N4L 011: "The Business Ethics Field Guide" by Brad Agle, Aaron Miller, and Bill O'Rourke

Dr. Brad Agle, Professor of Ethics & Leadership, helped compile "The Business Ethics Field Guide." Agle and his colleagues Aaron Miller and Bill O'Rourke fill the book with 13 common ethical dilemmas providing real-life, instructive scenarios. They also warn individuals and corporations of pitfalls. Readers can plan ahead for possible situations when they'll need sharp ethical skills at-the-ready. Just three takeaways: Build social capital early and always. Trusted friends are invaluable when navigating ethical situations, but those relationships must be created before you need them. Allow yourself a little extra time to consider all sides of ethical dilemmas before acting. Avoid making knee-jerk decisions that can hurt you and others around you. Instead, take time to talk to others with a different perspective or with more authority. Consider "conflicts of interest" a sign of being a normal human. Everyone has conflicts of interest, although many are unaware of them. The smaller the community, the more likely you'll have this dilemma. Problems usually occur when we fail to manage those conflicts of interest well. Ethics is a fundamentally about "getting your heart right," or caring about other people. The Business Ethics Field Guide takes ethics to the next level, helping readers learn how to do the right thing at the right time. Its subtitle, "The Essential Companion to Leading Your Career and Your Organization to Greatness," suggests that a serious study of the field guide will help not only employees but also leaders and businesses improve. But becoming great takes practice, and being ethical is a never-ending challenge. Many aspects of the book are decidedly inconclusive, but this is intentional. Readers who study the book will learn how to rely on their honed skills and be able to draw their own conclusions. In the end, the authors prefer operating under "Virtue Ethics." This construct boils down to asking yourself one question: "What kind of person do I want to be?" Note: Don't miss the stories Bill O'Rourke contributes to the book, giving it color and dimension. BUY The Business Ethics Field Guide: The Essential Companion to Leading Your Career and Your Company to Greatness  Music Credit Sound Editing Credit