When first reading the title of this blog you may be a bit puzzled.  What has attitude to do with ethics?  Over the years, though, I have received many comments about how important attitude is to the manner in which people behave.

With the wrong attitude people pay lip-service to ethics.  They behave properly when no one is looking – but when they have the opportunity their behavior is less than desirable.

Ethics is a code of behavior.  Some aspects of it are so wide-spread that we think of them as moral mandates.  Others are specific to our profession, or situation.  For example, “Do no harm” which comes from the medical code of ethics is something we can all buy into.  “Do not create a business relationship with your clients.”  Is specific to some professions, like mental health professionals.

Most workplaces have their own code of ethics.  Sometimes these are expressed as values.  Google for example says:  “Do no evil.”  A company I consulted in had on its mouse pads “It is Ok to make mistakes.”  They also reminded their employees that the mistakes shouldn’t reach the customers.

To learn more about important topic be sure to check out the course "Ethics and Attitude in the Workplace".

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ArLyne Diamond, PhD, is an internationally recognized author and consultant who teaches MBA university courses in Business, Organizational Development, Quality, Change Management, Persuasion/ Negotiation, Marketing and Leadership