People are laudably conscientious when dealing with family, friends, and community members. Yet there is an unfortunate consensus that corporate managers leave their morality at the door when reporting to work. The bottom line, it is believed, trumps common decency.
As with all generalizations, this one is refuted daily by the actions of responsible managers across the world. Yet the persistence of the stereotype begs the question – “Do a significant percentage of managers display considerably weaker morality at work than in their community?” I intend to spend the next three years exploring the variables that tilt the answer one way or the other. This blog will record the progress of my inquiry. Later, it will serve as an artificial memory, guiding me as I assume increased responsibility and confront conflicts between my business, personal, and communal interests.
Internal conflict is natural – This will be my guiding principle. Inconsistency is native to complex systems, and a modern life is an increasingly complex system. Thus, my goal is not to completely reconcile my business interests with the interests of every other aspect of my life. Rather, it will be to maximize the good I do myself, my community, and my business, by embracing the correct facet of my morality according to the particular circumstance at hand. My overarching goal is to learn how to balance irreconcilable yet equally vital interests – I seek to become wise.
