Category: ethics

The Ethics Sage Discusses Ethical Organzational Leadership

On By southwerkIn ethics

The Ethics Sage Discusses Ethical Organzational Leadership

My colleague and friend, the Ethics Sage, has a new post which I am privileged to be given early. Please visit his site and join those who follow his blog.

James Pilant

The Ethics Sage
The Ethics Sage

Ethical Leadership in Life and the Workplace

Creating an Ethical Organization Culture

Ethical leadership means to set high standards for ethical behavior and establish a corporate culture that supports ethical values such as honesty, trustworthiness, responsibility, and accountability. Gael O’Brien, a frequent blogger on ethics issues, points out that ethical leadership draws on a high level of “emotional intelligence” and the capacity to own an organization’s values as well as one’s own, linking the means and the end in business strategy.

In organizations where the management sets a good example, significantly less unethical behavior is seen in the rest of the organization than when the management sets a bad example. At the same time employees and outsiders are often critical of the lack of role-modeling at the top. The positive side of this criticism is that it conceals an expectation: employees and outsiders expect top management to provide a good example. That means that there is a need for ethical leadership.

Ethical leaders have a moral compass. They explore their environment, with a well-developed vision of right and wrong. They have a clear sense of direction when it comes to deciding what can and must be done to establish an ethical corporate culture. They see and hear what others do not see or hear. They not only draw a clear line between what is and what is not permissible, but at the same time push the boundaries, and raise the bar, for others as well as themselves to become more ethical.

Ethical leaders have courage. They not only know that things must and can be different, but they do things differently themselves. They have the drive and the guts to persist where others give up. Where others are silent, they speak. They demand responsibility.

Ethical behavior is not only for people in management positions. Ultimately ethical leadership should show people that they are not the product of their environment, but are capable of creating an environment in which they can get the best out of themselves and others.

Creating an ethical environment in one’s organization occurs when top management pays attention to the values they set for the ethical behavior of employees. An interesting approach to doing just that is known as Giving Voice to Values (GVV). GVV is an innovative, cross-disciplinary business curriculum and action-oriented pedagogical approach for developing the skills, knowledge and commitment required to implement values-based leadership. The curriculum was developed by Mary Gentile, the director of Giving Voice to Values at Babson College.

I use GVV in the classroom and provide the opportunity for students to script and practice in front of peers, equipping future business leaders not only to know what is right, but how to make it happen.

Ethical leaders pay special attention to finding and developing the best people precisely because they see it as a moral imperative – helping them to lead better lives that create more value for themselves and others. In other words, ethical leaders know the ethical development of those in their organization begins with making them more ethical people in a variety of situations and establishing a framework to make ethical decisions. That foundation can then carry over to the workplace and enhance ethical behavior in relationships with stakeholders – suppliers, customers, employees, and others who rely on the ethics of the organization to treat them honestly and fairly.

Ethics is not a spigot we can turn on and off at a whim. True ethical leaders know this and they cultivate ethics in everything they do in directing the organization to accomplish ethical goals.

Ethical leaders ‘walk the talk’ of ethics. They demonstrate through actions and words that unethical behavior will not be tolerated and those who witness such behavior within the organization must report it to higher-ups so that appropriate action can be taken.

This leads to my final point, which is that whistle-blowing is the key to improving the culture within organizations. That is why the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act include protections for whistle-blowers and, in the case of Dodd-Frank, financial rewards for blowing the whistle on corporate wrongdoing where the government can bring a successful lawsuit against the organization for fraudulent behavior.

Former Supreme Court Justice, Potter Stewart, said it best in commenting on ethical behavior: “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.”

Blog posted by Steven Mintz, aka Ethics Sage, on November 12, 2013

From around the web.

From the web site, SORSONGB.

http://culcsorsongb.wordpress.com/2013/06/23/ethical-leadership/comment-page-1/

In every business, leaders are the key driving force of the business, because they can be the one to drive their employees and the decision they make will affect the organization. Recent research (Resick, Hargis, Shao Dust, 2013) shows that, ethical leader are the one who “use their social power to represent the best interests of their organization and employees, set a personal and professional example of ethically appropriate conduct, and actively manage ethical”. Ethical leaders can create important positive effects on both individual and organizational effectiveness. The word “Ethic” may have many definitions but the main point of the word is “knowing and doing what is right”.

Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) is the quality of exchange between a supervisor and an employee (Walumbwa et al., 2011). The LMX theory explained that the “more frequently employees interact with their immediate supervisors, the more likely the relationship will be stronger (Walumbwa et al., 2011)“, this show that with ethical leadership can lead to better relationship with the employees. Ethical leadership always encourages opinion from the employees, which will boost the individual effectiveness and may boost organizational effectiveness as well.

Stop and Frisk Criticized

On By southwerkIn ethics
NYPD graduation ceremony in Madison Square Gar...
NYPD graduation ceremony in Madison Square Garden, July 2005. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Stop and Frisk as used in New York is in my mind the commission of a series of crimes in the hope of deterring other crime. The New York City Police Department commits crimes by frisking using racial profiling and quotas not legitimate police methods. There is no way you can within the law stop and frisk people based on pigmentation and an arbitrary number of stops while still passing constitutional muster.

 

 

 

But I’m also worried about the effect this has on the individual policeman. If the public is just a series of quota targets to be harassed, searched or arrested, when does doing justice or serving the public come into the question? At what point, does police work become the practice of an occupying military force as opposed to public service? What does this practice do to public perception of police? When does a police department become a military force to be used at the discretion of its leadership (like below)?

 

 

 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking at

MIT on Wednesday about the city’s workforce, overreached with his

description of the police force which has been lambasted for pepper

spraying protesters lining Wall Street in recent weeks.

 

 

 

‘I have my own army in the NYPD, which is the seventh largest army in the world,’ he said.

 

 

 

If the police are an army to be used at the whim of a mayor, the goals of law enforcement are being threatened by politicization. This is poor policy.

 

 

 

Public trust and cooperation are critical elements in police work. The public is not a single community but a variety of communities based on economics, race and geography. Writing one or two off is bad police work and will have critical long term results.

 

 

 

Stop and frisk as a form of pre-emptive strike against minority crime is clearly unconstitutional.

 

 

 

It needs to end now.

 

 

 

James Pilant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NYPD Officer Adhyl Polanco Speaks Out Against Stop And Frisk In Video

 

 

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/08/nypd-stop-and-frisk_n_4066335.html

 

 

 

Adhyl Polanco, an officer since 2005, has become an outspoken critic of the NYPD\’s policy, which critics say disproportionately targets blacks and Latinos for police stops. He recorded his supervisors asking beat cops to meet a monthly arrest quota and testified in the recent federal trial that found New York City\’s use of stop and frisk unconstitutional.

 

 

 

\”This is not what I became a cop for,\” Polanco says of stop and frisk in the video, which was produced by the reform advocacy group Communities United for Police Reform and released on YouTube on Monday. \”This is not what I wanted to do.\”

 

 

 

A Vera Institute of Justice study released last month found that the experience of being stopped made New Yorkers less likely to trust the police. New York City is currently appealing a federal judge\’s recent ruling against stop and frisk, which prompted outrage from critics at a Monday rally.

 

 

 

via NYPD Officer Adhyl Polanco Speaks Out Against Stop And Frisk In Video.

 

 

 

From around the web.

 

 

 

From the web site, The Bronx Beat.

 

 

 

http://thebronxbeat.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/stop-and-frisk-intended-for-minorities/

 

 

 

Mayor Bloomberg has always been a strong

supporter of the New York Police Department. After Mayor Bloomberg Came

into office, those stopped and frisked has increased by more than 600%

reported nyclu.com (New York Civil Liberties). He has vetoed two bills

that were supposed to reform the stop and frisk policy that has caught

the attention of so many, especially those of minority groups reported

slate.com

 

 

 

Minority groups have always been the red

dot on the dart board, the scapegoats, the ones to who get slapped in

the head and no one gets punished. Thousands of Latinos and African

Americans are stopped and frisked on a yearly basis; up to 85% according

to slate.com. Mayor Bloomberg is convince that this is a very

productive policy.

 

 

 

The stop and frisk policy is not only

embarrassing but also condescending. Often times the police racially

profile young men on the streets and if they fit a certain description

then they must be guilty of something. The system is meant uphold white

supremacy as long as possible and this scheme of theirs shouldn’t be a

shocker when we recall historical events.

 

 

 

From the web site, The Bronx Beat.

 

 

 

http://thebronxbeat.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/prejudiced-policies/

 

 

 

As he walks home, a man of color is susceptible to be stopped and

frisked by police. Why? Because he simply looks suspicious to them.

Wearing baggy clothing alone could tempt an abusive police officer to

stop him. This man who was stopped can easily be a certified lawyer, a

college student, or even a hardworking father. This man could have been

very busy. However, he patiently waits to ensure that the police collect

evidence of his “unlawful” behavior – which most of the time turn out

to be perfectly legal.

 

 

 

Government abuse like the one mentioned above is a daily routine for

people of color. Whether they like it or not, race remains an essential

element that aids the police to their main targets, and they, whether

they are adults or teenagers, have to live with it.

 

 

 

Blacks, Hispanics and other minority groups who simply look

“threatening” to those stereotyping them have to deal with intrusive

police suspicion. They must endure frequent subway searches that prove

to lessen the amount of street crime and violence in New York State.

 

 

 

From the web site, The Bronx Beat.

 

 

 

http://thebronxbeat.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/stop-and-frisk-colored-people-only/

 

 

 

“Judging by the cover of the book,” A mentality is drawn upon certain

races so when an authority sees that race, already, he or she is

thinking that this person might be doing something illegal.

 

 

 

The Stop and Frisk policy is a policy that over years has caused

problems to many people and their lives. The simple idea of stopping,

when asked to then later being let go because you’re safe is more

embarrassing and hurtful then actually being caught if you had some sort

of bad possession on you. Why do I say this? Because it’s embarrassing

and hurtful to be stopped and frisked because you’re being suspected of

something, the reason being you’re dressed a certain way and/or your

race.

 

 

 

Indian Air Force Mission Udaan title song (via rj0rajeesh)

On By southwerkIn ethics

I didn’t think I could find an Indian Military rock video, but I got lucky and here it is.

James Pilant

I freely admit I have no idea what the words mean but I read the comments and they are positive, so I don’t think it’s satirical (always a problem when you don’t speak the language).

Here’s another one –

Indian Army Rap (via monvictor3)

On By southwerkIn ethics

That’s a pretty militant song. I’m not sure how Indian it is.

James Pilant

Elizabeth Taylor is dead at 79 (via CBS)

On By southwerkIn ethics

From CBS –

Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79.

The actress, who won Oscars for her performances in “BUtterfield 8” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” died Wednesday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from congestive heart failure, publicist Sally Morrison said.

I am never able to think of Elizabeth Taylor without thinking of Richard Burton. I am a product of my age. Here is a clip from The Sandpiper. I was nine when the movie was released. Their marriages and marital difficulties were a news background for most of my formative years.

James Pilant

This is a fan video of Johnny Mathis and Barbara Streisand singing “The Shadow of Your Smile.” It won an Academy Award for best original song.

Americans Losing Faith in Government

On By southwerkIn ethics

From ABC News –

Only 26 percent of Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll say they’re optimistic about “our system of government and how well it works,” down 7 points since October to the fewest in surveys dating to 1974. Almost as many, 23 percent, are pessimistic, the closest these measures ever have come. The rest, a record high, are “uncertain” about the system.

After the financial melt down of 2007, a full three years now, there have been no prosecutions and no arrests. After British Petroleum created a unimaginable ecological disaster, it was supported and protected by the government, particularly the White House. After two years of countless illegal foreclosures, a study from an agency of the Federal Reserve concluded that there were no illegal seizures of homes.

The government has lost the ability to protect the American people or articulate any vision of the future not based primarily on corporate or financial interests.

The government is a body that has become independent of citizens as constituents.

Today, after unprecedented developments, we are likely to experience a meltdown at one or more nuclear plants. This was considered virtually impossible just a few days ago. Yet, …

(Reuters) The White House said on Monday President Barack Obama remains committed to keeping nuclear energy as part of the energy mix despite concerns about its safety after the earthquake in Japan.

Let me see if I understand this. The White House says we are going ahead with nuclear power “despite concerns.” Wouldn’t it be better to wait and see if there is a meltdown? Or do a study of what went wrong?

You might think that reality should have a place in technological decisions. But the decision has already made. A number of Americans will make huge amounts of money from these nuclear plants and no event can be allowed to interfere with those investment decisions.

Why would anyone be surprised that Americans have little faith in the government? The United States government is like a train that is no longer interested in where the passengers want to go. As far as they are concerned, someone else is paying for the trip.

James Pilant

 

 

Current Wind Patterns from Japan to the United States

On By southwerkIn ethics74 Comments

My friend, Gary Bender, sent me this.

 

 

 

It is the jet stream pattern for today. It seems to indicate that if radiation were to enter it now, it would arrive in the middle of the United States very quickly.

James Pilant

Could the Jet Stream Bring Japanese Radiation to the United States

On By southwerkIn ethics29 Comments

This is a map from wikipedia. It shows the path often taken by commercial airliners to take advantage of the jet stream when it is running from Japan to the United States. This usuallyoccurs during the winter months.

Could this thing bring radiation here? I don’t know.

During the Second World War the Japanese used the jet stream to send bombs by balloon to the United States. That would suggest to me that the wind currents are quite reliable.

From wikipedia –

The balloon campaign was the fourth attack the Japanese had made on the American mainland. The fūsen bakudan campaign was, however, the most earnest of the attacks. The concept was the brainchild of the Imperial Japanese Army’s Ninth Army’s Number Nine Research Laboratory, under Major General Sueyoshi Kusaba, with work performed by Technical Major Teiji Takada and his colleagues. The balloons were intended to make use of a strong current of winter air that the Japanese had discovered flowing at high altitude and speed over their country, which later became known as the jet stream.[3]

The jet stream blew at altitudes above 9.15 km (30,000 ft) and could carry a large balloon across the Pacific in three days, over a distance of more than 8,000 km (5,000 miles). Such balloons could carry incendiary and high-explosive bombs to the United States and drop them there to kill people, destroy buildings, and start forest fires.[3]

From another web site –

The balloon bombs were released from Japan in the winter months when the jet stream is the strongest. They popped up to altitude (20,000 to 40,000 ft.) and if they were lucky into the stream. They traveled along in an easterly direction crossing the Pacific at around 200 mph in the jet stream. In daytime they would ride at the maximum altitude but as time wore on they would sink. At night they would collect dew and become heavy. Below a set height the altimeter would cause a set of blow plugs (charges that released the ballast) to fire releasing the sand bag ballast. The lost of weight would cause the balloon to pop back up to altitude. This continued till all the sand bags were gone. The last ballast was the armament. Thermite bombs were armed and dropped in the last positions on the ring. Anti-personnel bombs were also used. After all the ballast was gone a picric acid block blew up destroying the gondola. A fuse was lit that was connected to a charge on the balloon itself. The hydrogen and air mixture burned the balloon envelope up as a large orange fireball.

I’m couldn’t find any information on the jet stream’s current location.

If radiation were to reach 30,000 feet and enter the jet stream, it will probably go faster than a “bomb balloon.”

I’m just speculating but I haven’t seen anything about this anywhere and I thought I would see if someone who knows more than I will talk about this.

James Pilant

A Threat To Religious Liberty for Some is a Threat To All (via Confessions of a Small Church Pastor)

On By southwerkIn ethics

I have said on this blog a number of times that I consider those Americans who practice the religion of Islam to be as much patriots as any other religious group in American.

Thus, it is not surprising that I like this article.

James Pilant

A Threat To Religious Liberty for Some is a Threat To All Religious liberty is at risk in the United States today.   Rep. Peter King (R-NY), chair of the House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday to explore the issue of the radicalization of Muslims here in the United States.  While this might appear to be a legitimate national security concern, Rep. King’s history and previous statements raise serious questions about his intent. Civil rights groups, religious leaders, and other … Read More

via Confessions of a Small Church Pastor

Morally Right and Just

On By southwerkIn ethics, Government Failure

(A republish of an old column.)

“What is morally just and right – that’s not my job,” he said.

If a rapist, a murderer, an embezzler, any kind of criminal, had said this, we wouldn’t be surprised. If a corporate CEO said it here in the age of Milton Friedman and the Chicago School, I would not be particularly surprised but to hear it from the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court is a tragedy and an abomination.

Every human being and, in particular, every American has a responsibility to do what is right and hold others to moral responsibility. That is even more critical in the field of law where what must be a primary concern is justice.

What is particularly bizarre is that he spoke these words in a speech where he repeatedly praised President Lincoln. He said this:

Like most attorneys of his day, Lincoln didn’t go to law school and learned it by reading and working for other lawyers, Roberts said. He was a generalist who studied many things and was continually learning. He understood human nature and had a strong internal compass that allowed him to excel when he believed he was right.

What did President Lincoln say about morality? This is from the his Second Inauguration.

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

Let us as Americans, as believers in one religion or another, as believers in any philosophy in which good is considered more important than evil, struggle to make this land a better place. Let us always remember that we have an affirmative duty to fight evil and a responsibility to do what is right and honor justice whether we are the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or a simple citizen of a great nation.

James Pilant