What place do you think ethics and values have in strategic planning? Strategic planning provides an organization a sense of urgency, direction, and purpose. Without planning, you becomes reactive, vulnerable to threats, and closed to opportunities. I would argue that “core values/beliefs” are the foundation of any company’s strategic plan and should drive decision-making on a daily basis. Unlike other aspects of the plan, they need to last forever and are not negotiable as your reputation is at stake. Ethics are the “should” and “should not’s” that guide your organization’s decisions, attitudes, behaviors and performance. They should answer such questions as how you conduct your business, who you do business with and what makes your culture unique? When the core values of your company are clear, and communicated on a regular basis to all employees, they form the basis of your company strategy.
February 22, 2018January 31, 2023
All it takes is one wrong move…to ruin a company’s most valuable asset
This morning I was on my way to drop off my daughter at school and little did I know that one wrong move would change my 20+ year perfect driving record. We had a light dusting of snow overnight in Colorado and I awoke to single digit temps. Unfortunately, not even an all wheel drive SUV can save you on icy side streets. I braced for impact, not only from the oncoming minivan, but also from my insurance premiums that I saw rising before my very eyes! Note: no one was hurt, thank God, and that is really all that matters.
However, the business woman and writer in me couldn’t help but find inspiration from my accident. It occurred to me that literally all it takes is one wrong move to wipe out a perfect driving record or …. worse yet, your company’s most valuable asset i.e. your reputation.
Similar to my side street this morning, compromising your ethics — even just once — is a slippery slope. The idea is that one thing leads naturally to allowing another until you find yourself sliding rapidly downhill. Ethics is all about the art of navigating the slippery slope and the only way to develop a strong sense of ethics is to do what you believe in, to take actions consistent with your company’s core values/beliefs time and time again. I’ve been fortunate in my long corporate career, and now in my coaching business, to have worked with CEOs that have uncompromising ethical standards and I wouldn’t have it any other way. As a top executive or business owner, you set the standard that all employees will follow and more importantly, your customers will admire. So don’t head down that slippery slope, because you may not like what you find at the bottom of the hill.
