Billy Arcement’s

News From the Swamp

Issue # 33 May 2004

Bringing you ideas from The Results Group Office

on Swamp Road

“Working with business leaders to produce a culture of teamwork, productivity and profits.”

Please recommend this newsletter to a friend or associate.

Sorry the newsletter is a bit late this month. I spent last week developing a new program on Ethics in the workplace and got behind a bit. However, you will be the beneficiary. I’ve decided to dedicate the entire issue to the topic of ethics. Hope you fine some gems among the words.

Ethics––The Conscience for Decision Making

With the recent scandals in corporate America, the idea that any form of ethics in the leadership of American business exists is suspect. We are also seeing similar situations within the ranks of government and religious leaders. And, the lack of ethics is not confined to America. It’s global!

By definition, ethics reflect the type of morally permissible standards of conduct a group places upon themselves. It is basically a contract with the society an entity serves. Greed, the desire for power, and blind ambition are some of the factors that have all but eliminated ethical standards. We have lost our conscience. Anything that one can get away with to reach their defined pinnacle of success seems to be acceptable.

But the truth of the matter is that a society without rules is a society that is on the brink of chaos and self destruction. Likewise, a society with the wrong kind of rules will ultimately suffer the same fate. Now I’m not sounding the doomsday bell. We still have much residual ethics left in the world to overcome the current trend. But, like a natural resource, our supply is getting lower and we must reverse this downward spiral otherwise a valuable fabric of society will disappear.

What about you? Do you have your own personal code of ethics that form the core of your decision making process? Allowing a small slip today, without a checks and balance system, can ultimately lead to a major spill. Bad habits start small and can quickly grow into an unethical monster. Without conscience serving as a standard of measurement, ethics disappear.

Once we could say that a strong religious orientation was a good standard to govern our ethical conduct. But today, when religious zealots kill in the name of their god, they taint the idea that religious beliefs always produce ethics. Patriotism was once considered a driver of ethical behavior. In my lifetime, I have witnessed a sharp decline in the loyalty to the American ideals of yesteryear. We now have leaders in America speaking out against these ideals. These are scary times.

Call me a sentimentalist or a fool but I believe that eventually good triumphs over evil. The lackluster presence of any kind of ethical standards simply means that the effort to turn the direction of our global society must be increased. There has always been unethical behavior in the world. Apathy and acceptance of behavior blatantly unethical must be replaced with a commitment to return to sound principles of conduct. But let me suggest that if we simply all began to follow the mandates of the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule, we’d be very much on the path of corrective action.

Everything created by man began as a thought in the head of one individual. Start with yourself. Hold “you” to high standards and morally sound ethical principals centered on the eleven rules just mentioned. By your example, others will begin to see the soundness of your actions. Your life can affect the life of friends and family. Don’t underestimate the power of one. You have great power when focused and channeled properly. Make a difference by teaching the world to return conscience to decision making.

If you’d like to bring a discussion about workplace ethics to your organization, give us a call. My new program, “Ethics––The Conscience for Decision Making,” pulls no punches. Call for details and we’d be happy to discuss your needs.

Questions To Ask Before You Make A Decision

Every moment of our life is a choice. And, choices require decisions. The next time you face a particularly difficult decision, try answering these questions:

Can I share my decision with everyone?
Is it legal?
How does the decision make me feel about myself?
Who does this decision negatively impact?
Why am I making this particular decision?
Have I clearly defined the problem requiring a decision to be sure I’m addressing the correct issue?
Does this decision serve the company or me personally?
Is the decision based upon facts consistent with fair play?
Is the decision consistent with organizational values and culture or my own personal system of ethics?
Is the decision fair and balanced to those it impacts?

Billy’s Thought of the Month

“Ethics serve as a moral compass to guide us in the right direction.”

Whatever level of ethics we practice, the origin is in our basic value structure. By being very clear what our five to ten core values are, we establish the ground rules for running our life. We know when we act contrary or incongruent to our core values. Ignoring this feeling usually gets us in trouble. Most understand the difference between right and wrong. They just choose to follow wrong!

Some Final Thoughts on Ethics

Everyone has moral autonomy. We have the power to make individual choices, important to us, as we move through life. Choices are based upon the personal set of values we’ve established as rules for how we will live our life. Most understand that all choices are not necessarily ethical. But most know when such choices are made.

Whatever ethical standards we’ve established for ourselves are with us twenty-four hours a day. There is no different set of business ethics. Our personal ethics come to work with us. But the bottom line is that we all need some type of ethical code to help govern our life.

We need to be more keenly aware when we have ethical lapses and continuously strive to make them less frequent. Life is not perfect and we are not perfect. Placing a high moral standard to govern our actions is the right thing to do. The question to answer is, “Do we have the moral courage to do so?”

Checkout Billy

The Professional Speaker: Billy blends thought provoking ideas with his “Cajun Stories” to bring audiences a winning combination guaranteed to make your event a success. My keynote before 700 attendees at the Missouri Emergency Preparedness Association conference is a good example of the power of “Cajun.” I had a great time speaking to everyone at this conference and many learned about “Boudreaux” and the power of laughter.

Executive Coaching / Management Consulting: Billy is the choice of corporate and education leaders who seek help with their own management style or who wish to provide coaching for their management team or executives on an individual or group basis by phone or on site. In recent months, I’ve worked with CEO’s, Presidents of Corporations and other high ranking business leaders in one-on-one coaching sessions. Application of the principles discussed helped bring about a more stable leadership environment and reduced tension in the rank of employees.

The School Board Strategist: Billy is one of the premier consultants to work with troubled school boards or to help with strategic planning initiatives. He is also a seasoned presenter at school board association conventions. A number of school boards have used my services in the past six months. We’ve worked on many relationship and political issues together. When there is trouble in the ranks, give us a call. We understand school board service. There are also many program choices for school administrators, teachers, and support personnel in-service training.

The Author: Billy’s book, Searching for Success, is making a difference in the life of people around the world. His published articles impact the way business leaders think. Contact us to purchase your personally signed copy of Searching for Success. In the coming months, drafts of a new book are on our schedule as well as a strong campaign to publish more articles on my website, on other websites and in major periodicals. Need an article for your company newsletter? Just call and we’ll be happy to provide one for you. Need a great book, contact me for your copy of “Searching for Success.”

Call us. We’d love to help! Go to http://www.searchingforsuccess.com to learn more about Billy’s programs and services. Our results are guaranteed! Stay tuned for a complete re-vamp of my website. It’s good now but will be great very soon.

A Book For Your Consideration

Success Is Not A Spectator Sport, written by friend and Canadian professional speaker, Charles M. Marcus, is a very good book on success. Written in an easy to read and understandable style, Charles covers all the basics one needs to incorporate into their lifestyle for greater personal and professional success. I found the exercises challenging while helping to reinforce his messages. Charles provides the blueprint, you provide the action. (How’s that for a deal!) The personal illustrations of events in his life sprinkled here and there clearly demonstrate that he practices what he writes. He life is a true success story of overcoming obstacles you’ll enjoy reading about.

Contact Charles at 1-800-837-0629 or go to his very secure website, www.cmarcus.com and order your copy. Invest in your future by moving from spectator to participant in the game of life.

Staying In Touch To Grow

Please notify us if your email address changes. Send your new address to barcement@eatel.net and we’ll update our distribution list. If you enjoyed what you’ve read, please forward this newsletter to a friend who might get a pointer or two from these messages. Send us their email address, to add them to our distribution list.

Children First! Spread the Word

Children First, my newsletter offering parenting tips, continues to grow very nicely. If you know of an organization or group of parents who might be interested in reading this newsletter email me at barcement@eatel.net and place “children” in the subject line. The next issue goes out June 1.

Value Added Ideas

You may reprint content from this newsletter or from past issues. We’re also happy to provide you with articles from our archive of previously published articles to add value to your publications. Before you do, please send an email request to barcement@eatel.net and specify your needs.

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36570 Swamp Road South, Prairieville, LA 70769

(225) 677-9426 or Toll free (888) 376-7374

barcement@eatel.net