Have you been watching ‘The Good Place‘ with Kristen Bell and Ted Danson? If you haven’t seen this Netflix series, then it’s worth a watch. The show is a comedy that gets you thinking about Heaven and Hell. It focuses on ethics and values, the choices you make in life, and where humans end up … The Good Place or The Bad Place.
Every episode is an ethical lesson demonstrating how the choices you make in life are compounded. When you make good decisions (with your values and good judgment) the effects show in the outcomes and the benefits you reap. At the same time, make some bad choices and those poor decisions are compounded too. The show also looks at how your decisions impact the people around you, whether it’s new acquaintances, friends or your family.
Watching the series leads the viewer to ask questions including:
What are my values?
Am I keeping score of the good deeds vs. selfish actions?
Are my decisions good beyond the immediate benefit, or do they have deeper positive outcomes?
Are my decisions bad and does poor judgment have more serious consequences?
These are all questions that require additional thought and only you can answer them.
My video discusses the series (don’t worry, no real spoilers here), and also shares three tips on how to make better decisions based on your values.
Remember, ethics are a personal choice and they’re a business practice. Your ethics and values go where you go, following you down every road and surfacing at every cross road.
How do you evaluate your decision-making and what are you doing for a positive compound effect?
When I think of some of the greatest ethical leaders (the keyword here is “ethical”), a few immediately come to mind, based on what they’ve done for others. From Harriet Tubman and Eleanor Roosevelt to Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, there’s no shortage of visionary leaders in history who have placed ethics and values first, tuned into their Ethics GPS, and have accomplished positive change for the good of humanity.
At the same time, fast forward to today, with leaders who take ethical “detours.” In their organizations, they’re seen as high performers and they’re known for making shareholders happy. Although they may say the right thing, they don’t always do the right thing, when it comes to the different stakeholders they serve. Sometimes the “Do No Harm” and “Do Well By Doing Good” mantras don’t apply to all parties involved.
For me, leadership and ethics go hand-in-hand. As my friend and colleague, Richard Bistrong, CEO of Front-Line Anti-Bribery LLC shared in a recent social media post, “If we are not careful, bad behavior can hide behind good performance, until it’s too late, for everyone.” Unfortunately, Richard is correct, the bad behavior is present, and it often goes unnoticed and also unquestioned.
When I wrote Answers for Ethical Marketers, the book’s mission was to help business professionals communicate with honesty, transparency, respect and objectivity, knowing that ethics and values were always leading the way. In my book, I discussed a number of steps business leaders could take to “Live” their values, demonstrate ethics daily and “walk” the ethics “talk.” Among the top suggestions included were:
Living / working by a standard (a code of ethics), and knowing one standard is in place for everyone.
Choosing the high road when making decisions; remembering two wrongs don’t make a right.
Keeping transparency top of mind; having to engage in uncomfortable conversations with open dialogue.
In my video, I share more about how to “walk” the ethics “talk: and to evaluate whether you and the leaders around you demonstrate ethics in every communication and business interaction.
As a leader, are you simply talking about ethics or are you living your ethics and values?
An organization does not have a conscience. However, the people who work at a company do. So, then, who is responsible to communicate and demonstrate ethics and values at your company? Do ethics and values go beyond the HR policymakers? Do they extend farther than the communicators in your Marketing and PR Departments?
Today, everyone is an Ethical Marketer. Each employee of the company should uphold the values and good judgment that guide the company and which lead to ethical interactions and communications.
In my book, Answers for Ethical Marketers, I shared how in most companies three areas are involved directly with ethics and values. The first area is Human Resources, which is often responsible for helping to create policies. The second area is Public Relations and Marketing, who assist in the dissemination and communication of the policies. The third is leadership who are the role models demonstrating the ethical conduct. The leaders “walk the talk” of the policies.
However, not every company elevates ethics and values in the same way. In this video, I share my three tips on how to focus on ethics across the company, so good judgment in decision-making reaches every level, and is embraced by every employee at your company.
Interviewing with the media has changed over the years. I remember training executives on how to show up with their messages and talking points. However, today the media is different. It’s a very noisy landscape, tensions run high on different topics and taking an interview means being present and ready to navigate questions beyond the messages you want to share. As they say, “Anything goes!”
As a result of the changes, including how social media amplifies what you share in print, online or on TV, you have to prepare differently. In my video, I offer three tips to help leaders to not only show up well versed but to also be open, mindful, and ready for topics and questions that they may not expect or want to be asked.
Of course, as a leader, when this happens you must make sure you have your ethics and values in tow. These are the important moments when you can demonstrate your ethics and values in your interviews.
If you want to learn more about how to bring ethics and values into your media interviews or to any communication touchpoint, then I hope you’ll check out my book, Answers For Ethical Marketers. You can learn more, or pick up a copy of the book here.
How do you prepare for your media interviews and how do you show up with your good judgment?
When you’re an Ethical Cause Marketer you don’t leave anything to chance. You have to spell out exactly what, how and why you’re supporting an important cause.
What does this mean for your brand? How transparent are you about the alliance with the charity of your choice? And, are you mapping out your agreement, so that you avoid miscommunication and issues that may arise?
Whether it’s you alone, or you’re working with a team, cause marketing is a great opportunity to raise awareness about an important initiative. Here are three steps you can take as an Ethical Cause Marketer, which can help to propel your efforts forward, creating more awareness and funding for your cause.
Enjoy the video, and weigh in on what tips you have for ethical cause marketing. If you want to learn more about what it means to be an Ethical Cause Marketer, then check out my book, Answers For Ethical Marketers, A Guide to Good Practice in Business Communication, here.
Ethics and values have to move across your organization. Today, all employees are considered Ethical Marketers, not just your marketing and PR professionals. They all have a responsibility to uphold ethics and values when they communicate on behalf of your company.
Ethics and values are not not just words on a plaque that hang on a company wall. Of course, once you’ve identified those ethics and values, it’s time to think about if and how they’re adopted. Why are ethics and values spelled out and then not demonstrated?
There may be ethical trouble spots preventing good judgment and ethical behavior, which you can identify. Some of these signs can easily be uncovered. These signals let you know there could be ethics trouble ahead. The key is to identify early to prevent the sharing of harmful or miscommunicated information.
In my video, I offer three tips so that you can identify where there might be a breakdown in company ethics and how you can build stronger internal systems. It was Ben Franklin who coined the timeless phrase, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
If you want to learn more about being an Ethical Marketer, which everyone is today, then you can check out my book, Answers for Ethical Marketers, here.
Enjoy the video, and then “weigh in” on the ways you uncover trouble spots at your company.
The road to ethics and values is ongoing. You don’t stop shaping your values or reflecting on your ethical conduct as you develop personally and professionally throughout your career experience.
Ethics and values go where you go; down every road and they’re with you at every crossroad. At the same time, as you travel this road, you my be challenged with different situations that you haven’t experienced earlier in your career and scenarios that you didn’t learn about in school.
As a result, you need a solid framework for decision-making; one with ethics and values at the core of how you think, communicate and how you act. In this video, you’ll learn my three tips to build your strong ethical marketing foundation.
Be sure to weigh in on how you have built your ethical marketing foundation and what guides good judgment in your decision-making and communications.
If you want to learn more about being an Ethical Marketer, which everyone is today, then you can check out my book, Answers for Ethical Marketers, here.
“Why did you pivot to add children’s books to your list of published works? It seems as if they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum,” asked a new acquaintance on LinkedIn.
“Yes, I can see why it appears as if business books and children’s books are on ‘opposite ends’. However, whether it’s the business books I write and the consulting and training I’m doing, or it’s the children’s books and the interviews I’m giving on parents and bonding with children, they all stem from a place of FEEL. Looking inward and managing your own feelings, helps you to connect, better understand and be receptive to the feelings of the people around you. Feelings and how you communicate them are at the core of every relationship.
We ended the conversation with my new friend and colleague wanting to check out all my books. I was happy to tell her that we’ve added a new one to the growing list!
So here it is …
‘Grandpa Don’t Worry: Another Whisper from Noelle’ was released by Outskirts Press on June 6, 2021.
The book, Grandpa Don’t Worry, takes Noelle’s whispers even further than before. If you’ve read our first book in the series, “A Whisper from Noelle,” you would know that an Angel, named Noelle, is whispering to the main character, Ashley-Ann. These messages help Ashley-Ann to learn what it means to feel and to discover important values that will shape her life. Ashley-Ann shares these messages with her mommy.
Tuning into to the whispers and exploring what it means to feel, including what to do when you’re afraid, what it means to be kind and caring and to trust others, and to be true to yourself, are all cornerstones of our 1st book.
Grandpa Don’t Worry exemplifies what it means to be empathetic. Through Noelle, Ashley-Ann learns what her grandpa feels and why he feels strongly about certain values or Loving Lessons. In the book, Ashley-Anne moves beyond listening and hearing to feeling deeply. She also expresses her care and love for her grandpa through important actions.
The Two Reasons We Wrote Grandpa Don’t Worry
First, in our books, we wanted to focus on trusted relationships, starting with Ashley-Ann and her mommy and now her grandpa. Eventually, Ashley-Ann will also receive messages about additional family members to strengthen values and increase their family bond. Ashley-Ann learns her grandpa worries and what this means to him and to her as well.
Listening carefully, placing yourself in someone else’s shoes (as close to their experience as you can get) and having a deeper understanding is the road to empathy. Empathy practiced in the home may lead to more empathy practiced in other important areas a child’s life: School, relationships, community, etc.
The 2nd reason we wrote Grandpa Don’t Worry was to pay tribute to both of our dads, Michael G. Skrobola and Irving S. Ziegler, who were the best grandpas to our children. They read, played, and spent time with our kids, and, yes, they would bring up subjects that had them worried.
In Grandpa Don’t Worry, we wanted our dads / the two grandpas to know that no matter the age of their grandchildren and great grandchildren, they were a large part in the shaping of feelings and family values. In fact, it was their Loving Lessons, mentioned in our book, which will continue to inspire our families in generations to come.
Worry is a Part of Human Nature
Is there a bittersweet lesson here? Well, yes, there is. it’s often wishing that Grandparents and parents didn’t have to worry. However, worry is a part of human nature. After all the definition of worry is to give attention to issues whether they or actual or a potential unknown. We live in a world where news, social media, technology, and disruption may increase the feelings of the unknown. Our advice is to tune out those distractions and be more present in the moment and aware, especially when you’re spending time (those precious moments) with your children.
So rather than silent thought and stressful worry, why not get present and bring it out in the open, in loving and kind ways. Start a practice to uncover thoughts, feelings, and values early. Explore how different feelings will continue to shape your child’s growth and development, even when they are grown and on their own.
Whether it’s an angel, like Noelle, or it’s your inner guidance system that brings up these feelings and values, it’s important to explore them early. Is there an angel who whispers in your ear? These whispers may call attention to feelings and values you have as an adult and a professional, or as a parent tuning into your children. The best words we can offer are to explore feeling together and often.
If you want to learn more about Grandpa Don’t Worry, you can check out the book on our website. You can also purchase our book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. All proceeds from A Whisper From Noelle and Grandpa Don’t Worry got to The Noelle Skrobola Outstanding Research Scholar Award at the College of New Jersey (TCNJ) where Noelle received her undergraduate degree in Psychology.
“Why did you pivot to add children’s books to your list of published works? It seems as if they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum,” asked a new acquaintance on LinkedIn.
The 2nd reason we wrote Grandpa Don’t Worry was to pay tribute to both of our dads, Michael G. Skrobola and Irving S. Ziegler, who were the best grandpas to our children. They read, played, and spent time with our kids, and, yes, they would bring up subjects that had them worried.