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"When beginning to write a book on ethics, we recall the story of the young Englishman who had just been elected to Parliament. Entering the plenary for the first time, he sought out one of the veterans and asked, "Tell me something, do you think I should participate in the debate today?" The veteran examined him with penetrating eyes and replied, "To be honest, young man, I would advise you to remain silent. It is better for people to wonder why you didn't speak than why you did." The same advice could be given to authors of books on ethics in the business world.
Many people told us: "You're really brave to talk about ethics. Addressing a topic like this is like untangling a fishing line. The more you try, the more complicated it becomes."
But because we believe in positive thinking, we allow ourselves to be dissuaded by these warnings. Everywhere we turn these days, we see signs of ethical deterioration. In government, for example, the New York City parking ticket scandal ended up sending some of the city's top leaders to prison. In the business world, we see brilliant young people making dirty money using confidential information. In education, incidents like the one at Southern Methodist University, which lost its football license due to underhanded bribes given to players, are all over the news.
Evidently, all these people, many of them supposedly respectable citizens, and all of them well-educated, thought they had to cheat to win. They, and so many others, believed that decent people always play the fool.
We don't think so. We believe that ethical managers are effective managers. We believe that a strong code of ethics in any business is the first step to success. In this book, we hope to prove this point.
Many people ask us, "How did you two come to work together?" We recognize that a pastor and a business consultant make an odd pair. But soon after we were introduced by Larry Hughes, chairman of the Hearst Trade Book Group and former president of our publishing company, William Morrow and Company, we discovered we believed the same things.
We agree that ethical conduct is about self-respect. We know that people who feel good about themselves have what it takes to resist external pressures and do what's right, not what's merely convenient, popular, or profitable.
We also thought we'd make a good team for a business ethics book because, throughout our careers, we've both tried to tackle seemingly complicated topics and discuss them in simple, easily understandable language. And that's what The Power of Positive Thinking and The One Minute Manager achieved.
We chose the parable form because we believe stories are the best way to teach. We invite you to be the troubled manager in this story. But try to resist the temptation to doubt the applicability of the circumstances in our story because they don't exactly match your situation. Even if you're not a sales manager or even in the business world, the type of situation we describe contains elements common to all ethical dilemmas. Therefore, there are lessons for everyone in this simple plot.
The Power of Ethical Management is for you—indeed, for all of us who have ever felt the temptation to deviate from what we know is right. It is also for managers who would like to know what to do to help create a healthy work environment, where no one has to cheat to win. We hope that what we say here will help you make your life, and the lives of the people you love and work with, more joyful, productive, and happy. The ethical lessons taught in these pages are, in fact, life lessons from time immemorial.
- KENNETH BLANCHARD NORMAN VINCENT PEALE 1988
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