A Discussion of Ethics for the Association ExecutiveTallahassee Society of Association Executives2007-2008 Professional Association Leadership ProgramSeptember 19, 2007

Ethics1 …the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation2 a : a set of moral principles : a theory or system of moral values <the present-day materialistic ethic> <an old-fashioned work ethic> -- …b plural but singular or plural in construction : the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group <professional ethics> …

Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere.

G.K. Chesterton

What is it right (or wrong) to do? Do the intentions behind an action

determine its goodness or does the actual outcome of the action

matter more?Are there any universal ethical rules?

Are ethics culturally based?

Why Have the Discussion?

The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the

conduct of one hour.Japanese proverb

Smithsonian Head's Expenses 'Lavish,' Audit SaysBoard Calls Small's Charges 'Reasonable'By James V. GrimaldiWashington Post Staff WriterSunday, February 25, 2007; A01

Lawrence M. Small, the top official at the Smithsonian Institution, accumulated nearly $90,000 in unauthorized expenses from 2000 to 2005, including charges for chartered jet travel, his wife's trip to Cambodia, hotel rooms, luxury car service, catered staff meals and expensive gifts, according to confidential findings by the Smithsonian inspector general.…

Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the

laws. Plato

Nearly a third (31 percent) of U.S. workers have witnessed co-workers engage in ethical misconduct, according to a Hudson survey on workplace ethics. However, only half (52

percent) of those witnessing unethical or illegal acts reported it to anyone in authority.

Hudson Survey, October 2005

The pursuit of truth will set you free — even if you never catch up with it.

—Clarence Darrow, American lawyer (1857-1938)

The Cost of Unethical Behavior

According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, a typical organization loses 5% of its annual revenues to fraud.The estimated 06 US Gross Domestic Product is $13.037 trillion. If we multiply that figure by 5%, the result would be roughly $652 billion lost to fraud.What is 5% of your association’s budget?

$5,000 $15,000 $75,000

To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to

society. Theodore Roosevelt

With whom might you face ethical conflicts?

Association Staff

Members

Board Members

Vendors and Suppliers

Colleagues

Others?

How do you make the decision?

The Utilitarian Approach: What

action will result in the most good and

the least harm? The Rights

Approach: What action will respect individual dignity

and a person’s right to live as they

choose?

The Fairness or Justice Approach: Which action treats everyone the same way and does not show favoritism or

discrimination? The Common Good

Approach: Which course of action

advances the common good? The Virtue

Approach: How will I feel with this

decision? Will others be inspired toward

virtue?

Use your network—personal, professional, or religious

How will you feel when you look in the mirror?

When it makes the news, what will the headline say?

What does that member sitting on your shoulder say?

“Values are like fingerprints. Nobody's are the same, but you

leave 'em all over everything you do.Elvis Presley

Will the organization be better in the long-term as a result of your decision?

How much of your ego is involved in the decision?

Regardless of the reasoning, how will it be perceived?

Can you defend the decision without reservation?

Resources on the Web

Ethics Resource Center has a great Ethics Toolkit: http://www.ethics.org/The Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions (CSEP) at the Illinois Institute of Technology : http://www.iit.edu/departments/csep/Ethics Point for help creating an ethics program: http://www.ethicspoint.com/en/default.asp

For inspiration: The Giraffe Heroes Project (recognizes people sticking their necks out): http://www.giraffe.org/

BoardSource: http://www.boardsource.org/

Scenarios

Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be

without one, be without strategy.

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf