Ethical Filter

ETHICAL FILTER WORKSHEET

Ethical Filter Worksheet

University of Phoenix

Value

Personal Source

with Examples

Justify the Value's Position in the List. Include any challenges to employing these values consistently when making personal and organizational decisions.

Lead by example

The training and experience in the military has indoctrinated me ( I'm unashamed to say) to believe and support the awesome responsibility that leaders provide in their organization. Poor leaders almost always fail themselves, their organization and their subordinates. Many of the discussion questions and dialog among the class members show failure of leadership in setting or maintaining a high standard. While no one is perfect, the expectation I carry each day is that as a leader I can make a difference for myself, my team and my organization.

The main challenge in leading by example is internalizing the rewards. Leading is not for the uncommitted. People see right through that smoke screen. Personal satisfaction is achieved in taking tough jobs and doing them well without complaining, leading a team of people working just as hard as necessary to get the work done. The biggest organizational challenge when faced with senior leaders who do not lead by example is to remain true to my value and not lower the standard. My boss doesn't carry a work cell phone or a blackberry so that if you don't catch him in his office or leave word with his administrative assistant it's tough to get a quick answer when issues arrive. I lead the first team, both government and support contractors to all carry and use a blackberry. I'm not afraid to role up my sleeve and help in tasks large and small. This shows payback when I need my subordinates to rise to unexpected challenges. They know they can count on me. The doctrine of leadership and the need to make it first among my values is tried and true with many military books showcasing this trait.

Balance

(Work smart/hard, play, live)

There is a season for everything under the sun. Figuring out what season it is helps reduce personal stress, organizational turmoil and promotes the idea that even bad moments won't last forever. Believing that in the economy of work their has to be a balance, this formula driven method is time tested. Plan the work, communicate with others (the smart), establish milestones, task, delegate, coordinate, (the hard part) and find a reason to praise,

reward and savor success. For me personally the balance seems at times weighted toward the hard work. I do reward myself with play both on and off the job. I go to all the organization sponsored golf outings. For the planning part I volunteer to sit in for my boss in meetings at his level so I can see things coming. Balance is high on my list because those people out of balance are a detriment to themselves and their organizations. Organizations spend plenty to facilitate balance through wellness programs, golf and recreational activities and corporate volunteer/community outreach so that their work force can see more to life than the grind.

Perseverance There is a saying that "no good deed goes unpunished." To overcome that curse one must preserve to find satisfaction. Thomas Edison one of several patent holders went to great lengths to make the concept work. Many situations and settings in life are measured in by metrics others deem successful. How many homeruns, how many stolen bases and how many putouts are achieved by the baseball athlete. As one reads the autobiographies of outstanding performers a trait that surfaces often is the perseverance. This value stands in the middle of my list, important, yet without leadership and balance above it, perseverance may become a hoax by which people insist they will achieve a goal that clearly is beyond them.

Coaching/Mentoring Encouraging and guiding people up is always the right thing to do and pays dividends for organizations and individuals. Individual and team performance is enhanced when leadership is providing a coach or mentor to help associates meet the challenges inherent in the work environment. Sometimes the coach is not the most highly