Elevate Ethics 2022 panel discusses current state of education in law, public policy and ethics
So here you are. Dead center in the middle of a choice; a tough one, bursting with ethical implications.
Only two real options exist. Option A yields a robust payday for you and your company. However, it involves some practices that—while not strictly illegal—push the ethical envelope. These tasks can be handled discreetly and likely won’t ricochet back in your direction. Option B forgoes the payday and means that your company could miss its quarterly numbers.
What should you do?
Bob Vanourek has an answer. Or at least a question that points to one—what would your mom say? What would she think if you engaged in business practices that run askew of your upbringing?
Vanourek also has other tests for determining a course in ethically charged situations. What if everyone made this choice? How would you feel if this choice was done to you? How would you feel if this choice was published as front-page news?
A former corporate CEO and co-author of Triple Crown Leadership, Vanourek offered his ideas on strengthening our society’s ethical posture as a panelist in Elevate Ethics 2022: The Future of Business Education in Law, Public Policy and Ethics, which took place April 27 at DU’s Joy Burns Center.
The event was hosted by the Institute of Enterprise Ethics and the Department of Business Ethics and Legal Studies at the Daniels College of Business. The Daniels Fund also supported the event, which was opened by Bo Peretto, Senior Vice President, Legacy & Donor Intent of the Daniels Fund, who welcomed the more than 100 attendees, including 40 students from the Department of Business Ethics and Legal Studies.
In addition to Vanourek, panelists included:
- George Curtis, former deputy director of enforcement and regional director of the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission, and securities attorney.
- Kristin Strohm (MBA 2009), founder and CEO of the Common Sense Institute, a non-partisan research organization dedicated to protecting and promoting Colorado’s economy.
- John Holcomb, former chair of the Department of Business Ethics and Legal Studies, who moderated the panel and, in his remarks, stressed the crucial need for ethics in business education.
Vanourek focused his remarks on ethical leadership, primarily in the corporate context. He defined ethics simply as “Doing the right thing, even if it’s costly or hard.”
“Ethical leadership itself doesn’t provide the answers and won’t solve the macro challenges we face as a society,” Vanourek said. “But it will give us the moral foundation on which to build; where people with diverse views—rather than the warring classes of today—will help solve our problems.”
He offered suggestions for elevating ethics in our lives.
- Ethics is an act of will—personally commit to the ethical.
- Be prepared for the ethical challenges you will face; expect them and be ready.
- Define your personal values.
- Enlist a small circle of trusted advisors as counsel.
- Have a place of sanctuary for deep reflection.
Kristin Strohm stressed the importance of informed discussion and enlightened debate on ethics and ethical issues, and the role of education in encouraging vigorous yet respectful and balanced debate.
“How do we give our students the tools to better their own lives?” Strohm questioned. “And critically, how do we give students the tools to shape and improve our world?
“Debate and informed disagreement are the heart of our republic and the essence of free living,” she added as a response to her questions.
George Curtis also had a straightforward definition of ethics—”A system of belief and action that recognizes the common good and works towards its achievement.”
He framed his remarks through two highly disparate examples: America’s Founding Fathers and Bernie Madoff, the financier turned multi-billion-dollar fraudster, who Curtis investigated during his tenure at the SEC.
In contrasting the thinking of our Founding Fathers—who themselves debated the priority of the common good versus the virtues of individualism—with the narcissistic actions of Madoff, Curtis highlighted a significant societal shift that has taken place.
“How in the world did we move from the common good to the concept of individualism with such alacrity?” he questioned.
“The challenge of education is to keep the common good not just in the equation but in the balance that is necessary for our society and its future,” he continued. “Ethics is the approach we must take to that challenge, and it is a very important one.
“Can you teach ethics?” he asked rhetorically. “The answer is yes. And it better be yes.”
Elevate Ethics has been held annually since 2014 with the exception 2020 and 2021 events, which were cancelled due to COVID-19. Daniels has been recognized by Bloomberg Business Week as one of the “Top Undergraduate Business Schools for Ethics.”