On Doing the Right Thing

FUNDAMENTAL 18 – Do the Right Thing Always

Each of us are governed by self-leadership. We are responsible for making good decisions, investing in our own education and enrichment, and seeking help or mentoring when we are in over our head. One of the most critical features of self-leadership is ethics and integrity. When it comes to our job and building trust with our clients and teammates, we should always do the right thing when facing any type of difficult decision. Here are some thoughts:

• Transparency – If we are comfortable with our decision or actions being announced on television or printed on the front page of the newspaper, that’s a good start. There are times when the popular thing is not the right thing; we have to look hard at those situations when we encounter them. In almost every case, transparency about our actions is essential.
• Truth – Our speech and activities need to be built on a foundation of truth. We should always speak and act truthfully. These days, a perceived version of truth can be spun and manipulated to suit our purposes. Spin is a social convention, not a core attribute of our being. Here we are talking about the genuine article – our speech and actions are based on facts and not perceptions. Genuine truth survives challenge.
• Trust – The best thing about consistently doing the right thing is that other people notice. When they notice, trust grows between us and our clients and between us and our teammates. This forms the bedrock of our relationship and trust accumulates one right action at a time. When we do the right thing, we strengthen that trust and our client relationships.

Thanks for doing the right thing for our clients and our team!