Blog Post: The ethics of Trusting

One of the very first ethical decisions we make in business is whether or not we can trust someone.  When we meet people we instantly label people based on what we see on the outside.  We decide whether or not to share information based on whether we think we will receive credit for our ideas or have those ideas stolen and credited to someone else.  We decide to act ethically based on whether we perceive we can trust our team to support us or have the team point fingers blaming us if the results are less than desirable. We make choices based on what we perceive a person’s reaction to be, rather than what we know to be true. We sum up a person’s character by determining whether that individual is a leader worth following or someone who simply cannot make sound decisions from our own point of view.

We do all of this so quickly that most times we don’t even realize we are doing it.  And once our own judgment is made, it is very difficult for us to change our opinion.  We don’t look beneath the labels we’ve assigned to see a person’s strengths, weaknesses, or hidden talents.  We rarely give second chances for people to change our opinion of them, and we seem to be surprised when we learn about a skill or talent that was not originally apparent.

Uncomfortable with this discussion?  You're not alone.  As we deliver our ethics training participants are constantly amazed at the "aha" moment of learning about  the hidden talents of a person they'd been working with for years.  And what was the "aha" lesson?  That they didn't trust each other enough to share personal details, or that they didn't take the time to ask the simplest of questions.  What hidden talents are You hiding from others that might benefit your organization?  Take a moment to think about that...!

To experience a sample of e-Factor!(TM), the fun corporate ethics training that engages participants in a dialog on ethics, teambuilding and leadership, register for our next workshop November 19, 2008.  We would love to see you there!

Event details:

• Date:  November 19, 2008
• Time:  3-5 pm
• Place: Jobing.com, 4747 N 22nd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016
• Cost:  $49.99 per person

Registration https://www.123signup.com/event?id=zfngq

Contact:  Marcy Maslov at 602-989-3458 or Dave Cohrs at 602-697-9366