I was speaking to a CEO member of my Vistage group about morals and how to determine if his behavior was acceptable. We wandered in the discussion talking about strict moral standards compared to loose moral standards. What was appropriate in judging his behavior? What yardstick should he use?
I did not want to tell him my views for my views in this case were not the subject of discussion. I certainly could have crammed down his throat my view point. I have certainly done this in the past in other situations. However, this is not my job as a Vistage Chair. My job is asking questions to make the members think. As we continued the discussion, he made a bold statement that in my opinion was way out of bounds morally. So I asked him if he would “teach” his children that this behavior was appropriate. That question got him to think. He could use this question as a framework for evaluating moral behavior.
So the bottom line, when you are not sure about if your behavior is morally responsible, think about what you would teach your son or daughter. I think this guideline has merit.
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