Ethic Training: Ethics and 7 Habits Highly Effective People
Have you ever had to utter these words? …To state your case and defend your character? What can be more important than to be trustworthy with our character intact?The need for instant gratification in our modern society has made it all too easy to slip out the white lie, to please others, or to ease the pressure on ourselves. In doing so, we implicitly accept deception as part of our culture. Honesty, integrity and trustworthiness are supposedly highly-valued character traits, but what do these terms actually mean?
1. Honesty
To be honest is to ‘tell the truth’. It is simply conforming ‘words to reality’. Honesty is regarded as the best policy. It sets the record straight and allows the truth to be known and declared.
Honesty, however, is not the same as Integrity. A thief can be honest… all he or she needs to do is ‘tell the truth’. We can agree that one is likely to be dishonest for fear of negative consequences. If the consequence is favorable, honesty may be likely. Consider criminals who will tell the truth for a lighter sentence.
On this point, we need to also appreciate that ‘admission’ is not the same as ‘confession’. When one ‘confesses’ something, they come forward and tell the truth. However, when one ‘admits’ something, it’s usually because they have been caught out.
2. Integrity
To have integrity is to be true to our highest values. Unlike honesty, integrity means to conform ‘reality to words’. Integrity is linked in the word ‘integrate’… and to live with integrity means integrating our thoughts, actions, speech and feelings into oneness. What you see is what you get; no duplicity.
To have integrity is to be true in the moment of challenge, test and temptation. Our highest values mean little in declaration if it cannot be lived in combination with action.
On this point, we must consider ‘acts of commission’ and ‘acts of omission’. An ‘act of commission’ is when you do something that violates what you know you should do. An ‘act of omission’ is one in which you don’t do something that you know you should. Equally, this could be a violation to conscience, ethics and law.
3. Trustworthiness
It has been said that to be trusted is greater than to be loved. To be trusted implies that you are trustworthy or ‘worthy of trust’.
It requires character – “who you really are on the inside”. Too many consider their reputation first.
“Be more concerned with your character than you are with your reputation, because your character is who you really are, whilst your reputation is who others think you are” – Anonymous
Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, teaches that trustworthiness is a combination of “character” and “competence”. One without the other does not merit trust.
Effective relationships are built on honesty, integrity and trustworthiness. These, along with virtue, once lost become difficult to regain. Repair, restoration and a ‘second chance’ is however possible with self awareness, change, commitment and forgiveness: both by the perpetrator and the one who would grant the perpetrator that chance.
Do business people, officials, politicians and ordinary people make mistakes? Yes! Can we all benefit from how we may better treat others? Yes! These principles are as important and timeless in tough times as they are when things are much better.
Anil Salick is the founder and managing member of Synergistic Outcomes (established in 2003). He has been involved in training and development for the last 13 years, and is a facilitator, trainer and professional speaker. He is also involved in marketing, sales, consulting, development, management, leadership and administration.
Anil works with small, medium and large sized corporations, as well as governments in South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Nigeria, Namibia and Swaziland.
Described as a great teacher and facilitator with patience, wisdom, humor, wit, understanding, sincerity; Anil has the ability to challenge participants to grow and expand. His step by step, sequential yet creative, intellectual yet emotional facilitation equips delegates to develop space, reason, consciousnesses and awareness.
Anil has a number of hobbies, which include: fitness and gym; reading, writing, science, humanism, personal growth, fishing, reflection and quiet time, helping others and making a difference. He is soon to launch his first book.
Anil is married to Nounouche (the prettiest girl from the island of Madagascar) and they have 3 children: Andrea, Jashley and Tahj.
If you would like to know more about Anil Salick or would like to book Anil to be a Motivational Speaker, visit Anil’s site
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Tags: ethics, way, position, person, result
