Recent leadership failures in several high profile companies draw increased attention to the reality that achieving goals – performance – is only part of the formula for success. Another critical piece is the way leaders do it, which impacts others – relationships.  Leaders who are low in self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills lack something called “emotional intelligence” (EQ), a behavior model popularized by the work of Daniel Goleman.

Rather than being one of the many leadership fads that shed fleeting light on how those in power can be more successful, EQ is an enduring mirror that reflects back who a leader is and how he or she behaves, defining “tone at the top” more compellingly than any words on email, paper or video.

EQ also has a direct bearing on corporate reputation, something that boards of directors have watched impact stock price, media coverage, public opinion and a leader’s viability. Consider how public sentiment turned more negative against BP after former CEO Tony Hayward made the comment, “I want my life back,” and later watched his yacht race while gushing oil was destroying the livelihoods of Gulf residents.

Recently, retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen gave BP credit for doing about as well as any company could have in stopping the oil flow, but Allen, in charge of overseeing the government and industry response to the Gulf spill, gave BP low marks for how it dealt with the people and communities affected. If leaders don’t feel or know how to genuinely express empathy, it makes it that much harder for them to be trusted or supported.

Ethical Failures

Korn Ferry’s Robert Hallagan, Vice Chair and Managing Director, Board Leadership Services, says the percentage of cases where EQ derails a CEO is higher than what we read about in the media, but still a small percentage of the total population of CEOs. “However, because of the press around it,” Hallagan says, “boards are becoming more sensitive to EQ.” Korn Ferry uses various assessment tools to assess EQ and other leadership competencies in the searches they do.

“Leaders’ lack of emotional intelligence can lead to ethical failures if they believe they will never get caught and feel smart enough to worm their way out of it,” says Keith Darcy, Executive Director of the Ethics and Compliance Officer Association. “Arrogance distorts a leader’s capacity to read accurately situations. They can reach a position of power and sometimes develop contempt for ‘the small people’ as BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg was quoted describing the Gulf residents.”

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Jonah Lehrer talks about the contradiction of power, essentially how nice people can change by having authority. To the point on vulnerability to ethical lapses, Lehrer says that “people in power tend to reliably overestimate their moral virtue, which leads them to stifle oversight. They lobby against regulators, and fill corporate boards with their friends. The end result is sometimes power at its most dangerous.”

Lehrer points out that company surveys are a good barometer of what is happening in the culture of the organization, and surveys provide evidence that the vast majority of rude and inappropriate behavior comes from the offices of those with the most authority.

One of the fallouts from former HP CEO Mark Hurd’s ouster seems to bear witness to this. Immediately after his resignation was announced, past and current HP employees began commenting on blogs about Hurd’s arrogance, rudeness, and treatment of people he disagreed with in meetings. He had the lowest employee approval rating (34 percent) of major tech industry CEOs.  Granted, few CEOs who are credited with significant cost-cutting and layoffs win popularity contests, but a healthy amount of EQ can mitigate the impact of difficult decisions.

Importance of Soft Skills

Recent publicized leadership failures do invite thinking about what it takes to be a good boss, a theme in an article in the most recent McKinsey Quarterly.  Self-awareness wins as probably the most important skill good bosses must have because, aware of their flaws, these bosses work not only to overcome them and reverse the resulting damage, but involve others to help compensate for whatever their own weaknesses might be – and the organization is stronger as a result.

In the rush to find what works, what will create leadership success, something has been staring us in the face, not often acknowledged. Executive coach Jordan Goldrich, who works with the Center for Creative Leadership, points out that “increasingly, research is showing that what we used to think of as the soft skills (building and mending relationships, communication, and humility etc.) are completely connected to the business results.”

A recent story about incoming General Motors’ CEO Daniel Akerson used the headline “Brash, Blunt, Demanding.” Recognized for his discerning questions and for holding others accountable, a style that gained him respect on Wall Street in his role as a GM board member, Akerson will take over on September 1 as CEO. Tagged with a style of being brash, blunt and using colorful language, he will have a chance to demonstrate if soft skills are also important to the success of the new GM.

“It’s interesting (that) leaders lacking EQ see no higher purpose generally than themselves, hearing nothing more than the sound of their own voice, and can’t see beyond quarterly results,” says ECOA’s Darcy. “Those with a well developed sense of self are capable of hearing the deep moaning in the world. They realize everything that we do gets done with, by, for, and through people. They understand that the well being of people translates into a well functioning organization.”

About the Author: Gael O’Brien is a Business Ethics Magazine columnist. Gael is a thought leader on building leadership, trust, and reputation and writes The Week in Ethics.  Business Ethics is an online magazine with a strong heritage in the fields of ethics, governance, corporate responsibility and socially responsible investing. The mission of Business Ethics is “to promote ethical business practices, to serve that growing community of professionals and individuals striving to work and invest in responsible ways.”

Training Resource: Ethics 4 Everyone provides a powerful ethics overview for any type of organization and features a Bonus Leadership Segment which outlines 10 Ethics Guidelines specifically for those in a leadership role. Footage covers how to hold yourself accountable for ethical behavior, how to regularly communicate organizational values and ethical standards to staff so they are certain about what is/isn’t acceptable and why it’s important to recognize those who act ethically.

• • This activity runs more smoothly if you prepare a Summary Sheet in advance, preferably on a flipchart page or a whiteboard. See below for an example.
• • You will need help displaying the results of this activity. Identify a participant in advance who can help you quickly, accurately and legibly tabulate the responses on the flipchart sheet that you have prepared.

Introduce Activity/Give Instructions

Pass out the Handout and Scoring Sheet to each participant.

REVIEW the instructions on the Handout, and explain that their opinions—the way they label the behaviors— will be anonymously collected, summarized and then discussed with the group.

The Handout asks what category each of 20 behaviors belongs to:
Clearly ethical, clearly unethical, or some shade of gray.

ALLOW participants 5 – 6 minutes to work through the list and categorize each of the behaviors as E, L, M, D, or U.

Once participants have finished filling out the Handout, direct them to summarize their own results on the Scoring Sheet.  Participants should not write their names on this scoring sheet when they turn it in to the facilitator.

ALSO MAKE SURE participants understand that they are to list the actual numbers of the items in the boxes, rather than a count of how many items they labeled in each category.  (This makes it possible to tabulate the responses.)

Sample Summary Sheet: Flipchart/Whiteboard

In advance of the session or while participants are working on their Handouts, prepare your whiteboard or flipchart page to display a summary of the data.

Directions: Set up a flipchart sheet or whiteboard as shown below (this table has been shortened to save space). Summarize the participants’ responses (from their Scoring Sheets) by placing tally (or hatch) marks in the table below.  Tally marks will enable the group to see the patterns of the responses.

Item	E	L	M	D	U
1
2
20

Polling Activity Debrief

Collect all Scoring Sheets and summarize them on your whiteboard or flipchart. When the participants’ individual tallies have been recorded for all to see, proceed with the debrief.

ASK:

• • What makes categorizing some of the behaviors difficult?  Which items were difficult to categorize?
• • Can a behavior be “slightly unethical?” or “Close, but not quite unethical?”
• • What criteria did you use to categorize your choices?  In other words, as you grouped the behaviors on the list, what were your choices based on?

               Possible examples of criteria:

•            • Would the violation be discovered?
•            • Were people emotionally affected?
•            • Were significant dollars involved?
•            • Would this behavior physically harm anyone?
• • Do you think people consider impacts or consequences when they are making their choices about ethical issues?  Which impacts make the most difference?

Discuss the results displayed on the flipchart summary. Look for certain item numbers.  Were most of the behaviors listed as E or U, or were many more listed in the gray columns?  ASK participants what patterns stand out for them.

POINT OUT items (behaviors) that have the widest range of responses.  Have the group discuss why these items might have received the range of responses they did.

SUGGEST that a possible explanation for items having a range of responses (tally marks in several categories) or items where a large number of responses labeled the behavior as M is that the organization’s policies and guidance on these behaviors might not be clear enough.

As time permits, discuss other patterns participants see in the responses. It’s likely that very rich discussions will occur around the issues raised by this exercise.    

MAKE ONE OR MORE OF THESE KEY POINTS:

• • As we gain experience in the workplace, we tend to see things less often in terms of black and white.  Where we draw the line between right and wrong tends to become a bit blurry.
• • When right and wrong become blurry — when we are operating in the gray zone — we should fall back on the guidance of our experience, or the guidance of rules, procedures, and laws for direction.
• • It’s not possible for organizations to guide every specific behavior, or to have a rule or regulation to cover every situation. That’s why it comes down to the individual and to his or her choices.
• • Employees need to understand the intent of the organization’s code of conduct, and have an understanding of its values (and for the organization to have clear values).

Handout: Ethical Polling

Directions: What category does each of the behaviors on the list belong to?

Polling Scoring Sheet

Directions: Write the numbers of the items on the Handout that fall into each of the following categories. For example, if you marked items 4, 7 and 12 as E (Ethical), write 4, 7, 12 in the large box on the E (Ethical) row.  Do the same for each category (E, L, M, D, U).

 Please hand this form to the workshop leader after recording your responses.
Do not write your name on the form.
 

This activity is excerpted from the Leader’s Guide for the video training program Ethics 4 Everyone.

Need more help in this area? Ethics 4 Everyone provides a powerful ethics overview for any type of organization. In just 15 minutes, viewers see why focusing on ethics is key to organizational and individual success. They are also given an ethical action test, tips for solving ethical dilemmas, and more.

SAY: This exercise will allow you to focus on what works and doesn’t work for you and your organization. Let’s examine more carefully the pros and cons of taking shortcuts, versus the benefits and drawbacks of planning and preparation. We all know sometimes the only way to get the job done is to do it “now,” even if it is not done to perfection. What are some shortcuts that are currently used in your organization?

List a few of these examples on flipchart. Next, label a heading SHORTCUTS and ask for a listing of the pros. When those ideas seem depleted, move on to list the cons of shortcuts. (Note: If not suggested by the group, here’s a listing of possible responses that can be mentioned. However, it works best if you allow group members to come up with their own list. Respectful debate and dialogue will lead the group to a new appreciation of the value of each perspective.)

Elicit answers such as these:

SHORTCUTS:

Pros
• Doesn’t have to be perfect, just needs to be done
• Deadline is fast approaching
• Deal with the crisis—put out the fire
• Stay on top of change
• Customers want it ASAP
• More creative under time pressures
• Beat out the competition
• “Quick fix” is addictive…adrenaline rush

Cons
• Due to quickness, mistakes are made
• Quality suffers
• Shortcuts don’t allow for creativity, and change is a creative process
• Customers aren’t well-served
• Reactive response may be “knee-jerk”

SAY: Now let’s think about the benefits and drawbacks of planning and preparation to reach desired results. When do preparation and planning lead to successful outcomes? Let’s brainstorm about the benefits and barriers to preparation and planning.

Elicit answers such as these:

PREPARATION & PLANNING

Benefits
• Planned strategies lead to high-quality results
• Process may be as important as product
• Pride increases with a solid approach and positive outcomes
• Avoid costly mistakes—“measure twice, cut once”
• Reflects mission & values of organization

Barriers/Drawbacks
• Can lead to paralysis by over-analysis
• Takes too long — everyone expects instant results
• Too much focus on the future draws attention away from current concerns
• Getting product to market fast is key
• Time is money
• Plans in the past haven’t worked

Now let’s discuss the following three questions:
• What corners are you cutting that may be cheating those you serve?
• What areas in your organization would benefit from more thought, planning and patience?
• For both “takes shortcuts” and “great at planning and preparation,” think of someone you know who epitomizes this trait (two different people). How would you characterize each person’s level of success…at work and in life?

~Excerpted from the Leader’s Guide to the FranklinCovey/CRM video Law of the Harvest.

Need help in this area? In Law of the Harvest, Dr. Stephen Covey uses the example of a potato farmer to make the point that, in any walk of life, your final result will only be as good as the effort you put into doing the task right. Taking shortcuts typically hurts your chances for long-term success.

Here are a few examples:
   It’s right to communicate information that might help other people…
   But it’s also right to respect the confidentiality of information if you have agreed to do so.

   It’s right to follow through on commitments you’ve made…
   But it’s also right to address a higher priority task that suddenly needs to be completed.

In this exercise, your group will think about situations where there are conflicting rights and develop strategies for resolving them.

Set up the Activity
Break the group into several smaller groups of 2-3 people and have each small group work on one of the following situations (or have them come up with one of their own).

• Going to work when you’re obviously sick and possibly contagious.
• Telling an insecure co-worker (or subordinate) their work is good when it is not.
• Voicing support for a decision you don’t really believe in because everyone else is in favor of it and there is no more time for discussion.
• Ignoring a subordinate’s chronic tardiness because the employee has a troublesome home life and you figure they’ve got enough to deal with.

(See “Key” below for the conflicting rights in these situations.)

Review the Situation
For the issue they’ve selected, ask each group to discuss and take brief notes on:
• What are the competing “rights” in this scenario?
• What rationalizations might someone make in this situation? (Examples might include, “It’ll just be easier this way”, “It’s not that big a deal.”, “I don’t have time…”
• What outside influences might be in play?

Note: You may want to explain that influences can either be “supporting” (i.e. they help us make ethical choices– such as a manager who consistently demonstrates high integrity) or  “distracting” (i.e. they potentially lead us toward unethical behavior—such as an emphasis on meeting a quota at all costs.)

At this stage, do not have the groups come up with a solution or final decision.

Resolve the Dilemma
Explain to participants that—as they have just seen– in the case of conflicting rights, both choices may be ethical to some extent, but one is a better choice than the other.  Dilemmas typically have “better” answers, but the decision process can be tough.

Introduce the following three steps to resolving ethical dilemmas:
1) If possible, eliminate the conflict. (Seek permission to grant an exception, make a special case, or otherwise change the conditions.)

2) Decide what’s more right. (Ask which option is most in line with laws or organizational values?  Which provides the greatest benefit for the largest number of people? Which sets the best precedent for guiding similar decisions in the future?)

3) Seek Assistance. (Run the situation past your manager, HR or anyone who can listen and provide objective feedback.)

Have each group revisit their dilemma and apply these 3 steps to their decision making process. What would their suggested course of action be?

Debrief
Ask a representative from each group to describe the course of action they decided on, and the rationale behind it.

Key for Instructors:
For each of the situations your group will work with, here is a little more information on the answers you might look for.
Example 1) It’s right to want to meet deadlines and keep the organization from being short-handed, but it’s also right to stay home when you’re sick so you will get well faster and avoid infecting others.
Example 2) It’s right to protect a co-worker’s feelings (especially when the person is insecure) but it is also right to make sure people know when their work is falling short so they aren’t misled into thinking they’re doing fine.
Example 3) It’s right to be supportive of a team decision, but it’s also right to make sure people know where you truly stand on an issue.
Example 4) It’s right to empathize with people who are having personal troubles, but it’s also right to keep the workplace fair.

Activity based on a section of the Leader’s Guide for the CRM Learning program Ethics 4 Everyone.

Need help in this area? Ethics 4 Everyone is a proven training program for teaching people how to handle a variety of workplace ethics situations including the ones that fall into that tricky “grey area.”

About the Video: “Ethics 4 Everyone” combines real-world situations and practical advice for anyone confronted with ethical issues at work. The training program teaches participants to apply a quick “Ethical Action Test” to various situations – and the entire video runs only 15 minutes. A bonus segment for organizational leaders is also included.

Survey Methodology: A variety of clients participated in the survey, ranging from business, financial, education and non-profit sectors. Interviews lasted 30 minutes each, and each client was told that answers would be anonymous and aggregated into a central database in order to ensure unbiased feedback.

Training expectations: Several clients have used the program multiple times over the past few years, and many have made it a core requirement of their employee training programs.

“We are a school who trains high school students in their trades to work in the real world,” one participant said, “and we wanted not only to teach the meaning of ethics, but show real-life situations.” Ethics 4 Everyone fit the bill for this client because it was a great introduction to industry-specific situations, and it illustrated the professional expectations the workplace requires. It also proved to be the perfect conversation opener when discussing the excuses and rationalizations that often happen when someone is in an ethical dilemma.

Ethics 4 Everyone truly lived up to its name, according to several clients. “I used it for leaders who need to set the tone for the entire organization,” said one respondent. But another said “I thought it would be very high-level, but it ended up that it applies to everyone.”

Other clients loved the fact that the video was short, so they could set expectations about company culture early – and often – and at any time. Others praised the program’s inherent flexibility, because it’s relatively short running time made it easy to fit into busy schedules. And for many clients, ethics training was required for compliance. “As a publicly-held company, we need to explain how imperative ethics are,” one client noted.

How Behaviors Changed: Several respondents noted that while they could not detect any overt changes in behaviors on the job, the subject of ethics was certainly top of mind after viewing the training program. “We received excellent feedback about employees increasing their self-awareness,” one client reported. “I heard comments like ‘Now I understand what I’m supposed to do’. Some people even mentioned there were things they had done in the past they didn’t realize they shouldn’t have.”

One client firmly believed Ethics 4 Everyone saved the company money in the long run. “I believe this program leads to avoiding regulatory issues,” the client said. “And we maintain and untarnished image with our customers.”

Summary: Overall, 95 percent reported the video training met or exceeded expectations, and all who used the program said they would recommend it to others. Finally, one respondent summed up the overall satisfaction level with this: “We just haven’t found anything better than this program.”

Get started with Ethics for Everyone, View Trailer or Full Length Preview

70 percent of employees are positive about their employer’s commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR), according to the survey of 1.6 million employees from more than 70 organizations.
Employees who have a favorable view of an organization’s corporate social responsibility commitment in such areas as environmental awareness are also positive about several factors important to its success, including:

– Senior management’s integrity

– Senior management’s inspirational sense of direction

– Organization’s competitiveness in the marketplace

– Company’s interest in employees’ well-being

– Employees’ engagement or pride in their organization

“Businesses that recognize the importance of social responsibility often have employees who tend to be more satisfied with their jobs, adopt similar values, and become more committed to achieving success within the industry,” said Douglas Klein, President of Sirota Survey Intelligence.

Integrity of Senior Management
Among employees with a positive view of their organization’s CSR commitment, 71% also rate senior management as having high integrity. When employees are negative about their employer’s CSR activities, only 21% rate senior management as having high integrity.
“Employee views of CSR are connected with a broader assessment of the character of senior leadership – meaning that management can be relied on to follow through on what they say,” said Klein. “However, leaders who are seen as incapable of following through are unlikely to be regarded as being socially responsible.”

Senior Management’s Inspirational Sense of Direction
67% of employees who are satisfied with their employer’s CSR commitment feel that senior management has a strong sense of direction. When employees are negative about their company’s CSR activities, only 18% feel senior management has a strong sense of direction.
“Effective leaders connect the dots for their employees,” said Klein. “When employees question the time or money spent on certain social initiatives or any other activities, an effective leader will demonstrate the strategic importance these programs play in supporting the interests of the business.”

Employee Engagement
86% of employees who are satisfied with their organization’s CSR commitment have high levels of engagement. When employees are negative about their employer’s CSR activities, only 37% are highly engaged.
“A sense of pride is a major driver of both morale and business results, because people want to be associated with a successful organization that has a positive image,” said Klein. “Insightful leaders recognize that strategic CSR enhances morale, and higher morale contributes to better business results.

Interest In Employees’ Well-Being
75% of employees who are satisfied with their company’s commitment to CSR feel their employer is interested in their well-being. When employees are negative about their company’s CSR commitment, only 17% say their company is interested in their well-being – the lowest finding in the study.
“Employees do not divide the moral compass of their company into one part for employees and another part for the community,” said Klein. “Their employers’ commitment to corporate social responsibility is critical in conveying that the organization acts in their best interests, and is dedicated to treating them fairly and equitably.”

Marketplace Competitiveness
82% of employees who are satisfied with their employer’s CSR commitment also feel their organization is highly competitive in the marketplace. When employees are negative about their company’s CSR activities, only 41% feel it is competitive in the marketplace.
“To employees, CSR and business success go together. Companies that enhance their reputations through CSR perform better, and generate greater employee loyalty from workers,” said Klein.

Corporate Social Responsibility – or CSR – is a business strategy with a growing currency in the US and around the world. CSR argues that organizations have a responsibility to multiple stakeholders in the conduct of their business, and not just to the shareholders. It is about businesses assuming responsibilities that go well beyond the scope of simple commercial relationships.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development defines CSR as “the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large”.

A growing number of research projects and surveys reveal strong linkages between an organization’s CSR activities and improvements in a company’s traditional performance drivers, such as competitiveness, market positioning, investor relations, recruiting and risk management. There are now scores of investment funds available to people who wish to invest in companies or producers that are socially and environmentally responsible.

Although this definition may be at odds with certain financial expectations of maximizing shareholder value, American companies are becoming much more aware of their responsibilities to the communities and markets in which they operate. And they are vigorously, but not universally, embracing these objectives.

Indeed, corporate annual reports are indicating significant citizenship activities that add value to their stakeholders. PepsiCo, for example, clearly articulates its responsibilities regarding the environment and community affairs. It has established measurement indexes for human, environmental, and talent sustainability that impacts executive decision making. Kellogg’s donates over 20 million dollars of their products each year to fight world hunger. In 2005, Ben & Jerry’s opened a store in Austin, Texas for a community organization that helps at-risk youth and families. The store provides job opportunities for the community’s clients and all profits from the store go directly to the organization. Ben & Jerry’s does not collect a franchise fee.

Regionally, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have established state-wide organizations that provide resources, share best practices, and discuss public policy issues related to CSR practices. The Maine Businesses for Social Responsibility (www.mebsr.org) is an organization made up of diverse businesses who believe, in theory and in practice, that companies can be a powerful force for positive change in their communities in which they conduct their operations. Their mission statement is quite clear: “Successful management of the dual bottom line of profitability and social responsibility will be the goal of every business in the state.”

CSR can be defined by many variables. Yet more and more stakeholders are requesting and demanding that companies in their communities and portfolios focus as much attention to their CSR as they do to their financials.

Human Resources shares the lead in advancing and articulating the company’s approach to CSR. In the quest for top notch employees, recruiters at colleges are routinely being asked about their company’s commitment to and examples of CSR. Generation X’ers and Generation Y’ers are aggressive in their desire to work for companies that are socially responsive in addition to their financial and business acumen.

Corporate Social Responsibility will not solve all of society’s ills, but it will go along way to making the world a better place. In corporate terms, CSR makes good business sense. It gives everyone a reason to smile. It is what the future of business is all about.

Here are some suggestions for Human Resources leaders on how to promote corporate social responsibility within their organizations:

1. Define corporate social responsibility for your company or industry.

What works for a bank or furniture manufacturer may be significantly different from a bottling company or a grocery store chain.

2. Conduct extensive and continual research on the concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development, mentioned above, and the Global Reporting Initiative (www.globalreporting.org) are two excellent research sources.

3. Establish metrics for measuring the impact of the company’s CSR practices.

For example, what percentage of after tax dollars is used to support these activities? How does it compare to other comparable companies? How many labor hours per month or per year are set aside for CSR activities? Quantitative metrics are easier to defend and promote than qualitative metrics.

4. Involve employees in defining and advancing CSR.

Form ad-hoc groups to decide how best to be appropriately socially responsible with the resources available. Give them the authority and responsibility to figure out a way to make it happen. They will do it far faster than some corporate committee.

5. Keep track of all measurable costs.

As much as the company wants to be socially responsible, it also has an obligation to be fiscally accountable to other shareholders;

6. Communicate to everyone – sometimes subtly, sometimes loudly.

Publicize your activities internally to all employees and externally to all other stakeholders as appropriate. Invite civic, religious, and corporate leaders in to show what you are doing and encourage them to join you in their efforts.

7. Establish positive and pro-active relationships with other socially responsible companies.

There is power in numbers and they are always a great source of ideas that might work for your organization.

Copyright 2007
Ken Moore is an organizational development consultant in Albany, NY. He is an adjunct professor of strategic management at SUNY-Albany and the Union Graduate College in Schenectady, NY. He is a 1971 graduate of Nasson College in Springvale, ME.

http://www.employmenttimesonline.com/employers/article.php?ID=74

With today’s environment of 24/7 technology, less people doing more work, the demand for almost what appear to be instantaneous decisions, demonstrating daily high work ethics is a challenge for every business owner to employee. The question is how do you demonstrate your daily work ethics? These 7 steps should assist you to strengthen your own work ethics and provide greater self-satisfaction.

1. Assess your beliefs This step is really several combined into one if you don’t have a purpose in life, values and vision statements. Define your beliefs as you carry out your purpose, vision and values. Are those beliefs consistent and in alignment with those statements?

2. Look to your goals Do you have written goals that you continually striving to achieve? Without goals, why would we work less alone be concerned about our work quality?

3. Ask for feedback Seeking feedback from mentors, peers as well as bosses helps us to know if we are on target. Sometimes due to our filters of experience what we see is not what others see.

4. Hone your skills Becoming the best at what you do is a good thing. Seeking continuous improvement will demonstrate that you are truly committed to a delivering a high level of work ethics.

5. Determine your standards What are the work standards that define your work ethics? Do you go along with others and settle for mediocrity or are you comfortable striving for more because you know you can do it.

6. Model your beliefs through your behaviors Are you daily behaviors demonstrating a high level of work ethics? If no one is looking, do you act the same way or do you change because it’s okay since no one is looking and can report my behaviors.

7. Reflect each and every day Before you fall asleep or head off for work, take a few minutes for reflection of today’s actions or what may be facing you during the next 8 hours. Ask yourself: Can I be better? If so, How? If not, Why?

If you truly want to stand out in the crowd and demonstrate your work ethics, then begin to realize that work ethics are yours to control. Worrying about others is usually out of your control. If you continually demonstrate a high level of work ethics, you know that you did the best that you could do and will sleep well tonight and every future night. Let others worry about those who chose not to engage in a high degree of work ethics. For it is to be, it is truly up to me.

Leanne Hoagland-Smith coaches small businesses to large organizations and high school students to entrepreneurs to double performance by closing the gap between today’s outcomes and tomorrow’s goals. Please feel free to contact Leanne at 219.759.5601 or visit http://www.processspecialist.com/ and explore how she can help you from the free articles to the improvement tips.
One quick question, if you could secure one new client or breakthrough that one roadblock, what would that mean to you? Then, take a risk and give a call at 219.759.5601 to experience incredible business.