Ethical vision statement 1

Personal Vision of Ethical Business Behaviour

RYAN DARCY

BUSI 2053: Business Ethics 6/11(21U-O-2C)

Yorkville University Business Administration

PROFESSOR T. McKAIG

SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

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“Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to

do.” Potter Stewart (Brainy Quote, 2021)

What are my values? What do values have to do with ethics? Are they not the same? I

once thought this years ago. For me to understand the difference, I had to dummy it down

quite a bit. For me, this is how I distinguish between the two. Values are my thoughts of what

I believe to be proper standards. Ethics are outward behaviour and actions based on my

values. My thoughts influence my behaviour. My values influence my ethics.

I know what my values are but have a tough time explaining how these values have

moulded my ethical behaviour. So, I went online and took a quiz. There are several tests

available, so I picked one site, so I couldn’t pick and choose what I like and what I don’t. I

agree, with the results.

I hope to show my beliefs and then present how these beliefs influence my ethical

behaviour. The quiz I picked is called the Personal Values quiz. (Discover Your Personal

Values | free online test, 2021). I was given my top 5 values with an explanation📖,

strengths◈, and a warning⚠️of setbacks of relying too heavily on these values. Number one

value from the quiz. (Discover Your Personal Values | free online test, 2021)

Wisdom (Discover Your Personal Values | free online test, 2021)

 making good decisions and judgements

📖 Wisdom comes from the knowledge and experience gained in life. It allows to objectively

assess the situation and make the right choices. It is also a mature way of looking at the world

and other people.

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◈Wise people can anticipate the long-term consequences of difficult decisions. They are

always interested in expanding their knowledge.

⚠️Besides relying on your own wisdom, it's important to stay open to other people's wisdom.

You can learn a lot from their experiences.

“I should think that you Jedi would have more respect for the difference between

knowledge and wisdom.” ~ Dexter “Dex” Jettster(Star Wars & the Difference Between

Knowledge and Wisdom, 2015). I like this quote; I follow those who have wisdom. They have

the experience of life. I try to take in any experience or lesson I can. Should a chance to use a

teaching come along, I have the wisdom of experience to fall back on. Knowledge can be

untrue; it takes wisdom to make a correct decision on action. In an ethical sense, I can have

all the knowledge in the world. I will not know if knowledge is ethical until I can use it in a

practical situation. Only I will know how I feel if I don’t like the feeling, I have to examine

the knowledge to find a wise decision. Not everyone will agree with my decision. This is

where it is so important to be open to other’s thoughts and opinions. They are using their

wisdom and are passing their experience on to me. In business or life, humility will be

noticed and respected.

Loyalty (Discover Your Personal Values | free online test, 2021)

 faithfulness

📖 Loyalty is showing constant support to an individual or organization. Loyal people build

their relationships based on trust. They conscientiously keep their commitment and expect the

same from the other party.

◈ Those who value loyalty remain consistent in their beliefs and choices. They try not to

lose someone's trust.

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⚠️In some situations, loyalty can block your progress. Sometimes it is worth considering

whether you are loyal to yourself and your needs.

Nothing hurts me more when someone has broken my trust. Growing up, my father

would only deal with those who are loyal to the organization. I used to give my loyalty to

people or groups blindly, and there are times it hurt my progress. I have been fortunate my

young blind loyalty has not damaged my reputation. These people have now lost one of the

most loyal persons they will ever know. I realize I am not entitled to anyone’s loyalty; I have

to earn it. If my values and morals are strong and in good faith, gaining people’s trust and

loyalty will happen.

In business, how can I be a leader if I don’t have a loyal staff? As mentioned, loyalty

is earned. If I am reckless in behaviour or disrespectful to my superiors, I don’t deserve

anyone’s trust.

Respect (Discover Your Personal Values | free online test, 2021)

 honour and care shown towards someone

📖 It is a recognition of someone's achievements or attitude. We respect those people who

have had a strong and positive impact on our lives. We often adopt them as role models and

are eager to learn from them.

◈ Being respected gives a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction. Showing respect for others is

an expression of high personal culture.

⚠️Trying to impress others will not give us respect. Earning respect requires making a

positive contribution to other people's lives.

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Over the years, I have had to tweak my understanding of the word respect. In my early days, I

thought the meaning of respect equalled the ability to have people fear you. Those people

don’t deserve respect. They are nothing but simple bullies.

While forming my morals and values, I realized I respected the wrong people. Today

the term respect means to me someone who stands up for their beliefs. I don’t have to agree

with their ideals, but I do respect them. In today’s workplace, with such diversity, respect for

other’s cultures and traditions is paramount. The people who don’t will be left behind. The

good old boys club is almost non-existent, thank God.

I respect anyone who is trying to better their life. Bring new idea’s forward. The

people who show up to work every day and do their very best, never looking for recognition.

The people who are able to admit they made a mistake and seek a solution. These people

deserve respect, not the ones who intimidate to get their way.

Discipline (Discover Your Personal Values | free online test, 2021)

 obedience, self-control

📖 It is the ability to subordinate one's actions to the realization of a long-term plan.

Disciplined people always have a goal in mind. They are also aware of how much they can

achieve with their work and persistence if they really want something.

◈ It is a value characteristic of people who are determined and goal oriented. They are able

to give up temporary pleasures in favour of a postponed reward.

⚠️Be careful that you don't start demanding too much of yourself. It is possible that at some

point we set ourselves too high expectations.

The ability to stay disciplined and focused on the goal, I have every hockey coach I

played for to thank. I was always one of the bigger kids growing up. Around the age of

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sixteen, I had a growth spurt where I started to add muscle to my frame. I took it upon myself

to be the protector. There was a time when I would let my temper get the best of me. Coaches

would point out, what good am I if in the penalty box for half the game? Who benefits? I

can’t go around beating up every player who looked at one of my teammates the wrong way.

This was selfish behaviour. I had to be taught to stay disciplined, being reminded there will

be a time and a place.

I was able to transfer many lessons from hockey into day-to-day life, none more

important than to stay disciplined. To this day, I have to work on staying focused on the

result. There will always be people, places or things that will interfere with my goals. If I lose

focus, this helps no one. To be effective on the job, the ability to handle adversity while

working to problem solve a solution takes discipline. I can think of a few managers who

would let something trivial get in the way of completing the task. I find it comical. It would

be interesting if people could be shown what they look like when they lose their temper. Not

only do they look foolish, but they are also holding up the compilation of the job at hand. The

disciplined worker will use adversity as motivation to complete their task.

Job security

 not worrying about losing your job

📖 Having a job gives you not only a salary but also a certain social status. It also determines

the role we play in society and our immediate surroundings. Employment security is for

many people the foundation on which they build their lifestyle.

◈ People who value employment stability usually lead a responsible and sustainable

lifestyle. They tend to avoid risk.

⚠️An exaggerated commitment to this value can make us reluctant to consider changing

jobs. Even if we find a better offer.

I did not think of job security as a value until I started to think about it. As mentioned

in the assessment, not only a feeling of security but a certain social status kept me from

praising other options. I had stayed in a position too long just for the social status and

lifestyle. In the end, it was damaging to my health, both mental and physical. I found comfort

in being the best at my position. This feeling did hold me back from expanding my horizon.

Like a sports figure who stays in the game a couple of years too long, trying to recapture the

days of old.

I can understand people who don’t take a promotion. My experience tells me this

happens because of fear. It is scary to leave a position that has become second nature. The

fear of the unknown, fear of failure or even a fear of success. I can definitely see how a

person would be apprehensive of leaving a comfortable position to become a manager. As a

worker, there is one boss that may or may not be a source of frustration. But when the person

becomes a manager, there are now 20 sources of frustration. If part of a solid organization,

the transition will not be made alone, there will be guidance and mentorship.

__________________________________________________________________________

I am pleased with the results of the Personal Values quiz. Trying to think of values

that may be missing, I thought of two. Integrity and professionalism came to mind. While

looking at the five values that the test determined, consistently using the beliefs above, the

combination will demonstrate my integrity and professionalism. I will never be able to please

everyone, but as long as I keep practicing my beliefs, what people think doesn’t matter to me.

I can walk with my head high, kook every person in the eyes and sleep with a clear

conscience. I must be mindful of the possible dangers of slipping into the bad habits

presented. My biggest shortcomings are trying to do too much and procrastination. I will

discuss those later.

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The above beliefs align nicely with my core values. Honesty, humility, accountability,

and hard work are behaviours I have practiced for as long as I can remember. Each of the five

beliefs in some way complement my core values. Putting all pieces together, I am

comfortable with my ethical behaviour. Depending on the situation I am in, the beliefs may

shift positions of importance. Regardless, making decisions that I can ethically standby will

not be an issue. Of course, there is always room for improvement and being flexible to other

people’s beliefs is just part of becoming a stronger person.

One of the questions for this paper is what I will strive to be as a business

professional. I am going back to my hockey training. I was always a Captain or an Alternate

Captain, this in no way because of talent. A good Captain is the go between the players and

the coaching staff. The lessons that were pounded into us was not just for a game, it was

preparing us to become men. Honesty, accountability, teamwork, and discipline are just a few

character traits we picked up along the way.

In a professional atmosphere or in the community I strive to be a man of my word.

Someone that can be counted on, people will know I am giving my very best effort. When

communicating with superiors or my equals, people know I am speaking the truth. It doesn’t

take long for people around me to realize I will not allow anyone to manipulate or take

advantage of my good nature. If someone needs a hand, give me a shout. My core beliefs and

values are important to me. These are what I base my ethics on. I hope to be viewed as a

professional.

“Professional is not a label you give yourself - it's a description you hope others will

apply to you.” - David Maister (davidmaister.com > Creating and Sustaining

Professionalism (In Oneself and Others), 2021)

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‌ References

Brainy Quote. (2021). Brainy Quote; Brainy Quote.

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/potter_stewart_390058?src=t_ethics
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Copy and Paste ✂ Emoji Cheat Sheet - iEmoji.com. (2021). Iemoji.com.

https://www.iemoji.com/emoji-cheat-sheet/symbols

davidmaister.com > Creating and Sustaining Professionalism (In Oneself and Others).

(2021). Davidmaister.com. https://davidmaister.com/creating-and-sustaining-

professionalism-in-oneself-and-others/

Discover Your Personal Values | free online test. (2021). Personalvalu.es.

https://personalvalu.es/personal-values-test

Discover Your Personal Values | free online test. (2021). Personalvalu.es.

https://personalvalu.es/results/66bea87c-fcd9-452a-b6cd-2f6f8638162d

Star Wars & the Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom. (2015, October 7). Potterwars;

potterwars. https://potterwars.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/star-wars-the-difference-

between-knowledge-and-wisdom/