Making Ethical Decisions
What's the Big Deal About Decisions?
We make choices every day. Some of our choices are practical decisions about what will work best, look prettier, feel softer, taste sweeter, sound clearer or last longer. Those decisions don't necessarily involve right or wrong; they involve efficiency, availability, practicality or preference. For those choices list your options, gather information about your choices, list the pros and cons for each one, select the best option and there you have it - a real decision.
On the other hand many of our choices are about doing the right thing.
Each of these choices involves thousands of messages whirling inside the brain. In a split second our minds review the facts, explore our feelings, study consequences, compare the options against our beliefs and priorities, consider what others may think, and give the cue for action. Decisions happen so quickly but the consequences can last a lifetime. That's why careful consideration is important. A code of ethics can help. It determines direction in our lives.
What Is Ethics?
Ethics is a set of standards that tells us how we should behave. No person with strong character lives without a code of ethics.
Ethics is more than doing what you must do. It's doing what you should do. Because acting honorably sometimes means not doing what we want to do, ethics requires self-control.
Ethics involves seeing the difference between right and wrong. It's a commitment to do what is right, good and honorable. Ask yourself if you are willing to pay the price for making an unethical choice. Are you willing to sacrifice pride, integrity, reputation and honor by making an unethical choice? Are you willing to suffer the consequences of a bad choice?
Because doing the right thing can cost us more in friendship, money, prestige or pleasure than we may want to pay, practicing ethics takes courage. The right thing to do isn't usually the easiest thing to do, but learning to say no when you feel like saying yes builds character.
How To Make Ethical Decisions
Important decisions take time and careful thought. Here is a plan that works.
- Think about the impact of your actions on all the stakeholders! Stakeholders are those people affected by a decision. That is, they hold a stake in it. Before you do anything, determine who is likely to be helped or harmed. Avoid or reduce the harm.
- Ethical principles (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship) are ground rules for life. Ask yourself whether your options are trustworthy, respectful, responsible, fair, caring and examples of good citizenship.
- Ethical values (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship) outrank and override unethical ones (money, popularity and prizes)!
- The long run outranks the short run. After all these steps, if you are still unsure of what to do, go with the choice that will produce the most good for the most people. To make tough decisions, eliminate choices that have nothing to do with ethics (like power, popularity and prizes). Then pick the most ethical option left.
Bad Choice Detectors
We have smoke detectors to alert us of potential danger. We have alarms to warn us of dangerous choices too. Use these personal warning systems:
- Golden Rule - Treat others the way you want to be treated.
- Publicity - How would your choice look on the front page of the school newspaper, or on "20/20" or "60 Minutes"?
- Mom-on-your-shoulder - What if your mom or grandmother was watching you? Would you want her to know what you were saying or doing?
- Universality - If everyone did it, would it be a good thing?
