Tag: Ethical Fading

Building an “ETHICAL FADING” proof WORKPLACE..

Advertisements

A workplace that is “ethical fading” proof is created and nurtured by infinite minded leaders. Simon Sinek mentions this fact in his book The Infinite Game.

Infinite minded leaders accept the fact that creating a TRUSTWORTHY CULTURE that is ETHICAL FADING proof requires huge amount of patience and hard work. It requires a devotion to JUST CAUSE, bias for WILL over RESOURCES and the ability to nurture TRUSTING TEAMS.

Adopted from Simon Sinek’s The Infinite Game

Too much focus on EXTRINSIC REWARDS can lead to ethical fading.This is why

Advertisements

Adopted from the following great insight shared by Daniel Pink from the book Drive

“The problem with making an extrinsic reward the only destination that matters is that some people will choose the quickest route there, even if it means taking the low road. Indeed, most of the scandals and misbehavior that have seemed endemic to modern life involve shortcuts.”

Why Extrinsic rewards lead to ethical fading

Advertisements

Adopted from the following great insight shared by Daniel Pink , the author of Drive..

“The problem with making an extrinsic reward the only destination that matters is that some people will choose the quickest route there, even if it means taking the low road. Indeed, most of the scandals and misbehavior that have seemed endemic to modern life involve shortcuts.”

This is “Ethical fading” in action

Advertisements

Ethical fading a term coined by Simon Sinek in his book Infinite Game refers to the situation wherein people compromise ethics for short term gains..

Also supported by the following quote of Daniel Pink , shows how ethical fading can be accentuated by short term finite minded thinking..

“A lot of times when you have very short-term goals with a high payoff, nasty things can happen. In particular, a lot of people will take the low road there. They’ll become myopic. They’ll crowd out the longer-term interests of the organization or even of themselves.”

Characteristics of a work culture led by finite minded leaders

Advertisements

Organizations led by finite minded leaders are characterized by work environments where people are pitted against one another to meet short term quarterly targets.

These are leaders who give the utmost importance to performers who are high on IQ even if they are not team players and lack EQ.

Such an environment is prone to ethical fading and is where people resort to unfair means and shortcuts to meet unfair targets.

Ultimately such leaders who orchestrate such unhealthy work environments resort to layoffs by putting profit before people.

Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book The Infinite Game

How Our capability of rational thought inherently supports ethical fading?

Advertisements

As human beings we are blessed and CURSED with our ability for RATIONAL THOUGHT.

It is with our capacity for rational and analytical thought that we can think through hard problems and advance technology.

This can also be MISUSED to explain or JUSTIFY our behavior when we know it VIOLATES some deep seated code of ethics or helps us avoid some sense of guilt we may harbor for a decision or action we took.

Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book The Infinite Game

Realizing this truth on “Ethical Decisions”

Advertisements

Ethical decisions are NOT based on WHAT’s BEST for the SHORT TERM.

They are based on the RIGHT THING TO DO.

Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book The Infinite Game

What happens when leaders exercise their bias towards Resources before Will

Advertisements

Short sighted , performance focused , finite minded leaders exercise their bias towards Resources before Will and are WILLING to adjust their CULTURES to meet their PRIORITIES.

Such an infinite mindset where people are pitted against each other to meet short term targets , lacks trust and gives rise to unethical practices followed by individuals to meet targets.

Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book The Infinite Game

These are the ways to arrest “Ethical Fading”

Advertisements

Time is witness to the fact that after the departure of a revolutionary leader , there have been multiple scenarios wherein advent of a finite minded leader has spoiled a company’s culture.

Take the case of John Sculley for Apple , Steve Ballmer for Microsoft , Kevin Rollins for Dell —– examples galore.

The infinite minded leaders have come back and done the following three major things to arrest ethical fading:

  1. Devotion towards a JUST CAUSE
  2. BIAS for WILL before RESOURCES
  3. Nurture TRUSTING TEAMS

Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book The Infinite Game

This is how Great Leaders arrest ethical fading

Advertisements

Ethical Fading is a term that relates to ethical lapses that individuals resort to when pitted against each other in a culture that promotes short term thinking and goals.

It is an irony that when we resort to a finite mindset in an environment where already “Ethical Fading” exists , we get more of it.

Hence the need of an infinite mindset to handle such situations.These are leaders who believe that creating a conducive culture to reverse effects of “Ethical Fading” need huge patience and hard work.

They acknowledge the fact that this requires a devotion to a JUST CAUSE , a bias for WILL over RESOURCES and the ability to nurture TRUSTING TEAMS.

Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book The Infinite Game