to drive full engagement and to maximize performance in whatever mission we are on. The key muscle that fuels ethical energy is character – the courage and conviction to live by our values, even when doing so requires personal sacrifice and hardship. Ethical energy is sustained by balancing a commitment to others with adequate self-care….the capacity to live by our deepest values depends on regularly renewing our spirit – seeking ways to rest and rejuvenate and to reconnect with the values that we find most inspiring and meaningful.'

The alternative to living according to your values is to operate in survival mode, fueled by fear, mistrust and anxiety. Survival mode is marked by a sense of desperation where you are focused on filling your immediate needs for food, clothing, warmth and shelter. Survival mode is also characterized by the mentality of a victim. Life happens to you, not because of you. If you are passively accepting everything that comes your way as inevitable, you are not living according to your values. You are living in survival mode.

Strengths Defined

Martin Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness, has put a slightly different twist on values. Seligman states, "To be a virtuous person is to display, by acts of will, all or at least most of the six ubiquitous virtues: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. There are several distinct routes to each of these six. One can display a virtue, such as justice by acts of fairness and loyalty." Seligman calls these routes strengths and each is measurable and acquirable. They are ubiquitous across cultures.

According to Seligman, there are seven criteria by which we know that a characteristic is a strength. First, a strength is a trait, a psychological characteristic that can be seen across different situations and over time. Second, a strength is valued in its own right. We value a strength for its own sake, even in the absence of clear beneficial outcomes. While a strength can produce good consequences, it doesn't have to. Third, a strength can be seen in what parents wish for in their newborn children.

Strengths are states we desire that require no further justification. Fourth, onlookers are usually elevated and inspired by observing strengths. Strengths typically produce authentic positive emotion in the doer – pride, satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment – and the observer – inspired and uplifted. Fifth, strengths are supported by the dominant culture in the form of institutions, rituals, parables, maxims and children's stories. Sixth, role models and paragons in the culture compellingly illustrate a strength or virtue. Seventh, they are ubiquitous. Strengths are valued in almost every culture. They are not quite universal, as some exceptions to every rule can be found. But, they are ubiquitous. They take place everywhere.

'Try not to become a man of success, but a man of value' Albert Einstein

Values Defined

Each individual has a set of beliefs and ideas about abstract concepts called values. They describe how much worth a person places on various ideas, objects, or beliefs. Societies have values that are shared between many of the participants in that culture. These values may be put into four categories:

• Ethics (good, bad, moral, immoral, amoral, right, wrong, permissible, impermissible)
• Aesthetics (beautiful, ugly, unbalanced, pleasing)
• Group Norms (political, ideological, religious or social beliefs and values)
• Inborn (inborn values such as reproduction and survival, a controversial issue)

For the purposes of our discussion, we are concerned only with the group known as ethics and to a lesser extent, group norms. There are five features that are common to most definition of values. Values are concepts or beliefs. They are about desirable behavior(s) and/or end states. Values transcend specific situations. Values guide selection or evaluation of behavior and events and they are ordered by relative importance.

On occasion, we encounter ethical problems which pit two of our most cherished values against one another. In such a situation, we cannot act in a way that is in keeping with both these values. We solve such problems by prioritizing our top values that are relevant to the situation. Each of us has a set of prized values. Many of us simply are not aware of them. We must have an awareness of our values as well as the intention to act upon them for values to be useful to us.

Stephen Covey and colleagues call these prized values our personal principles. He cautions against self-centered values such as "self respect" or "a sense of accomplishment" because they can lead us to develop pragmatic, utilitarian relationships with other individuals. Covey suggests that we adopt prized values that are more holistic and anchored in the fundamental realities of nature, spirit and healthy interpersonal relationships. Prizing your family higher than your career is a good example of adopting holistic and healthy values.

Why Values Are Essential

Let's look at how living according to one's values can lead to a more fulfilling and purposeful life. Imagine that you could do whatever it is that brings you the most joy in your life. Picture anything you like that is deeply fulfilling to you. What you have then is a picture of a person living in accordance to his or her most cherished values.

There is a close link between values and living a fulfilling life. Once your values are clarified, you will have a map that guides you through key decisions. Through this process we learn what is most important to the client and what is not. Part of my work is to help clients discover what is truly necessary in their lives. Clarifying values helps clients to take a stand, to take calculated risks, and to make choices based on what is personally fulfilling to them.

By its very nature, honoring our values is fulfilling, even when times get tough. You can suffer through discomfort if you know it will pass and you are living in accordance with your values. Making decisions based on your top values will always lead to a more fulfilling decision. This leads to right behavior and a fulfilling life. Some examples of values are creativity, helping others, independence, family, emotional management, power, peace of mind, lifelong learning, and spirituality. They cannot be touched, but they can be seen. You see them being acted out in how people behave.

Someone living perfectly in accordance with values will feel the pain of a disturbing situation, and perhaps some psychological disturbance, but will remain tranquil at the center. Equanimity is the ideal. Equanimity means evenness of mind, or in this case, evenness of emotion. When possible, excessive negative emotion is to be deflected or rerouted. No one lives perfectly in accordance with their values. The goal is to remain constantly aware of your values and to strive to behave in accordance with them. When you stray outside of your values, you feel guilt.

Values remind us of our authentic self and our unique role in the universe. All of us benefit from a series of ethical guideposts which we can use to steer our actions towards the greater good.

If you are interested in coaching around these issues or for your staff, feel free to call Dr. John Schinnerer at 925-944-3440 or email him at Info@GuideToSelf.com or check out the website at http://www.GuideToSelf.com.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Dr. John Schinnerer is a much sought after speaker, author, psychologist & executive coach. He is an award-winning author'Guide To Self' (www.GuideToSelf.com). His blog 'Shrunken Mind - Using Positive Psychology to Master Life' is among the top 3 in positive psychology on the web. Dr. John hosted over 200 episodes of Guide To Self Radio, a prime time show, in the SF Bay Area. Dr. Schinnerer's areas of expertise range from positive psychology, to emotional awareness, to elevating corporate culture.

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