Honesty and Ethics in Business

This week was a good one for anyone to learn or be aware of. That is learning about honesty and business ethics. I want to be honest in all I do and I know it can be hard to be completely honest in the business world. A lot of people have a hard time owning up to things they may have done that was wrong or something they may have said that was wrong or unkind. 

I believe in God and the morals He has set for us. I believe that if I follow those morals I will be happy and if there is something that happens that I will have a clear conscience.

There are a couple things that most resonated with me. I will just list them below and what I learned.

1. "Making a Living, Making a Life" By Elder Lynn G. Robbins

In this talk Elder Robbins talks about "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). He talks about money not being evil itself but it's our intentions of the heart. He also refers to different types of people where money is concerned. 

    A. This is the person who is motivated by God and fellowmen. “Before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good” (Jacob 2:18–19).

    B. This person is motivated by money and fellowmen.

    C. This person is motivated by money.

    D. This person is motivated by "the love of money but this time at the peril of the customer."

    F. This person is motivated by the love of money but "we find those who don’t contribute but only take." It is those who do secret combinations like the Gadianton Robbers. They will take by any means necessary.

I look at that list and want to be A. I feel that I am already though. I remember when I was younger I wanted to have a castle and live like a princess. Then I got older and wiser and realized that I didn't want a huge place. I always say that I want to live comfortably and never be poor. I don't have to be rich but I would like to help others if I can. I believe that following God and His commandments are the best motivator in this world.

2. "True Blue, Through and Through" By Sheri L. Dew

I learned that having integrity is ultimately going to make us most happy because we don't have to ever worry. The hard part is when others have a misconception about you. I have seen so many times a person doing the right thing and getting blasted over it. In Isaiah 5:20-21 it says "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!"

The scriptures that have always resounded with me were ones that told me to trust in God and not myself. I feel my moral compass has always been pretty good because those scriptures keep me grounded in God. 

I have had times in my life where I have not chosen right and have had consequences because of it. I learned my lesson and wanted to become a better person. I don't have to look over my shoulder or always try and remember what I said because I chose right or didn't tell a lie.

3. "Why are Ethics Important?" by Frank Levison

It can be hard being an ethical person in a workplace that has unethical people. Sometimes you are in a rock and a hard place when it comes to being ethical and maybe quitting or being fired because you won't lie/steal/etc. It's especially hard when an unethical person comes after you. I had a boss that would blame me for everything and it wore on me. I didn't think I was to blame for it all but maybe one or two. (Nothing unethical, just things getting misplaced or not done or whatever he could come up with.) It was hard to work there even though I loved it. I always felt like I was being picked on. I did my best and just went with his accusations and said I would do better. I worked there for about a year and then went to college, got married, moved, and then ended up getting a job for the same company but where we moved to. My manager there was so much better. He was ethical and kind. Not rude and obnoxious. This made my experience so much better. I ended up moving back and transferring to the same store I started at, but this time with a different manager and that was amazing too. He was so kind and chill. By then I was a supervisor and had more responsibilities. I felt valued. 

4. "Risks in Business" By Jan Newman

At first he talked about doing business, or at least the one he talked about, with a handshake. It made me think about this day where you really can't do that anymore. You may be doing business with ethical people but you always want to have a paper trail. It made me think of the scriptures where someone could covenant with each other and that was a bond stronger than anything. You do not break that covenant. Nowadays, people don't do it that way anymore. It used to be said, "My word is my bond." but even then, they can be liars and you get messed with down the road. It's harder to find people that hold fast to their word. I always want to hold fast to my word. To always be trustworthy.

Another thing I got from this was about getting "skin in the game." I can see why that is so. If someone were to come in and say that they want what's best for the company they could be lying because they don't have an interest in it. If they have to put money in, then their interests would change because they want to get that money back. It's sad that the motivations of some people are different if they have to put money in vs just being there. I know that having "skin in the game" doesn't always refer to ethics in the sense that someone does better because they have interest in the company. They may still be ethical but having that interest in the company definitely motivates someone to work a little harder. 

It was nice to read all these different ways to be ethical in the workplace and those were the things that stood out to me the most. I look forward to learning how to be a good leader and always have good ethics in my personal and public life. I want to be the same person and that is what people see.