Personal Ethics, Character, Leadership, Service - Research Paper Example

Personal Ethics, Character, Leadership, Service I. My feelings about ethics, character, leadership, service and what I have learnt in this class The contents of the course in this class have provided me with a solid foundation for my life and career goals. My views about human traits are given hereunder: Ethics: Ethics to me is a way of life. The greatest merit in life is to help others and the greatest sin is to cause to intentional pain to others. My domain of ethics is related to my feelings, including religious beliefs. Ethical behavior is to do right things at the right time. According to me, a religious or a non-religious individual may be ethical. A religion sets standard for ethical behavior, but the scope of ethics is beyond the scope of religion. As for laws, all laws need not be ethical. Just because the majority follows some code of conduct, it need not be ethical. My ethics is the homogeneous mixture of virtues like compassion, loyalty and honesty. Character: The scope of character is vast and it is an all-embracing concept. According to me, it is the combination of response to challenges, and one’s attitude to work. Positive personal character must lead to achievements of goals and success in the long run. Even if the man of character fails, he views the situation with a balanced perspective and fortitude. The traits of character are inherited from parents and by societal interaction. Leadership: Leadership is the ability to inspire and lead a team. It is a state wherein one remains constantly inspired. A leader knows what is important and what is unimportant in a given situation. It is the capacity to transcend the distraction in the chosen course of action and move further; the inherent ability to meet the challenge. Even the great leaders make mistakes. But that doesn’t stop them from proceeding further in the chartered path. Service: To serve means to give. Rewards or punishments do not matter for an individual with a true motive for service. The inspiration for true service emerges from a true heart. Service also means philanthropy in the form of labor, and donations for a right cause. Service-oriented means to work with a high sense of responsibility. II. My Personal Mission Statement and Life Balance Goals My Personal Mission Statement: It is better to deserve without receiving than to receive without deserving. Life Balance Goal: Life is to be lived in its trials and tribulations, duty and beauty. I compare life to a swim in an ocean. Having gone for a sea-bath I am not afraid of the oncoming waves. If the waves are powerful, duck them; if the waves are friendly dance with them; when the waves are normal, I swim further. The waves in the ocean are bound to be there. Nobody can think of taking the bath, when there will be no waves in the ocean! Similar is one’s life. Problems of various dimensions will ever confront an individual. Wisdom lies in finding solutions to them, instead of showing the white flag of surrender and defeat. Career-wise, my goal is to become an Electrical Engineer. III. Based on the readings, forum or chat rooms or class discussions, opinions, research, etc., my personal definition of the following terms, 1) ethics, 2) leadership, 3) service and 4) character. My personal definition of 1. Ethics: To me ethics and truth are alternative beats of the same heart. Ethics is not the whole truth but an important part of the truth. Ethics is a cluster of principles that are accepted by the whole or majority of the society. 2. Leadership: Ability and capacity of an individual to inspire and lead others, is leadership. A leader takes right decisions at the right time. 3. Service: Service is a way of life. Being helpful to others, without any motivated desire is the real service. 4. Character: The greatest personal asset of an individual. Its main concern is with integrity and morality. Wise people say if character is lost, everything is lost. IV. The most pressing ethical issues facing organizations and their leaders -- employee rights and duties, crime, religious issues in the workplace. Why I believe these issues are important. Employee rights and duties: Any trade union movement that professes that the management is the permanent enemy and the employees should be at war with it at all times, if bound to fail in the long run. Of the four factors of production, land, labor, capital and organization, labor is important. For, capital without labor is dead. Employees can build an organization, and if it breaks, to a great extent the attitude and disposition of the employees owes the responsibility. The employees need to be basically sound and industrious—this is the viewpoint of the management. But it is a two-way traffic. Basic conditions also need to be created for the employees to become basically sound and industrious. No employee can give the perfect output, when tomorrow’s bread is not assured from today’s labor. Duties and responsibilities can be compared to a weighing scale. Both arms of the scale are equally important to strike the correct balance. The interpretation of the various labor laws needs to be done in a benevolent manner, so that it is helpful to the employee and not to make it contentious and initiate confrontation. There is no labor problem that cannot be solved through negotiations across the table. When the union leaders think that that they have brute majority to dictate terms to the management, and place unreasonable demands that becomes an untenable position. For, trade union is a responsive organization. Without the existence of the organization, there cannot be a trade union. So, survival and progress of the organization assumes highest priority. In the final analysis, the prosperity of the workforce is linked to the prosperity of the organization. It is very ideal for an organization to have an independent trade union, unattached to any political ideologies. Worker’s welfare and wellbeing of the nation needs to be the goal of a responsible trade union. Religious issues in the workplace: Normally religion is a private matter of an individual, but it becomes a public issue and turns problematic for any organization when people of different faiths take stand of confrontation. Religious conflicts leave the trial of bitter misunderstandings and result in social tensions. Shutdowns and productions losses due to communal riots are the worst thing that can happen to an organization and to the Nation. Production stoppage over a long period is a loss to the National Exchequer. Religious tensions belong to the emotional domain of an individual. Reasoning and fair-play are the casualties. The pages of human history are daubed in bloodshed related to many religious conflicts. They are due to superficial knowledge about the religious tenets. Such conflicts are generally initiated by the vested interests like political leaders, pundits, priests, and mullahs. True religion is the highest form of spirituality that transcends the mind, and that area is filled with bliss. No conflicts can ever arise there. Revelations in the scripture by the Realized Souls happens at that level. There cannot be any differences of opinions amongst them. The problems arise when such revelations are interpreted by the mind-level guardians of religions. For, every mind-level argument has the counter-argument and reasoning has never solved any problems permanently. Transcending the reason does solve all complications and misunderstandings. During periods of conflicts/ wars etc. the repercussions of such events can influence the working of an organization, if the employees belong to different faiths. So, the managements need to have permanent machinery which should meet periodically and sort out differences. Communal harmony needs to be maintained in an organization at all times and at all costs. At times, absence of a few workers of a particular religion, during communal tension, may affect the working process of the entire organization. V. The PISCO Decision Making Model to develop solutions for the case study. PISCO decision making model takes a comprehensive look at the issue before arriving at the final decision/conclusion. Firstly what is the purpose of the decision? What is the problem to be solved? What is the CRUX of the problem? Do the frame/boundaries define the right problem? Does it indicate challenges, welcome opinions, invite diversification, brainstorm the issue, whether there any benchmarks to the decision, does the global influenced that impacts the decision, and examine similar situations? (PISCO….) The golden rule in the process of decision making is, be the rebel against procedures, wherever it affects individual dignity and hold up progress. In the example given below we are told that Ben Garrison is a senior loan officer with First National Federal Bank. We further learn that he is an experienced hand having about ten years service and he handles loan applications from all over the state. He is stationed at Wyoming. The clash of ideologies amongst the officials of the Bank begins in consequence of the savings and loan debacle of the late 1980s.The Bank is compelled to introduce many changes, operational as well as bank’s lending policy. Emphasis on ethics is not to Ben’s liking and he finds it frustrating. “Ben complained to one of his loan officers, “I don’t get this ethic stuff. If it’s legal, I’m ethical.” One of the loan officers, Shelby Grant, a recent graduate of the University of Wyoming School of Business, replied, “Sometimes doing what’s ethical just costs you more money!”(OLS_263_PEAP_Case_Study_1_.doc) The purpose of the decision: The thorn in the issue is the ethics about handling the loan application from Doug Whitton. Ben reaches Shelby’s Office and tells her that they are supposed to make a trip to assess the proposed collateral for the loan. That is the procedure of the First National Federal. The question is who will finance the trip to the site? Ben informs that Whitton is willing to pay for the trip. Shelby thinks otherwise and finds no moral justification to charge Whitton on that count, as she is not sure whether then loan will be sanctioned. That will be an obligation on the part of Whitton. Ben is irritated. He resents the idea of bank’s shelling out the expenses. Moreover, Whitton has expressed his willingness to make the payment. Shelby is unsure about the merit of accepting money from Whitton, obviously on ethical grounds. The problem to be solved: Whitton may be willing to pay but is the Bank justified in accepting the sum? Whitton may be convinced about the merits of his case and the reputation of the Bank to consider such loan applications on merit. Whether Whitton is aware of the Bank’s changed credit policy? Shelby must be thinking about the possible consequences of the eventual rejection of Whitton’s loan application. Firstly, it will amount to the direct displeasure of one customer. The news of the rejection will be soon known to Bank’s other clients, notwithstanding the Bank’s efforts to treat such matters in confidentiality. The loss of goodwill of the Bank is an issue to be noted. Another important issue is, who will take, rather who is authorized to take the final decision on the issue? Ben or Shelby? The second issue is related to the loan clientele of the Bank in a general way. From Ben’s point of view, by giving loans, the Bank (or the Bank staff!) has implied rights to extract donations from them! Presently, Ben expects Shelby to phone up all the loan clients handled by Shelby to contribute for the annual fundraiser picnic and the eventual prize draws during that event. Ben expects donations from the bank’s loan clientele as if it the right of the Bank and he is willing to employ this pressure tactic without any inhibitions. Shelby thinks otherwise. She strongly feels that such a practice is wrong. Ben replied angrily, “These prizes are not for us! The money is not for us! This is charity! What could be unethical about that?” (OLS_263_PEAP_Case_Study_1_.doc) Brainstorming the issue: Means are as important for Shelby as the ends. Her approach ethical! Even if the donations are sought for the purpose of charity, putting pressure on the loan clientele is not to her liking. The moot question is why clientele loan only? Why not apply the same principle to the deposit clientele also? Will any deposit clientele oblige the Bank with donations? Perhaps not one; rather the Bank will have to pamper them with periodical gifts and courtesy calls! This means Ben is applying double standards, and he is differentiating between the deposit and loan clientele. Shelby’s integrity and business approach is sterling. Her financial position is rather bad, and an individual in her position is likely to yield to corrupt practices. Forget corruption, Shelby is not willing to make any compromise on the issue of professional and business ethics. In the evening she makes preparations for the visit to Whitton’s ranch, but that she does on her terms—that the Bank should finance the trip. She does not approach any of the loan clientele for donations, as she feels that it tantamount to exerting pressure on them for undue favor. That the donations are for charity does not impress her! Personally, she is worried. She got this job after four months of efforts. Will her decision earn the displeasure of her higher authorities? That seems to be the cause of her worry. But she needs to make the correct decision, as per the dictates of her conscience. If the management of the Bank is enlightened one, it will appreciate her decisions. If not, at the instigation of the middle level officers like Ben, the chances of her being fired, cannot be ruled out. VI. Summary I, as an organizational leader, will support Shelby. What one does not is not important. How one does, what one does, is really important. For short term gains, the long-term objectives and goodwill of an organization should never be sacrificed. Even if Whitton’s loan is sanctioned, he will always carry the feeling that the Bank exploited his weak position of financial need and imposed the evaluation charges for the loan proposal. If the Bank is giving loan, it is charging the interest as per the prescribed rates of banking laws. Putting personal pressure on the loan clientele for donations/advertisements etc. is morally and legally wrong. It takes many years to build the reputation of an organization. A couple of wrong decisions and actions may damage the assiduously built goodwill. The contents of the course have impacted me deeply and provided me with guidelines that will enlighten me throughout my life. References: OLS_263_PEAP_Case_Study_1_.doc PISCO | decide-guide.com decide-guide.com/pisco/ - Cached – Similar Retrieved on June 14, 2010. Read More