Friday, April 20, 2012

I'm Ethical Because I'm a Greedy Capitalist

Of the seven sins greed might be the most hated of all.  Balancing these sins out Pride vs. Modesty, Lust vs. Chasity, Greed vs. Ethics but people tend to swing the needle all the way to the other side.  It becomes I'm not Prideful I'm Insecure.  I'm not Lustful I'm Celibate.  I'm not Greedy I'm...interesting that I can't find an all encompassing word for "giving everything away".  (Help me with that if you know one)
 
But wait...there's this guy you might have heard of, Greg Smith.  He's the one that publicly announced he finally noticed Goldman and Sach's was unethical in it's business dealings.  In his article he explained that when you don't have ethics, you don't have a business.  I agree.  Short term greed might get you money, but it won't get you wealth. 
 
The way success works in business is a good rapport with customers.  Customers give you money.  Treat your customers poorly, try to pull the wool over their eyes, grab their stash and run then you're not going to have a business for long, as Mr. Smith points out.  

Ethics are, in essence, necessary for sustained success.  Perhaps you've seen executives get away with it.  But my first reaction when I see businesses doing shady things is to not do business with them.  You don't trust them and the money flows away from them. 
 
"But everybody's doing it!"
 
No.  I refuse to believe there are no options.  I've found banks that never laid a finger on "junk loans".  I've work with business owners doing the right thing.  I have writers warning me not to cross a non-disclosure clause "because it would be wrong."  "Everybody's doing it"--is not the best excuse I've heard, just the most common.  If one can justify dumping morals to the way side then it's a life that hasn't been self-examined. 
 
Greg Smith's article points to one direction and that's ethics=success.  No matter how many stories you hear about bankers, traders or executives behaving badly, I'll always believe in ethics.  So if I genuinely care about my customers and their wants, if I seem more preoccupied with how I can help my fellow co-workers, or if I walk out on a deal that makes me uncomfortable because I don't feel it's right, then attest my ethics to my greed. 

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