Beyond ”Thou Shalt Not:”Ethics for a Meaningful

and Successful Life

College of Saint Scholastica

February 24, 2011

Charles A. Weinstein, Ph.D.

I am honored join you today…

• Positive Ethics?

• Ethical Decision-Making

• The Ethics of Engagement

• The Power of Purpose

“Business ethics is so…negative.”

Ethical leaders empower others to improve the world

Who needs ethical leadership?

Among my teachers…

Ethical Decision Making

• Authority or Traditions.

• Conscience or gut feel.

• Name-calling

OR

• Ethical frameworks

• Analytical thinking

• Constructive discussion

Prevailing Ethical Theories

• Virtue Ethics

• Rights-Based Theories

• Kantianism

• Utilitarianism

J.S. Mill

b. 1806

Immanuel Kant

b. 1724Aristotle

b. 384 BCE

Think “OMAR”:

Outcomes – Motives – Agent – Rights

3,000 years in 5 minutes

John Locke

b. 1632

Ethical Discussion Framework

• Articulate position (or competing positions).

• Define disagreements or points of contention.

• Clarify terms and concepts

• Seek and clarify situation facts and objective data

• Analyze positions

Outcomes

Motives

Agent

Rights

Measuring Engagement

• Retention

• Safety

• Customer Service

• Productivity

• Profitability

Source: Gallup G12 Summary

• Clear expectations for

performance

• Adequate materials

and equipment

• Ability to succeed

in assigned roles

• A supervisor who cares about subordinates

• Co-workers committed to quality work

• Opportunities to learn and grow

Source: Gallup G12 Summary

Employee Engagement Drivers

• Sisyphus angered

gods through a

variety of antics.

“Accounts vary.”

• His sentence was the

worst thing the

storytellers could

imagine for a smart,

engaged person.

Learning from Sisyphus

Purpose

Expectations

Performance

Pride

A virtuous cycle

ELA “Firefighter’s Paradox”

Where can we protect more lives and property?

Best Practices from Hospice Care

• Group sessions to

process, share

(and grieve).

• Individual

relationships

pervade teams and

enterprise.

• Culture of mutual

support and

awareness

The oldest leadership seminar

• Safety and comfort

• Tactical information

• Problem-solving

• Strategic decisions

• Who are we???

If we

aren’t

telling

stories,

others

surely

are!

Thank you for your attention!

Charles A. Weinstein, Ph.D.

Ethical Leaders in Action, LLC

cweinstein@ethinact.com

651-646-1512

“We enable ethical leaders to achieve

extraordinary results”