ETHICS - Cornerstone AMAZON Interior

Ethics: CORNERSTONE ofIntegrity & Trust by. Jennifer R. St.John 1st in Series on Ethics

Copyright © 2015 by the Fusion Group, Ltd.`All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, includingphotocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical meth-ods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, exceptin the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews andcertain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. Forpermission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention:Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.The Fusion Group, Ltd.1910 N. Commerce ParkwayWeston, Florida 33326www.theFusionGroup.com Ordering Information:Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantitypurchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details,contact the publisher at the address above.Printed in the United States of AmericaPublisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication dataSt.John, Jennifer.Ethics- Cornerstone of Integrity v.1 / J.R. St.Johnp. cm.ISBN 978-0-9910371-3-11. Ethics — Personal & Professional. 2.Business Ethics —Integrity. 3. Ethical Behavior — TrustI. Title.HF0000.A0 A00 2010299.000 00–dc22 2010999999First Edition14 13 12 11 10 / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 3 ContentsCracking the Code — 5Codes: Written or Unwritten — 9Make Yourself Useful — 12A Hierarchy of Good — 15The Shadow Knows — 18Seven Generations — 21Two Pieces of Trash — 26Squiggles, Grids & Dimensional Ethics — 29Tearing Ourselves Apart — 33About the Author — 36What We Believe and Why — 39 §

4 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust This series is designed to give you, our clients and friends, a loftier and practical look at ethics. We hope to demonstrate why and how a deeper understanding of ethical concerns can be applied in your life – both personally and professionally.

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 5Cracking the Code “You, who are on the road; must have a code that you can live by. And so, become yourself because the past is just a goodbye. Teach your children well, their father’s hell did slowly go by. And feed them on your dreams, the one they picked, the one you’ll know by.” “Teach Your Children”Performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young Released May 1970So, first thing, let’s crack the code…You’re behind schedule this morning. It’s raining. Your part- ner’s in a bad mood. She bites. You bite back… Times like this, one reverts to what’s easiest… You pull on your socks,growl, gather your goods, get out the door and into heavy traffic.The blue Camry cuts you off and flashes a digital high sign. Youpass that along double to the white Audi and the Ford behind him.Arriving at work, you’re wearing the imprint of all that. So whenyour boss calls you in — well, you let him have it! He deserves it;pompous ass…Life hits, you hit back. Maybe tomorrow will be better. What’seasiest? Welcome to life at the lowest common denominator.It may be what’s easiest, but it may not be for the best… Suchmornings, such days mount up — and they become the definingstandard of our lives. Each of those reactions is a choice. But onewhich we make perhaps without sufficient attention. Our life be-comes the sum of a thousand/thousand “easiest choices.”People (and computers) run on “codes.” In people, they are of-ten the sum of conflicting teaching (programming) attempts fromfamily, school, sports and church — many times so long ago that

6 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trustthey are nearly forgotten, almost unconscious. Our “easy choices”are simply instances of acting out our codes… And unfortunately,many of us live in “ethical drift” from unconscious choice to uncon-scious choice. Your code is demonstrated by your choices… andthe life you have is a function of the code you follow.But what is the “Code” by which we make these instant “easiest”judgment calls? What’s the standard? What’s the invisible, unex-amined compass against which we chart our daily course — whichover time — defines our life? That “standard” may be hard to ar-ticulate at first, because we’re not often called upon to define ordescribe “our ethical standard, our moral compass, our individualcode of conduct.” It’s in there, but perhaps murky…A recent NY Times article provides this interesting commentary: ABoston area crime figure on trial described his “Code.” He mighthave been a criminal, but “the Code forbids the killing of wom-en. And, being an informant is totally unacceptable.” Hey, even acrook has a code… Our challenge in building individual character,teams, families and companies is to discover, reveal, mold maybeeven uplift that code so that it becomes something that explicitlyconnects us and raises the standard by which we make our daily“easiest choices.”“Ethics” is most simply defined as the “Study of Human Values.” Nohelp there… Everyone has values, therefore everyone is “ethical”,so everyone — literally everyone — has “a Code.” But once again;What kind of values? To reveal the character and truly know theperson, you must first crack the code! To begin, take it out of child-hood memory, out of the basement and write it down. What doyou stand for? Start by making your “Code” explicit! Bring it up andmake it known. Then you have something to work with.Codes are make-able, breakable, and subject to discussion andalteration. Everyone who ever made an “Honor Pledge, A PinkySwear, or Swore a Blood Oath” knows how “shared codes” con-nect people and establish the basis for a relationship. Secret So-cieties, Clubs, Fraternal Orders, School Marching Bands, the Bar,the Military, the Police, Medical and Governmental communities allhave “codes and pledges” at their centers.One of the fascinations of getting to know new people or joining anew organization is in trying to “crack their codes” so you can dis-

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 7cover their character and surely navigate the internal landscape.“Crack the code, and you’ll reveal the person.” Applications1. IndividuallyStart by examining your own codes and standards: (This might re-quire a little digging.) Is there a “Scout Promise or Law” still op-erating in the basement of your ethical structure? Bring it out inthe light and see if it lines up with that college fraternal pledge,a professional license standard or your religious commitments.Codes, oaths and pledges are the “software” that influence all ofour “easiest choices.” Get your differing codes aligned and moreexplicit; then watch as the pace and consistency of your decisionsimprove.2. At HomeIn the fifties; television began to take a share of child raising fromchurch, family and school. The World of Disney and the Code ofthe West assisted parents as they attempted to guide kids in dis-tinguishing right from wrong and good guys from bad. (Remem-ber those days?) Today, the internet and social media have madedramatic incursions. Family, religion and school continue to loseground as it’s become a very complex world. Yet, parents and fam-ily are still the primary source for the code, the standard, and theshared values that carry children forward, through the forest ofcontemporary culture. Ask yourself; “What code am I propound-ing with my example?”3. At the OfficeWow. Where to start? One segment of the world feeds on anoth-er, as we all seem to be looking for an opportunity to eat someoneelse’s lunch. Few people actually go to trial in a “Pay for Justice (orto avoid it) Marketplace.” “Steal a Profit and Avoid the Lawsuit!”seems to be the operant standard. It’s a world without enoughexplicit shared agreements about what defines a meaningful eth-ical standard. There’s a dearth of lofty, ethical leadership. Yet,the one individual who starts the discussion, (quietly, and perhaps

8 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trustcarefully at first) may be the one we choose to follow — even fromfirm to firm. You might become that one. Maybe it’s worth a week-end away with your team. Start small, and create a revolution. Final Thoughts1. Life is the sum of a thousand/thousand “easiest choices” —based on an internal, and perhaps not-recently-examined set ofvalues — an “Internal Code.”2. To truly know yourself, another person, a teammate or a compa-ny; you have to “crack their code.”3. To be a serious and effective leader; you have to create, demon-strate, align and enforce the codes for your gang. Teach your children well! §

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 9Codes: Written or Un-Written “We have a code!” - A Few Good Men Released 1992 Directed by Rob Reiner Written by Aaron SorkinThe Movie, A FEW GOOD MEN is a meditation on codes of conduct — both written and unwritten. Rather than recap the movie (Sure, go and watch it!) we’ll simply comment thatthere seems to be a rather stark distinction in global culture today,between those who adhere to a lofty and explicit code and thosewho — drift.In earlier times, our codes were explicit, clear, demanding and ex-ceptional. More recently, the rules of engagement in day-to-daylife seem to have become somewhat less clear, less lofty, more am-biguous, and assumed rather than taught, transmitted or sworn to.The reasons are legion — the swift pace, increasing complexity andcreeping sense of moral confusion…We suggest there’s a difference — and a significant one — betweenexplicit shared agreements (about family, church, employment,service and the responsibilities which we owe to one another),and the hazy assumptions which have tended to displace them.Estrangement: It’s not unusual today to find yourself driving toyour next appointment down an unremarkable stretch of freewayand wondering, “What am I doing here? What is this all for? What’sgoing on?” It’s a wonderful universe we’ve created together, butat the same time; it can be overwhelming and confusing especiallyif we lose track of our purpose, our meaning, our values. In thatmoment, we become easy pickings for an unscrupulous executive,a competitor promising a better gig, an affair, or a religious char-latan. When our values become fuzzy, we are subject to beingpushed off course by someone promising something “concrete.”Clear, explicit, agreed-upon, core values are at the center of suc-cessful companies, families and individuals. They are the “InternalCompass” that allows us to pack our bags on Sunday in New York,

10 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trustfly on Monday to Singapore, teach and consult for ten days; thenpack up and find our way back to home, family and company. Ourvalues help us remember who we are, where we stand, why weare working, what we hope to accomplish and to have continuedfaith in the integrity of our undertakings. Many of us have experi-enced the feeling of “estrangement” that occurs when we start todrift away from our “center/core/compass.” Has it happened toyou?Points of Reference: Find Yours!In the context of this series, we’ve pulled together an eclectic listof the multitude of codes and creeds which infuse our polyglotculture. This is not a “reading assignment,” but a tease…Find a few minutes, and see if you can “find your code,creed or commitment” in the list that follows…Then dig a little deeper and see if you don’t smile, laugh or wonderat the ways different times and cultures have refined and articulat-ed their core values and their moral compass. Is your code here?Is there a part of it you’ve forgotten, or missed? Maybe it’s wortha voyage of rediscovery. ŒŒ USMC Code of Conduct ŒŒ The Round Table of King Arthur’s Court ŒŒ The Code of the West/The Cowboy Code ŒŒ The Code of Chivalry ŒŒ The Bhagavad Gita ŒŒ Canadian Confederation ŒŒ The Gentleman’s Code ŒŒ The Tao Te Ching ŒŒ The Scout Oath / The Scout Law ŒŒ The Honor Code ŒŒ The Jedi Code

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 11ŒŒ The Torah / The BibleŒŒ The Magna CartaŒŒ Bushido: The Samurai CodeŒŒ United States Founding DocumentsŒŒ The Code of HammurabiŒŒ The Analects of ConfuciusŒŒ The Athenian CodeŒŒ The Apology of PlatoŒŒ Robert’s Rules of OrderŒŒ American Bar AssociationŒŒ World Medical AssociationŒŒ FINRASee if you can once again say, with pride: “We have a Code!” §

12 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust Make Yourself Useful!“Food taken without work, is Theft.” -Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma) Indian Political Leader, English Educated Lawyer, Spiritual Teacher (1869 – 1948) The Daily Good Turn --> by Norman Rockwell Boys Life Magazine, 1919So this is about Trades, Exchanges and Ethics.WTrade hat kinds of things can be traded? Well, everything! Every kind of physical “thing.” Food items. Clothing. Shelter and Real Estate. Money. Weapons. Everythingour forebears traded with the natives or among themselves in theAgora (marketplace). Trade and exchange are at the center of ev-ery culture. All manner of Goods and Services. “I have this to tradefor that…”But wait; it’s not just physical things that can be traded; but alsonon-material things like work, words, compliments, insults, jokes,playful banter, wisdom, respect, commitment, teaching and ser-vice. These “things” are non-material. (No-thing.)ExchangeIf you have money or stuff, transactions are easy, if a little bitpedestrian. But, if you “have” nothing, it’s a little more difficult to“trade” that for “something.” You have to be a little more skillfulto turn your nothing into something you can use, spend or eat.That requires something of a slightly higher order; an Exchange,and perhaps an ethical one at that…

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 13Here’s how it works:“I don’t have anything to trade you for that chicken you’re selling.But I could spend the day with your elderly mother with demen-tia, making sure she’s bathed and safe. Would that be a fair ex-change?” Here, we see an exchange of two vastly different com-modities: one “thing” for one “no-thing.” But it works, because inyour mind, my “no-thing” constitutes enough value, that it’s worthyour chicken. Mom stays safe, you can work the market, and I getdinner. Everyone wins.A fair exchange… Why? Because instead of standing in the Ago-ra looking hungry, I made myself useful and created value out ofnothing. It’s magic and a little bit more lofty. Value does not residemerely in things. Exchanges are loftier than Transactions. There itis, the “Protestant Work Ethic.” Or, in Mom’s parlance, “I appreciateyour angelic presence dear, but why not make yourself useful?!”So what about Ethics?Let’s check our Ethics History: Jeremy Bentham. “What makessome actions ‘bad’ is their lack of utility, their tendency to leadto unhappiness and misery without any compensating happiness.If a law or an action doesn’t do any good, then it isn’t any good.”The goodness is in the doing — not the having or being! It’s prettymuch the same with people. Unfortunately, many people prefer tosimply sit — doing, creating and earning nothing.One’s mere presence has “costs” in “calories consumed” — food,shelter and clothing. All of these are expensive; and must be ob-tained through trades or exchanges… Life itself can be seen as tak-ing place within a “multi-dimensional fabric of trades and exchang-es — an ethical network.”To “make yourself useful” is to create and enhance your value bycreating and sustaining frictionless and trouble-free and valuableexchanges between yourself, your family and your various constit-uent groups. To the utilitarians, it’s not only being good, but doinggood and reaching for the greater — even greatest good by addingvalue to every exchange and every relationship you touch or influ-ence.Don’t just sit there, make yourself useful!

14 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust Applications1. Personally“Do a good Turn Daily!” is an ethical legacy from the Scouting Com-munity. But consider the greater good aspect if everyone notonly did their job, but found an excuse to make themselves usefulto another just one more time each day. Disposing of a piece oftrash, helping another with a heavy door, making way for anotherto board the train, pausing on the street to allow another to gofirst all manifest what happens when we don’t merely occupy ourspace, but add to the greater good through action.2. At HomeSomehow, the available space seems to be contested more thanever among our family members. We fight about a piece of pastry.We contest the rights to the bathroom. Then in a bid for peace, weall retire to our private screen worlds. And the “fabric of familialexchanges” goes dormant… Peace may not be preferable to lifelived in a cocoon. Consider getting back into the fray with yourfamily and exploring the power of enhanced exchanges to makelove (if not peace) a reality. Consider a monthly project to improvethe life of your family (or your community); the kids might begin tosee the power of action for the greater good.3. At WorkToo often, work devolves down to an endless series of repetitivetransactions — with colleagues, teams — even the guy at the securi-ty desk. Each of those transactions has the potential to contributeto the greater good — if you act differently — and more humanely.A smile, a gift from the deli, a better pen, a favorite book, or a card— small active gestures remove friction and improve the qualityand character of your work life. Transactions can rise to becomeexchanges, and your work network can become more vibrant andsustaining. Make yourself useful! Act for the greater good. §

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 15 A Hierarchy of Good “Don’t go marching down to the courthouse all outraged and looking for Justice son. Justice don’t live there!” -Ezra Heller American HomesteaderRecent events have once again pointed out the oceanic dis- tinctions between law, justice, moral norms, contemporary culture and ethics.We suggest that failing to notice, or worse — blurring thedistinctions on which our culture turns — can lead to lofty expec-tations and powerful upsets when those expectations go unmet…Yes, this is about the trial — and ethics.There’s a difference between Law (on the Books), Legal Procedure(in the Courthouse), Prevailing Moral considerations (felt intense-ly yet differently by cultural groups) and Justice (or Karma) whichmay not be so easily — or so obviously — obtained.These things are not the same.Yet it’s not unusual to see an individual or a group marching to thecourt house for Justice; going on television to indict legal proce-dure, writing letters to the editor to change the Law, or sitting atthe dinner table railing against “the way things are…” The next day,nothing seems to have changed. On inspection, we suggest the fol-lowing consideration: Ethics seems to have an internal (but oftenun-noticed) hierarchy.1. What’s Legal: As in, “I haven’t broken any laws! I’ve been found‘Not Guilty!’”2. What’s Moral (accepted or rejected by the group): As in, “Hey,that ain’t right!”3. What’s Just (or Karmic): As in, “I got off, but I can’t sleep — ever.And I live a solitary existence, looking over my shoulder at all times;acting-out repeatedly until I crash…”

16 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust4. What’s for the best? As in, “It’s not just about me! How can Iinclude the rest of the world in my ethical calculus? (And perhapsatone for my transgressions…)”It is a hierarchy isn’t it? Yet many people never progress beyondthe ground floor. Some basic advice for making clear distinctionsbetween hierarchical levels: ŒŒ Law doesn’t get to first base, friends. The world is so unsatisfactory partly because Law is the merest foundation. It’s simply what most of us can agree upon. ŒŒ Morality is a good step, but while not entirely toothless, it is so general (and often ambiguous) that there’s just too much wiggle room. ŒŒ Justice (Karma): Well, it’s so omnipresent that we may not notice — and, it’s slow. Also, its poetic nature sometimes eludes us in our eye-for-an-eye moral outrage. ŒŒ Ethics is practical and open to reasoned debate — reaching not just for a minimum acceptance but for optimal good… It’s never perfect, but we can make it continually better. And if we are to feel satisfied, we have to try to reach for more — together.The long climb up the mountain toward more workable ethics, re-quires that we come together in peace and respect to make ourconcerns quietly clear — and that we honor our fellow human be-ings enough to stay at the table together to notice that we are justthat: fellow human beings. Until we reach that threshold, progressis unlikely.But on that future day, the discussion might start here: “What isbest — the greatest good — for all concerned?”No one was totally satisfied with the Simpson trial, but then;“Justice doesn’t live at the Court House.”

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 17 Applications1. Individually:Try not to break any laws. Attempt to honor your tribe’s moralcode. But search for a loftier pole star and set your course bywhat’s best for all concerned.2. At Home:It’s easy (in our individual electronic worlds) to think we’re alonein a great amusement park. “Who cares if I steal that candy bar,that coat, that car? It’s all just a great video game anyway…” Ethicaltransgressions have a way of coming home to roost, and watchingthe ethical scales find a balance on the back of your child is thegreatest pain imaginable. Start now and enlarge their purview — toinclude viewpoints both loftier and wider.3. At Work — and in the larger world…Wow. So few meaningful examples of lofty, ethical thinking. Maybea fair start is to begin by seeing work as an arena for expression— as opposed to merely scratching out a living. What values doesyour daily conduct in the arena express? Maybe there’s an oppor-tunity for change waiting for you to step back and notice it as yourperspective evolves. Where does justice reside? Not at the courthouse, obviously. But we think, in the individual human heart — and in the arena where we can see you soar. Show us! §

18 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust The Shadow Knows “Make the greatest of gifts to your self—Truth” —Anonymous Greek Philosopher, Teacher and Logician 528 – 484 BCE “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!” Spoken by actor Frank Readick Jr., at the opening of “The Shadow” dramatic radio show; the words were accompanied by an ominous laugh and a musical theme… —WikipediaEthics is all about the exchanges of life — and the distinct are- nas or dimensions in which those exchanges occur. (More about dimensions upcoming.) Today the primary dimension— the Personal / the Self.Wait… How does one exchange with the Self?Come on, haven’t you ever conducted this internal dialogue: “Allright, I have ten pages to write before the due date tomorrow at10 am. I’m for sure going to get the title page and five good thesispages done before nine tonight. And if I get that step completed,the rest will be downhill! So my reward for completion will be thatpiece of cake on the second shelf in the fridge… Then all done bymidnight and nail the bibliography in the morning…”Admit it. We’ve all cut that bargain and either made good on thedeal — or welshed shamefully…But it’s just that — a deal — an exchange with the self. I’ll give youthis, in exchange for that.Our argument: Most (if not all of us) have taken the exchange withthe self less seriously than we take exchanges with others. We ei-ther grant ourselves too little regard — being endlessly critical and

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 19demeaning; or (equally damaging), we grant ourselves too muchcredit and fail to own-up to our real failings and flaws. Both ap-proaches set us up for failure as we take our ethical platform outto the world to exchange with others.Ethics — fair exchange — starts at home. Before we deal with sib-lings, spouses, children, pets, the environment, the United Nations,Universal Aesthetics or Spirituality; (Remember, the Dimensions?)we confront and exchange with, Ourselves.No one else knows what’s in your heart, but there are some clues.Because what we do to, and think of, ourselves; we often do to,and with, others.So if you’re unfair, curt, dishonest or cold in your dealings withfamily members, it’s perhaps a fair indication of how your internallandscape lays out…If you’re dishonest and unfair in your exchanges at work, can yourinternal exchange programming be trustworthy?If you kick your dog (or someone else’s…) is it likely that you have aself-esteem problem?How’s your love life? Are you stingy, self-centered, inclined to ag-gressive demands? How about giving yourself a long, slow week-end with a sauna, a massage and a little personal self-regard? Yeahyeah… There’s humor here, but self love is not about sex — butrespect, support and reasonable pride in accomplishment. Canyou find it in your heart to give yourself some warmth?The last decade has been long on “Self Esteem.” Everyone’s a win-ner now, even if they lose. Everyone gets a medal. (Perhaps thatworks because the medals are mostly plastic.) But we are talkingabout honest self-regard, in recognition of honest accomplish-ment; not self-delusion. And not the currently fashionable “awardinflation” in which everyone’s performance is deemed equal. Hu-man value is all encompassing, but performance almost always hasa curve, and a hierarchy. I don’t want an honorable mention in myheart surgeon, thanks, but the best!The challenge is to find the middle path: honest self-regard; andhonest, unrelenting self-examination. The middle path yields an in-dividual who knows what they’re capable of, and will accept noth-

20 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trusting less. That’s a great personal foundation to take out to one’sexchanges with the rest of the world!The Shadow knows, but you know as well — so don’t lie to your-self; and don’t stint on the honest recognition of self-worth. Fairexchange begins with the first of the dimensions, the Self. Applications1. PersonallyIs it possible that you’ve been grinding yourself down to nothingin your personal self-appraisal? Are you prone to self-abnegationand denigration? When was the last time you set a tough goal,made it, and bought a watch, a car or a vacation as the prize? Atthe same time, have you gotten a little too cozy in front of themirror?2. At HomeThe kids and the partner will watch how you work and wonder:“Should I do it that way? This person is important to me! Shouldn’tI follow their example?” So let them see you do the sums — “This Idid well. This I didn’t. That I can do better. Next time I’ll do it! Andwhen I do, I’m going for the cake on the second shelf!” Nothing isbetter than getting the inside story on how Mom or Dad became aV.P. Praise, honestly earned, is of great value.3. At the OfficeAfter the big pitch, close the door, remove all the sharp objectsand start the Post Mortems. But start with what you were proudof. What worked? What should become SOP? Then, what canbe improved next time? How can you work that into standards ofpractice as well? Be careful not to shirk the responsibility for thelosses but make sure also to pass out kudos for the wins. Honestself-critique, responsibility and great teams go together.Make yourself, your family and your team the greatest of gifts, theTruth — because if you don’t tell them, only the Shadow knows! §

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 21Seven GenerationsPrologue: Buenos AiresBoarding a flight, I raised an eyebrow at the Eastern Airlines vinylon the cabin wall. (It seems, when you acquire a plane in Argen-tina, you don’t strip and refit, but simply get it flying!) The cabinhad the “patina of experience.” Glancing out, I noticed there weretwo engine pods under the wing. As we started with a roar, realitycrystallized: it was a Boeing — 707. We were flying a museum piece!Prologue: AthensThe Parthenon, built around 434 BC, was designed to be a lastingmonument. During its lifetime it has been three kinds of church;exploded, plundered and deconstructed for parts. A 19th cen-tury restoration used authentic iron support bars. Unfortunately,the original lead coating was omitted, allowing the formation ofrust, which swelled, expanded and cracked the marble — creatingeven greater damage. The current repair uses titanium and newquarried marble along with supporting adhesives — new materialsdesigned to fit, complement and over time to “weather in.”“In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” Iroquois Nation MaximTMulti-Dimensionality hings change when we add the additional dimension of TIME to an ethical computation. It’s one thing if it’s good for me, and another if it’s also good for my family. Throw inthe community and my local business and things get interesting.In a previous Cornerstones, we also discussed the larger arenasof mega group, living things, the environment, spiritual concerns

22 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trustand the Infinite with a Capital I. Makes your head swim, trying tocompute “Greatest Good.”But let’s just torture ourselves a bit more…What about TIME?More than the next five minutes? The next five days? Months?Years? You get the idea.When an architect designs a building, she could be thinking only ofgetting paid and getting off the continent. Or she could be think-ing of making the first of a hundred lasting monuments to taste, im-pact on the profession, positive indications for how to live a betterlife, and setting a standard to be followed by generations to comeafter. Phidias, Iktinos & Kallikrates built something that has almost“outlasted time itself.” Take that Mies. Geary. Zaha. But each ofthem are leaving legacies.Talk about raising the bar…Madison, Hancock, Franklin, Jefferson. They were thinking beyondnext season.Marshall. Eisenhower. Gandhi. Lincoln. Churchill.Think the Space Needle. The Intercontinental Telephone Cable.The Arc de Triomphe. Subways. Notre Dame. InterchangeableParts and Moveable Type. The Arched Bridge and Aqueducts. In-surance. Reinforced Concrete. The Code of Hammurabi. Post-script. The Great Wall. The Stock Exchange. Roebling’s Brook-lyn Bridge. Eiffel’s Tower. The Great Canadian Railroad. VaticanCity. The Shard. The Crystal Set, the Vacuum Tube, The Transistor,Integrated Circuits, Chips. Sydney’s Opera House. Virgin Galactic.Can you speak to our omissions here?ArtMichelangelo. Leonardo. Pablo. Calder. Motherwell. Indiana.PoetryYates. Cummings. Ferlinghetti. Nash. Poe. Coleridge. Joyce. Coc-teau. Neruda.

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 23MedicineJonas Salk. Banting & Best. Pasteur.CinemaHitchcock. Kurosawa. Welles. Ingmar Bergman. John Huston.Truffaut. Fellini.PhysicsNewton. Einstein. Stapp. Heisenberg.Literature & TheaterShakespeare. Moliere. Jonson. Stoppard. Dumas. Tolkien. Broth-ers Grimm. Twain.MusicStrauss. The Beatles. Ravi Shankar. The Stones. Beethoven. Sina-tra. Bach. Joplin. Mozart.ReligionJesus of Nazareth. Gautama Siddhartha. Lao Tsu. Muhammad.The Lamas.Masterpieces… and Masters.Were they thinking of getting home early for dinner? Cashing out?Getting the next promotion? Perhaps a portion of genius is the will-ingness to think about a further future, and the needs of a worldbeyond our immediate reach. It’s going to cost us to rebuild thebridges and the infrastructure. And that would require somethinggenerally missing in our planned obsolescence world — a lofty per-spective — one that considers the next seven generations.Boeing thought long and hard about the 707, so I could fly one withconfidence, nearly thirty years later. The Plane and the Parthenonboth lasted of course, but more importantly served as definitiveinfluences for generations of engineers and designers. You cannotspeak to the 7th Generation, save through your art and actions.

24 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust Applications1. PersonalIf you’re going to leave behind a financial fortune, a building, a mu-sical form, a theatrical legacy, a body of work; you’re going to haveto start thinking, planning and acting that way now. Go ahead,give yourself permission! Enjoy the moment of fear as you contem-plate the challenges. But don’t forget to contemplate the incredi-ble satisfaction of seeing your ideas take shape and find their wayinto the arcana of civilization.2. At HomeUnder the immediate pressures of caring for family, a lot of great-ness goes unrealized. Sure it’s great to raise wonderful children,and provide a safe haven for the family. But we’re talking about adifferent order of magnitude here. If you’re willing to imagine, toaspire to greatness; you’ve got to think long term; and about yourgreat, great, great, great, great grand-children — and their peers.Perspective. Hmmm. Changes things. It’s not either/or, that’s tooeasy an out. Raise your sights and your family’s. Think Einstein’sMother…3. At WorkIs there a sliver of greatness still glowing in the heart of your or-ganization? Can you breathe it into flame with your over the toppassion and commitment? Can you encourage your team to startthinking of changing the industry — or the world? We’ve all lived tosee some big thinkers create wonderful effects on all of our lives.And we’ve witnessed the opposite. Can we somehow, together;make life better, cleaner, more sustainable, safer, more complete,and more trouble free for those who follow after? Buy a colleaguea drink and start imagining.Seven Generations: (Somewhere between 175 and 210 years).From Aerospace to Architecture; from Spiritual Counsel to Enter-tainment; if we all thought not only about the greatest good for alldimensions, but also about the next seven generations; what good

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 25could we do? Perhaps it’s not only “What good shall I do today?”;but also… “What greatness can I send to the future?”§

26 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust Two Pieces of Trash “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” -Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900) Writer, Poet, PlaywrightStrolling the UC Berkeley Campus with my friend Clark Kellogg (a Faculty member in the College of Environmental Design and the Haas School of Business…), I was taken aback for a mo-ment when I turned to speak and he “wasn’t there!” Actually, hehad simply stooped to pick up a piece of trash, which he carriedwith him for another twenty steps ’til we passed a trash bin.He hadn’t stopped the conversation. He hadn’t really brokenstride. He had simply incorporated a personal ethic into his dailypersonal habit pattern. I might have missed it had I been lookingthe other way. He commented that “if people did the same twice aday, trash would disappear…”It was a small act, but a profound one. Consider: What if each of usrefrained from discarding trash or plastic unconsciously? Further,if each of us makes a similar small change in our daily conduct —picking up and disposing of two pieces of trash — how long mightit take us to overcome the clean-up & recycle deficit?It seems that ethics is cumulative: Many small, positive, individualacts can accumulate and create a whole that is greater than thesum of the parts. First, a clean campus; then a population that no-tices, maintains and expects a clean campus; then graduates whocarry that ethic with them far and wide. As individuals becomemore aware of the outcomes of their previously unconscious acts,their dawning awareness will incline them in a loftier direction —toward the greater good. Or, not. Maybe this act didn’t affect any-one else… but it touched me.The sustainability movement in design and architecture is basedon such simple ideas writ large on the canvas of our cityscapes. If

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 27each building cleans up after itself; if individual structures gener-ate and contribute to the shared energy pool; if each communityfilters its own water: the whole may become greater than the sum.It begins with picking up trash — but the momentum can carry for-ward into small random acts of kindness. Small acts lead to largerand larger ones — and imagine where that might lead… Applications1. PersonallyIt’s easy to remain plugged into our individual thoughts, diversionsand problems. But no matter how interesting our internal world,sooner or later we intersect with what’s out there. So how willyou help? Will your presence, or your passing by, create a positiveeffect? It might be as simple as “two pieces of trash.”2. At HomeThe family has its own dynamic, rhythm, personality. How will youteach this lesson at your house? The subtext is that none of us trulyexists alone. That’s a tough one for children to countenance; indi-viduality and personality being so addictive and fascinating… Yet,it’s usually at home that we begin to discover the limits of our owngreatness and the depth of our reliance on shared resources. Passit on.3. At WorkDoes the office recycle? Does the community? It’s not out of lineto become familiar with your corporate (or your building’s) sustain-ability efforts. The more you know, the more you can influence apositive outcome.Sometimes it’s overwhelming. We live in cities and towns that makeus feel insignificant and unable to influence or contribute to thewhole. Yet, small acts of individual responsibility can grow intomore sustainable communities. Clark and I parted company thatday, and I momentarily turned for one last wave of farewell. There

28 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trusthe was in the distance; reaching down for that second piece oftrash…Clark Kellogg is a friend, student and resource to the Fusion Group.He lives in Berkeley with his wife Christina where he teaches, sailsand makes Daily Art. §

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 29 Squiggles, Grids& Dimensional Ethics“I’ve got to admit it’s getting better. A little better all the time. I have to admit it’s getting better. It’s getting better, since you’ve been mine. Getting so much better all the time.” It’s Getting Better The Beatles / Lennon-McCartney Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967 Parlophone, Capitol, EMIAlan Watts, the “Great Explainer of Asia,” in a lecture on the differences in perspective between East and West, dis- cussed how existence seems to go in all directions — tosquiggle! All things happening at once, with different intentionsgoing every which-way at the same time. Asia seemed content towitness, and not demand an explanation. The West on the otherhand, wants to put existence into an “explanatory grid;” with allnodes being equidistant and equally important and all fitting intotheir neatly described compartments. Thus, from a western per-spective; things should “naturally balance,” and more important;make sense! “Basho vs Luther.”The first challenge is to force a living system into a gridded model.It doesn’t stay the same long enough to get the whole picture.The second challenge is that Existence happens so fast and in suchmulti-layered complexity, that if we don’t break it down somehow,it’s just too complex to understand.But what if we could, for arguments sake, suggest that existencebreaks down into a variety of nested and intertwined playingfields? Different but related arenas? Sectors? Zones? Dimensions?Say, Eight of them.

30Without invoking Rod Serling, what would they be? Here are oursuggestions:First, The Individual — the single unit of Life: The Self.Then, The Family.Next: The Group — the Community, the Town, theCompany.Then, The Super Group — Race, Political Parties, NationStates, Multi-National Corporations, Continental Interests.Then, Living Things.Next, The Physical Universe — The Elements, NaturalPhenomena, Space.Then, Spiritual Reality & Aesthetics.Finally, The Infinite.Eight Dimensions to Existence. “Connected, Related, Nested” with-in and around, even penetrating each other. But still, when lookedat separately, understandable.Each of us lives their own life, and approaches this complex setof relationships in their own way. Some people never considerthe aesthetics of setting the dinner table or of engaging the life ofthe spirit. Some make a career of it. Some people spend their lifeat work — to the dismay (or joy) of their families. Some choose todevote themselves to the environment or to protecting other lifeforms. Some ponder the vagaries of family life, child rearing andits evolution in this century. Some float into Philosophy or Physics.Life can be lived as one chooses — in as many flavors of squiggle asthere are imaginative ways to put it all together.So what? Remember the concept of Exchange? Fair Exchange?Well here’s where the entire Ethics Series comes together.Consider for a moment that our usual focus on what’s good for me,

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 31my family and my group; while a great place to start, may not en-compass the entire equation. Maybe “exchange” can be expand-ed…What if the Ethics Question actually includes EXCHANGES BETWEENAND WITHIN ALL DIMENSIONS? So it may not be enough to work,look out for the kids and your job… There may be a City out therefrom which you are benefiting, that could use a little help in return.You may have something to contribute to animal welfare — volun-teering at the pet shelter. Does the environment need a little clean-up in your area? Maybe you’ve been focusing on your career andfamily to the exclusion of the great questions: “Who am I?” “What ismy special contribution?” And, “What if there’s a Great Infinite ISout there, I wonder if I can connect?”So, as John Stuart Mill suggested, Ethics is a question of the great-est good, for the greatest number; but he was only talking aboutpeople… This perspective expands the scope of the question:Greatest Good from a Multi-Dimensional Perspective.Of course, “Greatest Good is a Moving Target! And the “Squiggly”Nature of Existence sometimes makes it difficult to comprehendwhat’s going on around and within us. But if we pause and men-tally “push the dimensions a little further apart,” we might be ableto make better sense of each of them; and decide how to focusa little more on the fair exchanges within and between them — inshort how to rationally consider “What’s the Greatest Good; forthe Greatest Number of Dimensions?”Existence is still squiggling, and still resisting being reduced to agrid. But as we become more aware of the complexities, we getbetter at working out the exchanges between and within the di-mensions that give our lives unique flavor and character.As we continually optimize the equation; things change and im-prove for all concerned.It’s Getting better all the time.

32 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust Applications:1. PersonalFinding the best course requires an increasingly complex compassthese days, but the old standard; What’s good for you, your familyand your work, still holds. If you get a chance, and are curious itmight be worthwhile to extend your reach into other ethical di-mensions — but go easy — you’re not a bad person. The oppor-tunity to get even better is right around the corner: the city, thecountry, the beasts and flowers, the gyre, the Great Spirit and theTao will all be there when you get curious.2. At HomeIt’s so easy to be a self-absorbed child; and to develop into a nar-cissistic adult. That’s not evil, if less than interesting… But considerencouraging your family to expand their horizons beyond the im-mediate gratification of basic needs and optimize –by becomingthe benefactors of some good work. A multi-dimensional familycan enjoy a multitude of benefits.3. At WorkWe make a lot of garbage in offices, and mostly never give athought to what happens to it. (An undiscovered Dimension?) Wealso create a lot of outcomes with our products, attitudes, workand communication styles. Take a moment sometime this weekand ask yourself, “What can I, What can we do to optimize and en-large our Ethical Footprint?” Doesn’t have to be about charitablegiving (that was never the message), but about touching a broadermix of dimensions in more positive ways. Hey, you’ve got to admit, “It’s getting Better!” §

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 33Tearing Ourselves Apart Disintegrate Definition: 1. To separate into parts or loseintactness or solidness; to break up, deteriorate. 2. To decay.3. To reduce to particles, fragments or parts, break up or destroy the cohesion of.We have reached a critical point in our cultural evolution where it is standard practice to commit “crimes of the heart” in private and “crimes of the self serving intellect”at work, while committing “crimes against the body” by denyingour physical health and “crimes of the spirit” by betraying our ulti-mate moral purposes.Lives of incoherence, inconsistency and incongruity are displayedas a daily media diet of news, celebrity and family strife. The hon-orable and adult behavior of professionals and dedicated individ-uals, fed by enduring objective values has faded from our dailydiscussion. The span of this “life of disconnected portions” tracesthe arc from so called “professional athletes” to the creme of oureducated, privileged and articulate CEO class. “Serving the ego orthe balance sheet” has replaced “serving the common good.”Many have lost track of what was once the centerboard of ourcultural heritage… that we are made noble by our dedication towhat’s best for all concerned – that we have a Social Contractwith our families, peers, community and nation to make and keeppromises. Folks, we’re in this together. Culture requires debate, butcivil discourse demands that we recognize that our opponents inthe debate are similarly well intentioned and do not deserve tobe routinely vilified. We’d best be civil, we’re connected. As Mom

34 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trustused to say, “When you fight with your father, you tear the familyapart!” CornerstoneEach of us has a private life, a personal life, a family life, a pub-lic life and a professional or work life. They are distinct, but notseparate. Together, these many domains comprise one integratedhuman being. Consider that one can “dis-integrate” one’s own lifeby pretending there is no connection between the domains of sexand ethics, between politics and family. If I profess a value in pub-lic, but fail to live it in private then I have dis-integrated my self –destroyed my own “structural integrity.”One can’t divorce emotions from intellect or words from picturesor spirit from service, or public from private. Not without dissolv-ing the bond between them – the whole individual character. Onecan’t betray a partner (business or personal) in private and pre-tend to keep the faith in public. One can’t be compassionate inchurch and cruel in politics. One can’t be kind to the client yetrude to the waiter. Well. Of course one can do all of these things…but not while remaining fully alive or sane! There’s a price to bepaid for conducting a disintegrated life: the loss of our humanity.A disintegrated tree is no longer a tree – it’s wood. A disintegratedtomato – a salad. A disintegrated cow – dinner. A disintegratedhuman being – nothing; but a series of disconnected “drives” – to-ward consumption, gratification, self-aggrandizement and self-de-struction.In a time when individual, national and corporate character allseem to be disintegrating; take a moment to consider this terribleprice – the loss of our humanity.Now. What to do: ŒŒ Make a promise to yourself… to keep your character intact. ŒŒ Make a promise to your spouse… to honor them. ŒŒ Make a promise to your family… to serve them.

Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust 35ŒŒ Make a promise to your employer/employees to serve and enhance their shared ability to exchange.ŒŒ Make a promise to your community and country, to serve and to hold them to the highest standard.It is both our responsibility and privilege as rational human beingsto live fully integrated lives. Keeping these promises is where thatresponsibility begins and ends.Promises made, promises kept – the secret behind personal char-acter, corporate branding and national cohesion. Do this – Everywhere. Every day. Always. And let’s put ourselves back together. §

36 Ethics: Cornerstone of Integrity & Trust About the Author J. R. (Jennifer) St.John Founder & Chairman of the Fusion Group A privately held consultancy in Weston, FloridaShe is an able conversationalist, teacher, consultant and counselor to CEO’s and Heads of State. She keeps a travel trunk in the basement of a New York hotel so as to come andgo anonymously -- briefcase in hand. She is a perpetual studentand teacher of Philosophy, Aesthetics and Martial Arts. As Tai-Ji Master, her Florida training room provides a welcome landingground for visiting experts from around the world and a weekendport for local players. An eclectic personality, Ms. StJohn is anavid collector of art, timepieces, wine and automobiles.Jennifer was stricken with Type One Diabetes at age four. As a“survivor,” her private life perspectives have been shaped by chal-lenges ordinary people neither experience nor comprehend. Yetshe doesn’t entertain fools or discussions of “victimhood.” Herresponse, “Move on. We’ve got real problems to discuss!”A charming and informal manifestation of “Life as a Union of Op-posites” (Material/Non-Material. Tough/Tender. Logic/Intuition. )Jennifer provides students, friends, family, clients and total strang-ers with a welcoming smile and a seemingly endless willingness tolisten.Author of five books (and counting) she is married and divides hertime between Weston, Florida and Portland Oregon.

The Fusion Group, Ltd.“One Story, Many Voices!” characterizes the Fusion approach toculture and communication building in corporate environments inforty two countries. In the thirty years since their founding, FusionEducators, Consultants and Counselors have served entry level,mid-management and executive clients as they polish their exteriorcommunication skills, enhance their interactions with colleaguesand reports while building policy; and act as trusted counselorsto senior executives in anonymous phone calls, breakfast meetingsand quiet retreats.The nuances of the Fusion approach might easily be mistaken for“corporate training.” But as their unique methods begin to work,clients discover that “fusion” is not just a brand, but a strategy forgrowing the whole human being -- encompassing purely physicalskills, intellectual disciplines and emerging spiritual self awareness.Encompassing Communication, Sales, Management and Strategy,Fusion may at first glance appear to be mere skill building, but onlyuntil critical mass is achieved.As the process “bites,” Fusion becomes the “skeleton” under theskin of the corporation, impacting, directing and enhancing thegrowth and success of the culture. §

How to Contact Us The Fusion Group, Ltd.1910 N. Commerce Parkway Weston, Florida 33326 www.thefusiongroup.comcontact@thefusiongroup.com Phone: 1.800.866.2228 Fax: 1.800.860.7438 Local Phone: 954.377.1550 Local Fax: 954.377.1560

What We Believe and Why 391. We believe a human being to be a composite of mind, bodyand spirit -- so our work is not limited to physical skills; but in-stead connects with the whole being -- and the whole compa-ny -- enhancing skills, enlarging ideas and elevating intentions.2. We believe that ethics (and integrity) are the missing links inthe world today, so that much management skill is mis-direct-ed as people try to circumvent the social contract and “gettheirs first.” We think it’s time to re-acquaint each other withfirst principles: Trust, for example.3. We recognize that there are many kinds of intelligence. Sowhile words and numbers are important and primary; thereare large portions of the population that respond and com-municate first through pictures and impressions. So excel-lence in communication is reflected in the multiplicity of chan-nels on which you work, not in merely being brilliant in print.“Multi-Dimensional Corporate Development” includes movies,webinars, print, lectures, workshops and self directed studywith computer assistance.4. While we work in traditional specialty areas, we do it ina more expansive way -- recognizing that strategic planning,sales, management, communication and culture developmentall work best when your start by engaging the imagination andreaching for a more noble purpose.5. Corporations exist because they can outlive their founders,and engage great numbers of people in meaningful -- evenlofty -- purposes. But in many cases, they fall short of greatnessbecause in the absence of the founding vision; they regress tosimply maximizing profit. There’s more to life, and there’s moreto business than being merely profitable. If we reach deeperand higher; we can remind each other that we originate not inthe soil; but in the sky. The Fusion GroupIntegrating the Corporation!