Ethics for the New Millenium

The Dalai Lama Foundation has introduced a working guide entitled Ethics for the New Millennium. It presents a moral framework based on universal rather than religious principles. It rests on the observation that those whose conduct is ethically positive are happier and more satisfied and the belief that much of the unhappiness we humans endure is actually of our own making. Its ultimate goal is happiness for every individual, irrespective of religious belief. The guide offers helpful benchmarks for goals we can set as individuals and corporations. Download the guide now

Leadership of Ethical Behavior in Business

The strategic leadership of ethical behavior in business can no longer be ignored. Executives must accept the fact that the moral impact of their leadership presence and behaviors will rarely, if ever, be neutral. In the leadership capacity, executives have great power to shift the ethics mindfulness of organizational members in positive as well as negative directions. Rather than being left to chance, this power to serve as ethics leaders must be used to establish a social context within which positive self-regulation of ethical behavior becomes a clear and compelling organizational norm and in which people act ethically as a matter of routine. This article frames the responsibility for strategic leadership of ethical behavior on three premises: (1) It must be done—a stakeholder analysis of the total costs of ethical failures confirms the urgency for ethics change; (2) It can be done—exemplars show that a compelling majority of an organization’s membership can be influenced to make ethical choices; (3) It is sustainable—integrity programs help build and confirm corporate cultures in which principled actions and ethics norms predominate. Click to read more.