Where Is Our Moral Compass?

HOT READS FOR THE PRACTITIONER

Title: Culture, Ethics, Responsibility, Accountability and the Future – Part II

Competencies: visionary leadership, political leadership, engenders trust, ethics, employee involvement, empowering others

Who benefits: everyone

Consultant Usage: every consultant, trainer, and leader should be setting the tone and driving these core competencies through their organizations and with individual employees

What’s it about? Last week I began a three-part series looking at the future of countries by examining the role of organizations in creating the desired future and the role each of us needs to play in this process.  I continue today by introducing you to Guillermo Gower, CEO of NASOFT USA.  Mr. Gower is an unusual CEO in that he spends much of his time thinking about, and yes worrying about, how the world works and what the future holds for all of us. 

His are not academic thoughts.  He attacks these issues day in and day out.  He wrote me initially about his experiences in expanding into Latin America.  He wrote about his frustration dealing with bribes, corruption, the lack of properly educated employees (including ethics and business standards) due to similar corrupt and irresponsible school systems, and the inability to get things done because of inbred lack of responsibility and accountability in all facets of business and government. 

Here is what Mr. Gower is thinking about in his own words:

My company has, for the past few years, been making inroads in Latin America.  It has been a struggle.  At every turn we meet with evidence of a decaying social platform.  There are the problems you read about – bribes and corruption.  Then there are other problems that are not as well publicized – lack of basic education at the lower economic rungs; lack of ethical and responsible behaviors at mid and upper levels of business and government. 

These problems are exacerbated by the lack of political will at all levels of government.  The net result is to discourage private initiatives.  We offer the best solutions to fight poverty in these nations yet resistance comes from those who have the most to gain if we are successful.

There are times I wonder if my company can continue to function in some countries under such destructive conditions.  In fact I wonder if our current global economy is sustainable when human behavior is so out of control.

Solutions won’t come until we develop a capitalist soul – a moral compass – and develop a new kind of society, a Human Capitalist Society.  It is a society that brings balance to economic decision making.  It is the kind of balance that considers equally the greater good along with personal gain.  It means “care” is given to individual actions.  It means personal actions reflect what is good for the whole, good for political systems, economic systems, eco systems as well as what is good for the self. 

There is hope.  I don’t know all the answers, but I hold two things true.  First, there must be a fundamental change in education systems in all countries.  These changes must reflect the moral compass, the culture, which reflects the values of the nation and its people.  It must be based on personal responsibly and accountability of action.  From the time children enter school, their education must reflect the fundamental question of “What is the right thing do.”

The second thing I hold true is that the culture we desire, the economy we want, the way we want to live, cannot be delegated.  Each of us must examine our own soul and use the limits of our intelligence to bring about the changes we want.  We have ample demonstrations of the lack of willpower by governments to lead.  We must be the leaders, each of us.  If enough of us demonstrate in our actions the kind of world we want, then governments will follow.   

Mr. Gower is not alone.  I implore you to read the short but powerful article The Betterness Manifesto.  The author writes: “Real change doesn’t begin with governments, presidents, or prime ministers. It begins with each of us.  So what can you do? Here are eight ways to kick start betterness….” 

Read about those 8 ways. 

Live those 8 ways. 

And pay them forward.

Catch you next week.

 
[tags]business standards, visionary leadership, political leadership, engenders trust, ethics, employee involvement, empowering others, corporate citizenship, organizational improvement, gower, guillermo gower, peter drucker,bill bradley, william bradley, bradley[/tags]

Bill Bradley

Bill Bradley (mostly) retired after 35 years in organizational consulting, training and management development. During those years he worked internally with seven organizations and trained and consulted externally with more than 90 large and small businesses, government agencies, hospitals and schools.