The New York Times had an article last weekend that talked about how our society’s sense of morals and ethics have been severely challenged since the economy tanked. Students are cheating in school more, business people are cheating each other more, people are cutting corners, and so on. I’ve seen this in my industry, too- there’s a lot of desperate, unhappy people out there, anxious to come out on top, no matter the cost.
That’s no way to work, and it’s no way to live.
My company will only work with honest, respectful clients and partners. Accordingly, we will continue to be honest, transparent, and respectful towards those with whom we work. Yes, this has been my company’s internal policy since we started, but now it’s time to make it public.
Truthfulness, honesty, respect, transparency- these are things one used to take for granted. Sure, there were always unethical businessmen out there. But they weren’t the norm. I don’t want them to become the norm, and I demand to live in a world where people treat each other right. If you don’t fit into that, if your morals and ethics are “on hold” during business hours, you’re not someone we’ll do business with, at any level.
Meanwhile, I’m enjoying tight partnerships with a strong roster of clients who not only treat us well, but who appreciate our strong code of ethics and morals. They know that when you treat people well, they treat you well. And it’s true. Our work tends to stand head-and-shoulders above the rest because we take pride in delivering projects to clients that exceed expectations. You can’t have pride in your work if you have no respect for others or yourself, and you can’t have that respect unless you have moral and ethical standards to which you adhere.
Maybe having morals and ethics is good for business, after all.