Ethics "You, who are on the road, must have a code that you can live by . . . ." - "Teach Your Children" by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young |
For financial work to be sustainable and successful, I have found that an ethical system is essential, and that its clear, forthright disclosure can help build trust. Accordingly, I present mine below.
These are the ethical systems that have shaped me, that I embrace wholeheartedly as my own, and that I may be expected to follow in business and in life, listed pretty much in the order that I encountered them. Since I am flawed (I don't mind admitting that in one way or another I seem to stumble almost daily), I rely constantly on them to define improvement and help me recover and get back on track. Over the years, I have found that I enjoy best results working with people who embrace the same principles. I welcome all who know me to hold me accountable to them.
In short, here's how I "roll":
For financial work to be sustainable and successful, I have found that an ethical system is essential, and that its clear, forthright disclosure can help build trust. Accordingly, I present mine below.
These are the ethical systems that have shaped me, that I embrace wholeheartedly as my own, and that I may be expected to follow in business and in life, listed pretty much in the order that I encountered them. Since I am flawed (I don't mind admitting that in one way or another I seem to stumble almost daily), I rely constantly on them to define improvement and help me recover and get back on track. Over the years, I have found that I enjoy best results working with people who embrace the same principles. I welcome all who know me to hold me accountable to them.
In short, here's how I "roll":
- The Greatest Commandment
- The Golden Rule
- The Ten Commandments
- The Oath and Law of the Boy Scouts of America
- The Motto ("Be Prepared") and Slogan ("Do a Good Turn Daily") of the B.S.A.
- Marine Corps Leadership Traits and Principles
- Army Values
- The Philokalia ("Love of the Beautiful": 1,000 years of Greek wisdom)
- The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John Climacus
Truth
Trend #7: The need for skills & capabilities in behavioral change management.
"Let me just share a personal story. I got involved with Activity Based Costing [ABC] in the 1980s. I was shocked by how much more accurate, and how much more useful, and much more visible that information was. I thought it would take off like a rocket. But it did not. My frustration has been, why [is it taking so long to adopt these enterprise performance management methods]? Technology is no longer a barrier or an impediment; the software tools available are proven. The issues have to do with culture, and behavior: fear of knowing the truth, resistance to change, which is human nature - people like the status quo; not wanting to be measured; not wanting to be held accountable . . . these are real issues. And what is going to be required of the management accountant is to basically acquire and learn behavioral change management techniques to overcome the resistance. It's not in our nature; we weren't trained as psychologists and sociologists; but the time has come, if you're going to want to basically realize the full potential of enterprise performance management, and what management accounting can do for an organization." ~ Gary Cokins, Executive-in-Residence, Institute of Management Accountants, April 17, 2014 |
Lyrics courtesy of azlyrics.com
Money, money, money, money, money [6x] Some people got to have it Some people really need it Listen to me y'all, do things Do things, do bad things with it You wanna do things, do things Do things, good things with it Talk about cash money, money Talk about cash money Dollar bills, yall For the love of money People will steal from their mother For the love of money People will rob their own brother For the love of money People can't even walk the street Because they never know Who in the world they're gonna beat For that lean, mean, mean green Almighty dollar, money For the love of money People will lie, Lord, they will cheat For the love of money People don't care who they hurt or beat For the love of money A woman will sell her precious body For a small piece of paper It carries a lot of weight Call it lean, mean, mean green Almighty dollar I know money is the root of all evil Do funny things to some people Give me a nickel, brother can you spare a dime Money can drive some people out of their minds Got to have it, I really need it How many things have I heard you say Some people really need it How many things have I heard you say Got to have it, I really need it How many things have I heard you say Lay down, lay down, a woman will lay down For the love of money All for the love of money Don't let, don't let, don't let money rule you For the love of money Money can change people sometimes Don't let, don't let, don't let money fool you Money can fool people sometimes People, don't let money, don't let money change you It will keep on changing, changing up your mind |