doug smith training

  People rationalize breaking their values all the time. It can be more convenient to let things slip just a little to hit a financial target, or to make payroll, or to reduce overtime, or...you name it. Cutting corners on our values seems easy. But, how does that turn out? The cost to be paid for surrendering against our values might not even be immediate, but it will be certain and it might be profound. The proverbial slippery slope does not lead to a soft landing. It's easy to rationalize breaking a value but much harder to endure the eventual results. -- doug smith

  When was the last time that your integrity was tested? As leaders, we are often tempted to cut corners, to shave edges. A little compromise here or there, often in the interest of the bigger mission, seems justified. Who'll notice? What's the harm? Rounding out the numbers on a late night report for example. Or fudging that expense report just a little so that your best performer can get that invoice approved faster. Or, not confronting a clear case of harassment because the harasser is one of your friends. These are just small, inconsequential things, right? Wrong. Ethics may be open to both interpretation and circumstances, but one of our biggest problems these days is that the boundaries have blurred so far as to be indistinguishable. It feels like anything goes. That's no way to lead. That's no way to improve the world. Ethics, and integrity, matter as much as ever.  That means we have to pay attention. We as leaders must be careful, oh so very careful, of any com