“Ethicscon 2011 – Youth Ethics: It’s a Big Deal” commenced on a great note Wednesday morning; more precisely, a keynote speech orated by Joe Cavanaugh, Founder & CEO of Youth Frontiers. Event pamphlets outlined the day to come, packed full with numerous break-out sessions, group discussions, and networking opportunities.

Taking time from their professional and personal endeavors, educators, businesspeople, non-profit employees, and parents gathered together on this day in evidence of their authentic allegiance to bettering our youth’s grasp on ethics. The process of setting a day aside for a conference on ethics reinforced one of the central talking points of Cavanaugh’s speech: in a fast-paced, time-oriented modern world of both business and pleasure, it is essential that we do not forget the people, causes, and standards which demand and deserve our precious time and attention.

It is obvious that for most people, family and children are at the very top of that list of the most cherished people who are often taken for granted.

“Are you moving so fast that you’re forgetting what’s important?” – Joe Cavanaugh

In hopes of elevating the standards of youth ethics, Cavanaugh passed along three themes for adults to use as a guide in breaking down communication barriers with children while simultaneously emphasizing to them the right ways to interact with others:

1. Remember, it’s not all about you.

2. A healthy dose of guilt never hurts. Don’t make kids feel shamed or

    insignificant, but make them aware of conscious reactions.

3. Encourage kids to live by their heart.

A champion of youth ethics, Cavanaugh challenged us to recall the teachings of Socrates and educate ourselves and our youth not only to get smarter, but also to get better.

-Mallory Messenger, Business Ethics Alliance Social Media Intern

Halfway through the day, Ethicscon participants were treated to a little entertainment along with their lunch. RESPECT, a group devoted to decreasing youth violence, performed a scenario for onlookers to discuss in small groups sitting alongside special guests: students.

Rhonda and Blessing, two middle school students from the Omaha Public School system, joined my table of business people and non-profit employees. Together we discussed RESPECT’s play, but our conversation also took a slight detour into the girls’ school hallways. We heard about the name calling, the teasing that occasionally ensues during a typical school day, mentioned offhandedly by these two amicable, reserved girls.

We also listened to Blessing’s recounting of a time when she was harassed online by a classmate over a situation that was completely out of her control. Her place in the bully’s story was misconstrued. The public humiliation she felt after Facebook comments left her looking less cool came almost as quickly as the posts went viral. To this, we listened, understood, reassured, and related her story to the telling of RESPECT’s presentation.

These girls presented a real scenario for us to address – a situation we could use as practice. Yet Rhonda and Blessing were no crash-course. Any one child’s understanding of the difference between right and wrong can have an indeterminable effect on so many others.

The smallest encounters can have the biggest effect.

-Mallory Messenger, Business Ethics Alliance Social Media Intern

Sometimes subjectivity really does matter just as much as the facts. It could be argued that attempting to understand the emotions and viewpoints of kids and teenagers, while difficult, might be a bit easier than convincing them of the verity of a matter.

Giving kids options while guiding them toward good decisions is one of the simplest and most effective techniques involved in a solution-based approach to establishing the practice of ethical decision making, according to Paul Barnes, Ph.D., Associate Professor & Counseling Department Chair, UNO.

After asking for and listening to the context of a child’s situation, it is then more likely that a kid will acknowledge that you’re really trying to help. Having years of experience hearing out the trials and tribulations of children as a youth counselor in education environments, Barnes acknowledged his finding that many of the choices kids make don’t always match their intent; that is, their strategies can backfire on them.

For example, a well-prepared student might help out a friend who has forgotten about an exam by giving them a few answers on the test. These “short-term, feel-good strategies”, as Barnes calls them, almost always backfire. In this example, the abetting student had prepared for the exam and was not the party asking for help.

A child knows the act of aiding a person in need is not in itself wrong. It is at this place in the conversation where it is appropriate for an adult to intervene in the kid’s recital of the scenario and explain that the context of the situation demands a better, more responsible approach. Barnes warns parents and educators to listen to the child’s strategies, pick out the good ones, and apply those to solve the problems at hand.

Above all, adults must understand what they realistically can and cannot control. To address what you cannot control, become more involved in service to others, educational programs, and organizations which foster fair practices to develop an even greater understanding of how you can effectively help elevate youth ethics, suggested Barnes.

-Mallory Messenger, Business Ethics Alliance Social Media Intern

A few weeks ago, the first ever Advanced Professional Selling class was held at the University of Nebraska – Omaha. The course, taught by Professor Pamela Peterson, is designed to explore the behaviors, traits, and methodologies which are integral to complex selling and sales management systems. Students grew tired by the second half of class, as most all had worked long daytime shifts, skipped dinner, and headed straight to campus after work in order to make 6:00 PM class.

Yet an intriguing discussion resulted between students who offered insights regarding their sales processes and motives to work the selling process in their respective positions and fields. Students enrolled in this course and the professor have worked in departments such as sales, customer service, marketing, and financial positions, to name a few. In discussion of the unique sub-processes involved in each student’s sales methods, the idea of building loyalty and equity with the client by transforming products and services into revenue in a cost-efficient manner was debated. The current economic crisis has justified an analysis of the banking industry to be a hot topic of the times in many college courses, and this is precisely where the dialogue turned. Many students willingly spoke to the countless broken systems still involved in their positions within the financial industry. Some admitted to selling services and products people don’t necessarily currently need, meeting quotas instead of valid client demands.

When asked to form a mental picture of a salesperson, many people might recall a similar, stereotypical image: a silver-tongued car salesman, perhaps, pushing quantity and prices rather than quality and service. The quality I speak of here spans past the physical product or serviceable contract being offered to a customer; quality must extend from the businessperson to each client to form a sustainable, respectful liaison which operates on the basis of conviction that each will act toward one another in a beneficial manner.

There are countless salespeople who are able and willing to deal the frivolous ideas and things we all at times desire to possess. Others choose to approach customers with reasonability and assurance, upholding the principles of sales which make it a committed profession rather than a just another job. “What’s best for my company is what’s best for my client; don’t put your client in a position of exposure or high risk,” warned Professor Peterson.

Confirm your reasons for ambition. With each transaction, give your client a reason to want to repeat business with you.

To discuss the relationship between a company’s sales strategy and the ethics of the people executing its transactions, we will be hosting a networking luncheon entitled “Ethics & Sales: Convergence & Collision” on November 9, 2011. Panel members and the audience will consider how incentives and commissions might influence both the actions of sales people and a company overall. The following panelists will lead the discussion: S. Scott Moore, Vice President Brokerage Services & Auctioneer, World Group Commercial Realty; Ariel Roblin, General Sales Manager, KETV; and Sarah Waldman, Vice President, Ethical Practices, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska.

For more information & registration to “Ethics & Sales: Convergence & Collision”: http://ow.ly/6Oq4q

-Mallory Messenger, Business Ethics Alliance Social Media Intern

 Everyone has an opinion, especially about the recent resignation of David L. Sokol from Berkshire Hathaway Inc. — and the acceptance of that resignation and press release by Berkshire’s Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett.

 The topic has come up with friends and associates at cafes and golf course grill rooms, but the discussion at the Business Ethics Alliance’s last breakfast dialogue was by far the most interesting.

There is no doubt, in my opinion, that what transpired violated Buffett’s “rule of thumb” printed in Berkshire’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. That rule states:

I want employees to ask themselves whether they are willing to have any contemplated act appear the next day on the front page of their local paper – to be read by their spouses, children and friends – with the reporting done by an informed and critical reporter.”

Buffett’s press release was a guarantee the issue would appear in The Omaha World-Herald and in newspapers and on television networks around the world.

But did Sokol’s purchases of Lubrizol stock and his encouragement of Buffett to invest in Lubrizol break ethical standards or SEC regulations?  While media coverage generally is of the opinion that there is a fire beneath the smoke, we do not have all the facts to make a judgment.

This discussion piqued my interest because it tried to cut through speculation and opinion.  That is because we were encouraged by Bev Kracher, Business Ethics Alliance Executive Director, to utilize an ethical decision making model.  Kracher urged us to reflect on her mother’s wise advice to view the actions in a mirror and what it makes “me” think about.

An expert panel, made up of Craig Moody, Principal, Verdis Group; John P. Nelson, CEO, Silverstone Group; and Lyn Ziegenbein, Executive Director, Peter Kiewit Foundation; got the discussing rolling.

Nelson likened the situation to fine china.  ”If you break it, you can repair it, but you can’t restore it.  There is an element of sadness for all and Omaha.”

Members of the audience presented different views, ranging from media sensationalism of the incident to Sokol and Buffett being responsible, accountable, and transparent, to Sokol should have known better.

Anthony Hendrickson, Dean of Creighton’s College of Business, added expectations and perceptions to the mix.  Leaders do not have the same equity under public perception, he said.  There are different expectations for different people. 

Ziegenbein closed the panel discussion with a reference to Pollyanna, the title character of the 1913 best-selling novel and her optimistic attitude that positively transforms lives around her.  ”We are where we are,” she said.  ”What can we learn as a community and how can we benefit?”

Go ahead and apply the model and tell us what you think. You can join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or find more tools and information at www.businessethicsalliance.org.

-John A. Melingagio, APR, Business Ethics Alliance Communications Committee Member

What would you do?

You are about to make a major hire for your sales team at G-BioSport.  As the sales manager, you have the final say in which of the three final candidates will get the offer.  The last step of your hiring process is to check references.  You decide you will see if the applicants have a Facebook® page and see what information you can glean from their pages.  On the unsecure wall of your favorite candidate, you discover several threads of conversations about the political situation in China.  From the posts, you can determine she is actively supporting those who are agitating for greater personal and political freedom.  Some of the people whose conversation she is following are advocating going against the government, even suggesting demonstrations and other acts of civil disobedience.

Given that one of your major markets is China, you find yourself wondering if someone who is against the political system in China would in fact be a good sales rep for G-BioSport in that market.

Simple Solution:

For many of us the solution is simple — don’t hire the candidate.  But to discuss and assess the ramifications of that “simple solution” is precisely why the Business Ethics Alliance hosts Networking Lunches.  Dr. Janyne Peek Emsick, Ph.D., President, integ², inc, helped more than 80 of us look at the problem through several different lenses to see the big picture.

Baird Decision Model Lenses:

Emsick’s presentation “Strengthen Your Ethical Backbone”, using the Baird Decision Model, brought focus to the discussion.  Emsick walked us through the process for making an ethical decision using four lenses:

Rights and Responsibility Lens, where we ask:

• What are the Rules and Duties we must follow?
• What rights are relevant?

Results Lens :

• What is the goal?
• What will make me happy?
• What consequences am I willing to tolerate?
• What’s the best outcome for everyone?

Relationship Lens:

• What is equal/equitable?
• What is a just decision?
• What is fair?

Reputation Lens:

• What’s the noble thing to do?
• What’s the caring thing to do?
• What would my mother say about the decision? 

Take the Exercise:

We walked through the exercise in groups of eight.  Each group had two people for each lens.  Download the exercise and take it with a group of employees or friends.  Let us know the decision your group makes.  We will compare them with results from the luncheon.  I guarantee it will take on a view different from the “simple solution.”

If you want to participate in exercises and discussion like this, live, please attend one of our Networking Lunches.  Sponsored by Borsheim’s, they are held three times per year at the Scott Conference Center on the University of Nebraska Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Campus.  For more information, visit the Business Ethics Alliance website at http://businessethicsalliance.org.

The decision, please:

My table, made up of Human Resources, Compliance, Business Development, and Public Relations professionals took a hard look through the four lenses, even though we questioned the quality of the candidate for leaving information like this on an unsecured wall.

Through the Rights and Responsibilities Lens, we knew we needed to check our policies.  We also felt we owed the candidate due diligence, including checking references.

This also held up under the Relationship Lens as being fair to the candidate and making a fair decision for all involved.  We wanted to know if the candidate could put aside political feelings to do her best for the company.  We also outlined possibilities for the candidate to work in other sales areas.

Under the Results Lens we asked how good this candidate is compared to the other.  In other words, would we be losing a long-term asset that positively affects the company’s bottom line?

The Reputation Lens summed up all of our thoughts — we need to be professional, diligent, and fair to the candidate and the organization.

Our decision — Be fair, practice due diligence, and assess the candidate further to answer our questions.  After completing this exercise, be sure to post and compare your results with ours and other readers.

-John A. Melingagio, APR, Business Ethics Alliance Communications Committee Member

A big question hung over the standing-room only crowd of CEOs, presidents, owners, and board chairs attending Big 10 Commissioner Jim Delany’s address at the Business Executive Alliance’s Executive Breakfast.

No, it wasn’t, “How will the Nebraska Cornhuskers do against Big 10 competition next year?”

Well maybe.  But it likely was the big, ethical question, “What happened with Ohio State and their dapper, respected coach, Jim Tressel?”

Tressel and Ohio State were only mentioned once — during a question by Burke High senior Andrew Prystai, an 18-year-old guest.  Delany’s answer was anticipated: “Some cases are active and it is inappropriate to comment.”

That doesn’t mean Delany skirted the question; he answered it and many others at the event, which attracted more than 100 to First National Bank Omaha’s downtown tower. The lawyer and former North Carolina Tar Heel basketball player (participated in two Final Fours)  has a roadmap for “Systemic Integrity, People, Checks and Balances, and Consequences” to handle athletic complexities that are ripe for comparison with ethical business dilemmas.

Life and sports are intertwined for many of us. It is likely that each of us have played in games or competed in a business environment where we believed people acted less than honorably.  So how do you stay ethical in a complex environment of highly compensated coaches, regulatory organizations, thousands of young student-athletes, academic and financial goals, independent contractors, television networks and individual brands and visions with millions of dollars at stake?

While the answers to the questions are humbling and difficult, for Delany, it is about creating a vision and a culture revolving around questions we need to ask ourselves as we align our relationships:

• How are we going to play the game?
• Who we are going to play with?
• What happens when things don’t go the way we want them to go?

After answering these questions, how do you provide transparency, manage information, and create public confidence, which are all factors critical to success?

“There are concepts that exist,” Delany says.

• Be Clear
• Coach It
• Communicate It
• Provide Consequences (Rewards)

All of the concepts depend upon relationships, according to Delany.  ”It is nice to say ‘Do the right thing’ but it depends on the relationship.”  For example, a concept will apply in different ways for a direct report like a coach versus an official, who is an independent contractor.

Delany describes consistent messages with no consequences like “shooting a BB gun into an elephant.” His concepts include providing notice, clarity, and respect with consequences to create ethical change. “Fear does not have to be part of it.”

While some consider Coach Tressel’s two-game suspension and $250,000 fine a slap on the wrist, an illustrative Delany story may best provide perspective about acknowledging mistakes, moving forward, and creating a culture of dynamic ethical change.

He told the story of a coach who wrote an inappropriate letter to a compliance official. He sent a message to the coach saying he needed to be in Delany’s office the next day. The coach drove five hours to the meeting. Delany invited him into his office, where Delany sat down holding the letter. The coach told Delany he knew the letter was not the right thing to do. Delany, satisfied, said, “Meeting over.” The coach drove five hours back to his school.

Those who do not agree with this perspective will continue to fill up the air and internet waves on sports talk shows and in Facebook discussions.

However, if you want to learn more about ethics or discuss ethics, please let us know what you think. Share this message on Facebook, LinkedIn, or by coming to our next activity.  You can find out more at http://www.businessethicsalliance.org/.

- John A. Melingagio, APR, Business Ethics Alliance Communications Committee Member

“Wow!”

I think that one word can sum up the lively conversation in meeting room 207 where nearly 300 YP Summit attendees found the Business Ethics Alliance presenting a fantastic panel discussing moral courage. Panelists included Mark Pohl, Senior Process Engineer, OPPD; Susan Jacques, CEO and President, Borsheims Fine Jewelry and Gifts, Business Ethics Alliance Board of Trustees member; Joe Olsen, CEO, Phenomblue, Business Ethics Alliance Board of Trustees member; and Jim Young, Chairman, President, and CEO, Union Pacific Railroad, Business Ethics Alliance Board of Trustees member. 

To give you some background – the Business Ethics Alliance launched the Ethical Legacy Project in late 2010 to help the Omaha business community identify its core values. Five core values (accountability, community responsibility, moral courage, financial vitality and integrity) emerged and yesterday’s panel chose to focus specifically on moral courage. So what is moral courage? Courage is defined as acting when difficult or unpopular, so then moral courage could be defined as overcoming fear and acting for a noble cause.

To kick things off, we wanted to get a sense of where the audience stood in regards to their own moral courage. For the first question, the audience was asked to text their response to “In the past 6 months, have you been challenged to take a stand to go against the norm to do the honorable thing?” 63% of the audience weighed in that they had, while 37% had not. The second question posed was “In what context are you frequently challenged to do the right thing?” Responses could be your boss, a coworker, your customer, a vendor or unwritten rules. Interestingly, 35% responded with unwritten rules and 25% responded by a customer. The final question was “To what extent do you feel you have an ability to influence a positive outcome?” 51% responded extremely and 45% said somewhat. Talk about social influence!

From here our panel shared a number of stories about moral courage both from what they personally experienced and lived through, as well as from a close friend’s perspectives. Jacques shared how it took moral courage to stand up for an adjustment on compensation for a chief executive in the face of company layoffs and despite losing friends in the process. She also stated the importance of the company culture and how employees shape it. The panel agreed that it is vital that you choose a company you love and are passionate about, but who also shares the same moral compass as you. You may want to ask yourself – do that company’s employees share the same morals as you? Do their actions and words mirror what and who you would like to be? Do the leaders at the top walk the talk? If they don’t, YOU have a responsibility to say something. Young reminded the young professionals that they really do have choices and if they are in a toxic culture they should leave the organization. Pohl told the audience about a friend who reported dishonest employment practices to their boss, but received no response. Because they were afraid to use the company hotline, they ultimately left the company. Olsen shared that many Chief Executive Officers are insulated and want employees to speak up when they see unethical and illegal actions. The overwhelming consensus was that moral courage may be difficult, but worth the effort.

The breakout ended by asking YPs to challenge themselves to stand up and say something. While this is often easier said than done, it’s refreshing to know that we have the power – our voice – to make a difference. Show your moral courage – walk the talk!

If you attended this session at the YP Summit share your feedback with us. What did you take away from the session? How have you shown your moral courage?

If you enjoyed the YP Summit breakout and want to continue the conversation, you’ll love our next Business Ethics Mind Candy Dialogue slated for April 5. If you’re more of a social butterfly, be sure to join us on April 19 as we tailgate prior to the CU vs. NU baseball game at the new TD Ameritrade Park.

- Nikki Huffman, Sales & Marketing Coordinator, MECA and Business Ethics Alliance Committee Member

From I to We – Young Professionals Summit
March 3

I love March.  Not only does March mean spring, but it also means the annual Greater Omaha Young Professionals Summit.  I have attended the YP Summit the past 3 years, and every year I leave feeling more enthused and inspired about the great things happening in Omaha and what’s to come.  Registration closes tomorrow – so if you haven’t already registered, get to it!

This year’s theme is “From I to We: Changing the Conversation.”  In this light, how often do you find yourself discussing ethics?  Do you ever find yourself discussing an ethical topic or situation and not even realizing it!?  I sure do.  Help us continue the conversation – or heck, even START the conversation next Thursday.  The Business Ethics Alliance is proud to be presenting at this year’s Summit.  At 10:15 am during the Business Development breakout, we’ll be discussing “Business Ethics Mind Candy for Young Professionals”.

Our panel will treat you to a thought-provoking discussion about Omaha’s business core value of moral courage.  How can you display moral courage in your career?  How have others used moral courage to get ahead in their careers?  What importance does moral courage have in our lives?

Our panel includes:
Moderator: Beverly Kracher, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Business Ethics Alliance
- Meagan Hall, environmental scientist, HDR, HDR Young Professional’s Group National Chair
- Susan Jacques, CEO and President, Borsheims Fine Jewelry and Gifts, Business Ethics Alliance Board of Trustee member
- Joe Olsen, CEO, Phenomblue, Business Ethics Alliance Board of Trustee member
- Jim Young, Chairman, President, and CEO, Union Pacific Railroad/ Business Ethics Alliance Board of Trustee member

What questions about moral courage would you like to ask our panel?  What ethical dilemmas have you faced?

Be sure to join us as we announce more information on our YP Initiative and an upcoming event you definitely won’t want to miss, too!

-Nikki Huffman, Sales & Marketing Coordinator, MECA and Business Ethics Alliance Committee Member

I recently had the opportunity to listen to a few business professionals reflect on their many years of work, which lead them to recall more than a handful of memories made with their respective clients.  I’m sure many of you reading this might be able to relate to some of the types of things I heard – recollections of the people, the activities, the places one becomes acquainted with over a long career.  Seeing these seasoned professionals reminisce with one another through similar experiences was reassuring to me as a young aspiring business professional.  In a time when people continue to voice their concerns over tightened regulations and financial hesitations, this conversation was a reminder that business can, and should be, enjoyable.

I’m writing this note because I think there is a commonly held, uninformed notion that the term “business ethics” is a blanket term for strict regulation.  One might say this type of regulation reinforces hierarchy and diminishes workplace morale by making employees question their security against expanding corporate policies.  Maybe some of you can attest to this happening in your own workplace.  Yet, a well-implemented business ethics program that works toward uplifting corporate culture by identifying the needs and concerns of employees has the potential to be a very useful, uplifting tool for businesses and consumers, alike.

How do you react to hearing the term “business ethics”? What changes do you want to see in your office, or overall within your profession?

-Mallory Messenger, Business Ethics Alliance Social Media Intern