Ethics in the Great Recession

When economic conditions get dicey, ethics slip. That's not news.

When the economy gets so bad that solid, tenured companies begin dropping like flies, ethics take a nose dive. And it's during difficult times when your ethics may be the one thing that will sustain you.

When a successful company falls apart, the people who own the company aren't often willing to assign the blame to their own inability to adapt to the changes in the market, instead they turn on their vendors, partners, suppliers, bankers and even their people. It's always someone else's fault.

After 30 years working as a marketing consultant to real estate companies, I can tell you there are only two kinds of clients I ever worked with - (1) Those who bought-in to the changes we collaborated on and made it work, and, (2) Those who dropped the ball and blamed everybody but themselves. Often me.

More drop the ball. And stretching ethics is one way you can drop the ball in a terminal way.

I am proud to say, my ethics are shinning, and that makes me feel good. And that comes off the worst two years I have ever experienced in business.

There have been times over the past three decades maybe I didn't consider the weight that ethics carry. Today I am crystal clear on the importance of one's reputation and how that reputation is built and maintained.

I don't think one needs a class on ethics. You know right from wrong. That's ethics. That's all you need to know. The truth takes two things, good intentions and guts. Most people have good intentions.

The real estate industry by nature is quick to challenge the ethics of others - anyone who has ever worked with this industry in a large way will tell you that. Particularly if you're selling something. Especially if you're from out of town - you must be a crook - you must have bad intentions - you must lie - you must only care about the money you make. It's something you learn to get past. Something that goes with the territory.

On the other hand, part of personal ethics means standing up for yourself - and that isn't always as easy as I am making it sound. Nonetheless, has to be done.

Don't cheat. Don't manipulate. Don't sell people up. Don't capture people's name. Just be a non-narcissistic nice person who knows what the hell they are doing and do it well, all day, every day. Quality is a big part of ethics. Deliver quality.

If your company is all screwed-up and losing money and you're scared to death - stop for a minute and think. Have some ethical discussions with yourself. If your problem is you haven't made the necessary shifts and adjustments - make them. You can do it. Just sit down and think.

Summary thought: It's all about doing your Personal Best. Forget the attacks, the gossip, the stories - just do your part.