Is business ethics an oxymoron? Or is business ethics a key to competitive advantage? In business, ethical situations and dilemmas will arise. Many factors can come into play. How do you handle these situations as an individual? As a business?
 
Each year the Center for Ethical Leadership at Mount St. Joseph University sponsors a forum on ethics in conjunction with the Cincinnati Better Business Bureau. The BBB’s Center for Ethics annually acknowledges businesses that exemplify business ethics and create trust in the marketplace. The BBB’s Torch Awards honor those selected. More information about Torch Awards and links to the criteria can be found here. 
 
This year the university forum included 2015 Torch Award recipients Tim Rettig, President & CEO, Intrust IT, and Aaron Stapleton, Founder/CEO, Queen City Homecare. Linda Neenan, Executive Director, iSpace, The STEM Learning Place, a 2014 Torch Award recipient offered the perspective of a non-profit business. Leslie Kish, VP, Operations, for the Cincinnati BBB moderated the discussion. A Q & A session with students and faculty concluded the session.
 
I look forward to this event each year. The discussions are always real, insightful, encouraging, and thought-provoking. This year was no exception. Here are my key take-aways:

• Integrate ethics into all aspects of your business -- your culture, operations, and talent management (hiring, training, and so forth).
• Hire people who share your business’s core values.
• Communicate clearly and thoroughly -- both internally with your people and externally with your customers.
• Be honest, straightforward, and when appropriate, tactful.
• Insure all employees are comfortable communicating any ethical issue they see.
• Grow your people, discussing ethical situations in your regular meetings.
• Grow yourself, ask “What did I learn today?”
• Avoid unethical ways of doing business regardless of what others may do.
• Understand that ethical conduct occasionally may hurt the bottom-line in short term but it will help bottom-line in long term. 

In sum, business ethics is not an oxymoron. A business with a strong ethical culture has a competitive advantage in the marketplace and in attracting, engaging, and retaining talent.
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​Image: “Torch Awards Forum.” From left to right: Tim Rettig, Linda Neenan, Aaron Stapleton. © J. Ballard, 2016. Permission to use image granted to the participants, the Cincinnati Better Business Bureau, and Mount St. Joseph University. Here are previous blogs about these forums: 2012 Forum,  2014 Forum.
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Decoding the Workplace: 50 Keys to Understanding People in Organizations
"Astute and keenly observed business advice, yet down-to-earth in its use of real-world workplace examples and everyday language." Kirkus Reviews
Available at leading on-line bookstores such as Amazon.com

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Modified from my previous annual January blogs about the importance of leaders reading

Each January I pose the question: What book are you reading now? Charlie Rose in his nightly program of interviews often poses a similar question to his famous guests, most of whom are national or international leaders in their professions. They always seem to have a book they are reading about which they have opinions, insights, and comments.
 
Lifelong learning is essential to grow as a leader. A habit of reading books is important to that growth. What role do books play in your life? In your learning? My guess is that for many, we just don’t have enough time. Is reading books a habit for you? If not, is reading books something you would want to be a habit? 
 
My favorite books read in 2014? First I reread The Martian by Andy Weir. It is just was a fun read from beginning to end. Highly recommend, even if you have seen the movie. I also revisited several business classics including Business Adventures by John Brooks, Good to Great by Jim Collins and Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. I also enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell’s What the Dog Saw and David and Goliath.
 
In my opinion the most important book for business leaders published in 2015 was Shawn Murphy’s The Optimistic Workplace. It is an important work. In my opinion it deserved a place on more lists of the best business books of 2015.
 
Another major work is David Burkus’s Under New Management to be released in March 2016. I purchased an advance copy and predict Under New Management will be a best-seller. Burkus’s book will generate much discussion.
 
I will admit to rereading my own book, Decoding the Workplace, which was released in 2015. I really think it could help many people, especially people new to the workplace. I was very honored that it was endorsed by Gregg Popovich, President and Coach of the San Antonio Spurs. I have enjoyed seeing online that it has been acquired by libraries around the world.
 
As we begin 2015, here are books on my reading list:

• The Road to Character by David Brooks
• The Why of Work by Dave and Wendy Ulrich
• Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age by Sherry Turkle
• On the Edge by Alison Levine
• The Happiness Track by Emma Seppälä

“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them”, Mark Twain. 

Or as the comedian Groucho Marx said, “Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.”   
 
What are you reading?
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Image: “Books on a Desk” © J. Ballard, 2016. All rights reserved.
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© John Ballard, PhD,  2015. All rights reserved.
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On Twitter: @johnballardphd