ethics is a life style 7

[rbeaureg]

I am currently in middle management in a pool with eleven other individuals all doing simular work some more so than others. Years ago I decided that enough was enough and decided to take on our system for positive change. Totally fed up with the complaining and buck passing as the norm for dealing with day to day issues. ie: "I don't get paid enough", "I hate this place", "my boss is an idiot", "my employee's are always screwing up", "Its not my fault he or she is responsible", "i give up its hopeless". Those are but a sample of of the excuses used to take the responsibility of the turmoil around such individuals who refuse to help themselves or don't know how to. Take the upper ground and set the example and choose to not be one of the sheep, be a sheppard of the flock. This is a very long and seemingly endless path, but it works as long as you don't give up. I have been at it for over five years now and at times I get very tired, but there is another day tommorow and yesterday is history and no one can change the past so forget about it and try again. During this "set the example" lifestyle alot of my peers thought of me as foolish and what I was doing was leading me straight into a brick wall. Well after five years I have people who enjoy working for me and my boss is refusing members from other teams to join with my group because they enjoyed temporary work assignments with our group and the direction we are headed. This by the way was told to me by my boss in front of some of my peers, and just recently the operations manager , who is responsible for nearly two thousand employee's and answers to corporate, thanked me in person and in writting for doing such a good job and for being a leader. I would have appreciated gratitude in cash more, but now I'm already near the top of my level six pay scale and I've only been at that level going on two years. Here are some of the things it takes, just a few to start with. At work early at least one half hour, no less, for me earlier most times. Stay until your comitments to others for that day are all met, first one in the door last one out. Always be interested in what people are talking to you about because soft spoken words are usually very important. Always kind, curteous, grateful and appreciate people for what they do to help you through your day, even if its just a goodmorning greeting. Try to promote a positive and welcome atmosphere when dealing with people. Well, honesty, truthfulness, reliability, also fall into this. But the point is its very rewarding, the ethical high ground, and others join in, but, and I say again, but, it takes alot of hard work to get there and, on the plus side, very little work to maintain once there. Set the expectations for yourself. The old saying "clean up your own back yard first".
Thanks for your time, rb.

 

[benzito]

Thx for posting...ur words have not fallen on deaf ears.

 

[SteveTheGeek]

On the other hand, (being a devil's advocate is a job I like) you seem to say "work really really hard, be nice to others, and you'll succeed... oh, and be ethical, too." Certainly good advice, but the vast majority of people would agree hard work and friendliness makes success more likely. Does following a strict code of ethics make success more likely? You didn't answer that very clearly.
-Steve

 

[Chance1234]

also depends on how you measure success, ;-)

some good points in but i would also add a touch of caution to the advice, some key words i thought were missing were depedning on whether you think these would fall under ethics or not but,

Delegation
Communication
Presentation
Planning

but spot on about promoting a positive atmorsphere, negativity is a big big killer


Chance

http://WWW.5YLAC.S5.COM

 

[benzito]

"Does following a strict code of ethics make success more likely? You didn't answer that very clearly."

An even better (rhetorical) question:

If following a strict code of ethics made success more unlikely, would you choose to be unethical?

I think the point rbeaureg is trying to make is that being unethical is not an option. Like his subject lines states, "ethics is a life style".

 

[monkeylizard]

thanks rbeaureg. I'm glad to have the encouragment. It's Memorial Day weekend, and I'm here rebuilding a server. I've been in the office for 4 of the past 5 weekends (include this holiday weekend). It's discouraging and makes me want to hang it up and quit. Thanks for the positive outlook.

Here are a couple of poems I keep taped to the side of my monitor. Thought some of you might find some encouragement from them too. I don't take them as absolute set in stone fact, but they are good words of encouragement. Both of which seem to apply to rbeuareg.

N-Joy

The Enemy Inside
There’s an enemy out to get you;
he’ll destroy you if he can.
His name is Lack of Confidence
and he’s lurking in every man.
Whenever you face a challenge,
he will whisper in your ear
And tell you all the risks involved
and the things that you should fear.
But there’s one sure way to defeat him;
it’s to constantly say ‘I can!’
To know in your heart, from the very start,
you’re equal to any man.
Then you venture when others are timid,
see hope when others despair.
You rely on yourself, you don’t give up,
you fight hard and long and fair.
You don’t spend time complaining
about luck – how it passed you by.
And you don’t make any excuses
for the times that you just didn’t try.
This positive way of thinking gives a key
that will set you free;
While the mass of men stand idly by,
your dreams are realities.
(Ivan Fitzwater)

Until I Believe in Me
God gave me many talents
and a choice of what I can be,
But I will amount to nothing
unless I can believe in me.
He gave strength to my arms
and a brain to use
and visions for me to see,
but my dreams will be empty wishes
until I can believe in me.
He gave me the love and strong support
of friends and a family,
but these will all be wasted
unless I can believe in me.
So let me live life boldly
- not boastfully, but eagerly,
Deserving of others’ faith and trust
because first I believed in me.
(Ivan Fitzwater)

Monkeylizard
-Isaiah 35-

 

[helengordon]

And what does one mean by success?
Success before whom?
Is being ethical in itself some form of success?
What is one's goal in work/play/life?
Helen.

 

[xutopia]

read a book of quotes. Gary

http://www.xutopia.com

Haran

 

[helengordon]

Not sure if you are pointing out that what I wrote was a tad trite, or being serious, Gary! For sure noone's going to find their meaning and motivation or learn to live ethically from a book of quotes merely. There isn't a two minute fix for living to the full and well ... is there?? I'd like to hear it if there was...
Helen

 

[xutopia]

helen,

I didn't mean my post to sound bad in any way. I was in a hurry and since the sound of my voice doesn't come through when writing I should be more careful of my words. First let me answer your questions

- And what does one mean by success?
probably answer his need to feel good about oneself.

- Success before whom?
too often in regards to the people that surround us. They are the ones that teach us everything we know.

- Is being ethical in itself some form of success?
I believe it is.

- What is one's goal in work/play/life?
Depends where you are. One quote I like a lot is "Americans live to work, the French work to live". Now the meaning of that quote is interesting isn't it. But who really understands it?

The word "anymore" is quite interesting. If you break it up you get any and more. When someone says "you don't love me anymore" does it mean that the love isn't becoming more and more everyday? Is growing love the only type of love? For some yes.

The analogy of love here points me to one direction. In my career and in life moving forward means applying more of my knowledge. There is not state of perfectness but I must everyday go towards that goal. Success to me is applying something new, learning more, teaching more.

Reading a quote every so often makes me enjoy someone else's knowledge and somehow aquire it.

My favorite quote :

Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind. - Albert Einstein

Cheers

Gary

http://www.xutopia.com

Haran

 

[Craig0201]

rb,

It is neither ethical or non-ethical to stay late and work hard. We are what we are. This wouldn't work for me but I am not unethical.

What this is a 'guide to your opinion of how to get ahead'. I know I could not do this. For me, I will get ahead by doing the best I can with what i've got.....and I don't have the inclination to 'live to work' rather than 'work to live'.

Essentially, to describe this as ethical is incorrect.

Craig