“Esse quam videri” – To be, rather than to seem
In a world rife with moral dilemmas and ethical failures, I have long been a fan of Cicero and his fellow stoics’ perspectives and takes on life. I actually have those words as a tattoo – cheesy, corny and most likely an indicator of my age I know, but let’s not go there now!
Like many, apologies if that assumption makes you uncomfortable. I suspect that the observance of a Global Ethics Day comes across as little more than a performative gesture – a way for organisations to pat themselves on the back while continuing practices that contradict the very ethical principles they claim to uphold. This cynicism is not without merit; the reality is that ethics, in practice, is often dictated by convenience rather than conviction.
OK; Crunch time …
As a human being (and the different ‘hats’ that you wear doing that) are you being; or are you seeming to be?
It’s too easy to devolve into lip service and tokenism by showcasing or talking about your commitment to ethics. Hosting a seminar or releasing a cleverly-worded statement, or worse, a vision statement, charter, code of something or similar, while simultaneously engaging in dubious business practices, is not going to convince anybody in the long-term. I would argue that if you have to tell everyone about something rather than be able to get on with demonstrating it, you are most likely suffering from the same problem.
Ethical dilemmas are not abstract discussions easily organised into frameworks and theories; they are messy, complex issues that require tough choices with significant consequences. A day dedicated to ethics is so far removed and disconnected from reality so as to be utterly useless when trying to address the urgent, day-to-day moral battles faced by individuals – job security versus honesty, compliance with unpopular regulations versus getting production numbers up; the list is endless.
A broken system misleadingly framed. Ethics are touted only when convenient, while systemic issues such as inequality, exploitation, or corruption go unaddressed. Sadly, there is a never-ending and increasingly long list of so-called guardians of ethical behaviour – governments, institutions, businesses, elected officials and individuals alike – being caught red-handed engaging in practices that contradict their alleged ethical commitments. When these ‘guardians’ of ethical behaviour are themselves complicit in ethical failures, any initiatives they sponsor come off as disingenuous.
It’s time for real change. Intention without action is nothing more than a good idea.
There is no use in celebrating ethics if we don’t operationalise it. As stakeholders (boards, directors, executives), our focus should be on dismantling structures that perpetuate unethical behaviour, confronting hard truths and committing to improvements in ethical standards that can withstand scrutiny.
The creation of genuine accountability mechanisms with independent oversight is all that separates us between rhetoric and pretending, and actually making an impact.
You too, can be true to Cicero’s words if you choose to be.
Image: © triloks via Canva.com
