The Discipline

of building character

Submited by:Amit KaundinyaAnushree CoomerKumar GauravMithila SaprooRupali Tyagi

Professional responsibilities in conflict with our deepest values

Conflict between right and right

Defining moments

o Go with their gut?o Talk it over ?o Think and do what a mentor would do?

What do managers do in such situations?

Why call these moments ‘defining’?

An ethical decision involves choosing between two options-one we know to be right and other to be wrong

A defining moment chooses between two or more ideals in which we deeply believe

Is a tough ethical decision same as a defining moment?

Form, reveal and test Refocus on the core values and principles Transform values and beliefs into calculated

action Strong identity based on own and not on

someone else’s understanding of what is right

From Manager to leader

Three types of defining moments are particularly common in organizations:

Who am I? Who are we? Who is the company?

Types of defining moments

Issue of personal identity that has serious implications for our career

Who am I ?

Who is Steve Lewis?◦ An African-American working for a well known

investment bank in Manhattan◦ A former athlete and a Team player

Story of Steve Lewis

What is the situation?◦ Steve was selected over more senior people to

give presentation to an important client◦ He knew little about the situation◦ Was included because state treasurer was a black

and wants at least one black in the meeting

Story of Steve Lewis

• To maintain his self-respect he has to ‘earn‘ his advancement at the company

• He did not want to become a token member

• He is after all an African-American and has the values that his parents taught him

He is a team player and does not believe in letting his teammates down

He might suffer a career setback if he throws himself into a deeply felt personal cause

Story of Steve Lewis :The defining moment

What did Steve do?

How did he combine idealism with realism?

Story of Steve Lewis

What feelings and intuitions are coming to conflict in this situation?

Which of the values that are in conflict are most deeply rooted in my life?

What combination of expediency and shrewdness, coupled with imagination and boldness, will help me implement my personal understanding of what is right?

A guide : Who am I?

Another dimension for managers as they move up in the organization : the values of their work group and their responsibilities to the people they manage

Who are we?

What is an ethical myopia?

Who is Peter Adario?◦ Head of marketing department of Sayer

Microworld, a distributer of computer products◦ Married and had three children

Story of Peter Adario

What is the situation?◦ Adario hires Mcneil, a single mother who is

qualified and competent◦ The company is in a middle of finishing a merger◦ Her superwiser Walter ambitious, hard-driving

woman◦ Mcneil chronic lateness and unpredictable work

schedule due to her being a single mother

Story of Peter Adario

Peter believed that his employees need time for their family against their duties to the department’s bottom line.

He himself was a father The employee was competent and

hardworking Should he fire her?

Story of Peter Adario: The defining moment

How did Walter interpret it?

Why did Adario’s defining moment go badly?

What did Peter do after learning from the experience?

What are the other strong, persuasive interpretations of the ethics of this situation?

What point of view is most likely to win a contest of interpretations inside my organization and influence the thinking of people?

Have I orchestrated a process that can make manifest the values I care about in my organization?

A Guide : Who are we?

For men and women charged with running the entire companies

Manifestation of what is right on the large stage(for ex. that includes labor unions, media, stakeholders etc)

Who is the company?

Who is Sakiz?◦ CEO of Roussel Uclaf, a French pharmaceutical

company◦ He has to decide whether to market a new drug

RU-486 meant for abortion

Story of Sakiz

Anti-abortion groups outraged Parent company Hoechst opposed the drug

because of threats of boycot

Story of Sakiz: The situation

Sakiz was a physician with a long standing commitment to RU-486

It would secure the women’s right on abortion and save them from unsafe abortions

It could specially help women in the poor countries

On the other hand he had a responsibility of protecting job and security of his employees

How could he protect his own interest and those of his employees and still introduce the drug?

Story of Sakiz: The defining moment

How did Sakiz solve the issue?

Have I done all I can to secure my position and the strength of my organization?

Have I thought creatively and boldly about my role in society and its relationship to stockholders?

What combination of shrewdness, creativity, and tenacity will help me transform my vision into reality?

A Guide: Who is the company?

Defining moments force us to find a balance between our hearts in all idealism and our jobs in all there messy reality

They are not merely intellectual exercises but are opportunities for inspired action and personal growth