Following on from my previous blog let’s explore “moral codes“. Moral codes are, essentially, a set of values or guiding principles.
With the collapse of the finance system in the States, the war on Iraq and the war of terror, with almost daily news articles from here (Australia) and abroad on corruption it almost seems like moral codes are a thing of the past and the new moral code is expediency and self-interest.
However, it seems to me, that these very events are flagging the need for each individual, in every area of our lives, to pay conscious attention to how we live our values. We, as individuals, have no right to ask more of our leaders if we take home office stationery, take sick days when we are not sick, call a friend and cancel an arrangement because something better came up, rort the tax system and so on. What we see with our leadership is a manifestation of the little ways we all squeeze our moral code.
And here is the rub and it comes back to the power of one. It only takes one person to set the tone in a family, in a company for some change to happen. We need to be the change we want to see in the world.
But in order to be this change, see this change, we need to consider our own code or set of values.
A wise Chinese general once said: “If the world is to be brought to order, my nation must first be changed. If my nation is to be changed, my hometown must be made over. If my hometown must be made over, my family must first be set right. If my family is to be transformed, I myself must first be.” Trust in leadership and trust in life starts with one person at a time earning it and practicing it.
We might ask ourself some critical questions to get started:
- Where did my moral code come from?
- Who and what were the main influences in my life in establishing values?
- How deep are the emotional roots of my values?
- What are my top 5 values and how do they influence my personal and professional life?
- In a complex world are some values able to be responsive to the situation or context without being given away or compromised?
- Does our moral code or values acknowledge and accept the codes of others, does it embrace difference?
- What do both my successes and failures tell me? Is my code sustainable in times of change and uncertainty?
The compass is often used as a metaphor for values or moral codes guiding our decisions in life. However, Joseph Bardaracco, suggests that perhaps the metaphor of an old weathered tree might provide more insight. He says “a good moral code has deep roots in the values of communities and in the lives of their leaders. it is tough and resilient. It grows and evolves with time. Its branches reach high, responding gently to passing breezes and bending to powerful storms.”
John C Maxwell argues that ethical leadership (including self-leadership) involves simply telling the truth.
Truth builds trust.
Trust builds connections, sustainable relationships and community.
It also builds emotional credit so that when we make a mistake we are cut some slack by those around us.
![MP900433055[1]](/blog/wp-content/thumb-cache/70x70-MP9004330551_thumb.png "MP900433055[1]")