Raising the Standard

Several years ago, the New Yorker magazine featured a cartoon with several people sitting around a board table with the chairperson standing and holding a telephone. The caption read, “Miss Jones, will you please send someone in here who knows right from wrong?” Sometimes a fresh perspective if needed when it comes to ethical conduct.

When we are young, it seems so simple doesn’t it? We know the right thing to do, even if we don’t actually follow through. As we grow older, situations seem to become more complex and lines appear to become fuzzy. We often settle for the acceptable rather than the best in our ethical decisions.

Every three years, I am required by the International Coach Federation to renew my coaching credential. One requirement is a course on Ethics. This deals not only with appropriate relationships with clients, disclosure of session content, and contractual obligations, but also agreements with third party payers or compensation for referrals for other services. Some of these things seem pretty self-evident, but others can be a bit more complex. I was reminded it is always worth the time to think ethically and weigh our choices carefully.

This personal ethical review has also caused me to think about the significant role that leaders play in modeling ethical behavior. Leaders set the standard in their organizations. In our society, there are many things that are legal, but they are not necessarily ethical. Ethics are more restrictive than laws because they are based on what we believe about ourselves, other people, and our relation to God. Many times, the law expresses the minimum expectation rather than calling out our best.

Believers are challenged to follow the standard of Micah 6:8:

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (NIV)

Justice, mercy, and humility are pretty high ethical standards. They go beyond simply obeying secular law. We need leaders who embrace such standards--in our homes, our churches, our businesses, and our government.

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