If bulking up your company's moral fiber seems like a lot of
work, consider the alternative. Imagine your company dogged by
disgruntled clients, renegade employees, hapless decision-making
and a poor reputation.
Not exactly your vision of success? In fact, it's hard to
envision any company being successful under these conditions. And
while it's believed that virtue offers its own spiritual
rewards, the rewards of running an ethical business usually involve
financial gain as well--if for no other reason than the fact that
unscrupulous behavior generally leads to havoc.
This is why business consultant and business owner David Thrope,
founder of Boston Knish Inc. in Acton, Massachusetts, believes that
codifying your ethics should be part of the strategic planning of
your company early on. Clarifying ethical standards--for yourself
as well as others--is a critical step toward entrepreneurial
maturity. "A code of ethics gives the people in a company a
structure within which to make decisions," explains
Thrope.
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In any business, developing and preserving ethics is an ongoing
process--and an imperfect one. And while it's not necessary to
cover every base and perform flawlessly in every situation, it is
important to try.
"I think about how I'm going to feel when I'm my
mother's age--and my grandfather's age," says Wilson.
"What will I think of the decisions I've made? How will I
feel about the things I've done? If I can't feel [proud],
what good is it to have made a lot of money? It's in
everyone's long-term interests to appreciate what they're
doing and to feel good about what they're accomplishing here.
Otherwise, what's the point?"
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