Shake, rattle and roll your questions

In today’s business and life realities where you have to constantly face up to problems, issues and challenges, you need to create solutions that can make you competitive and eventually win. Joel Saltzman’s Shake That Brain! provides some help. It is a compilation of imaginative and stirring tips and tools for discovering answers to an assortment of sales, marketing, product development, ethics and innovation questions, among many others.

Accompanied by apt and compelling examples from a roster of true-to-life applications, Saltzman, a professional speaker and best-selling author, brings enthusiasm, out-of-the box and fun concepts and examples as he helps readers embrace his principles using a variety of tried-and-tested methods for building exceptional solutions. He stresses the supremacy of opposite thinking to spin your drab thoughts into interesting ideas. The tome also provides a generous serving of exercises, easy-to-apply techniques, fun-filled pop and trivia quizzes, and eye-opening idea stirrers on various topics.

One of the best discussions in Shake That Brain! is how to make ethical decisions. The author listed some practical principles that readers can look at, consider and follow. Saltzman illustrated by using this example: It’s one thing to say you don’t lie to customers. Yet, when faced with a business decision that’s worth a fair amount of money, the thought of making that money (or losing that money) can sometimes cloud your moral judgment.

Here are some guidelines that can help you maneuver from unethical actions to positive business behavior. Some of them may seem to overlap or may make you say “been there, done that,” but the repetition enhances the appreciation of each point.

• Ninety-nine percent of the time, an ethical business dilemma should be scrutinized. You should stop and think things over before making any decision or position as opposed to smaller challenges that you can solve on the spot. As Saltzman warns, ”If you do make a knee-jerk decision  and it proves to be the wrong one  you’re the one who winds up the jerk.” The expression, “Let me get back to you on that” will buy you time to analyze the situation that can bring you to a right choice.

• Sure, there are always other approaches to solve a problem. Don’t get fixated on one solution. As the saying goes, there are many ways to skin a cat. Often, looking beyond basic “either-or” thinking can crack a moral predicament. If it stunts you, move on and find some other possible solutions. The more options you have in facing the quandary, the higher the likelihood of generating a graceful, principled solution.

• The best decisions are made when you are in the right frame of mind. It’s the application of the standard Golden Rule. If you feel offended, resentful, lied to, violated, undermined, undervalued or dealt with wrongly, don’t take action or make any decision. If you feel unjustly deprived of freedom or opportunity, don’t take action. Instead, look to “do the right thing” by only taking action when your behavior is fair, truthful and reverent to others.

• As much as you can, hang on to your integrity. Walk your talk. Keep your word. Honor your commitment  to a handshake deal, an offer of employment, or some other obligation. For example: Keep your word when paying for goods and services, even if you never received a bill (or received a bill for a lower amount than you actually owe). If you don’t remain honorable in your dealings, how else can you be labeled but a liar?

• If it’s not legal, it’s not ethical. Period. But if it is legal, you’re still not out of the ethical woods. While it’s a “legal” requirement to comply with laws and regulations, one could argue that there’s often an “ethical requirement” to do more than the law requires. On the other hand, you may have the legal right or authority to do something  like sue teenagers for posting music files on the web  but a sense of fair play may encourage you to demonstrate restraint. As former United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart put it: “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do, and what is the right thing to do.” An ethical person, it’s been said, often chooses to do “more than the law requires and less than the law allows.”

• Seek sound advice when confronted with ethical issues. You may consult your industry’s set of ethical guidelines or your company’s Code of Ethics manual. These can provide a solid start. You may also turn to a supervisor, a priest, a close friend, a family member or anybody who can offer you guidance and support without betraying your trust.

• It you lie with dogs, you rise with fleas. If you were on the other side of a negotiating table, for sure you would want to know information that might negatively impact your decision to go ahead with the conciliation. Are there omissions made like failing to reveal an important fact or misrepresentations done (a fancy word for “lying”)? For example, if you were selling a house, would the prospective buyer want to know about that crack in the foundation? And if you weren’t sure you could make that delivery date, would your buyer want to know? Avoid having “anything up your sleeve,” because if you are seen to have one, your ethical standards can be held suspect.

• Cutting corners or making a quick buck focuses on short-term gain. It can be labeled as “morality myopia” and can prejudicial to your future. If you are ethically nearsighted you are lacking in “vision.” But if you behave ethically in the long haul, your chance of success will be better. So what works best is placing long-term goals over short-term gains.

• Behaving ethically also includes avoiding activities that would give the appearance of bad taste. A queasy feeling, a nervous tummy or can’t-sleep-at-night, jangled nerves and sweaty palms are warning bells or telling signs that the action you are considering may be questionable. And as a measurement, if it becomes the headline in tomorrow’s paper, would it make you feel proud or blatantly embarrassed?

• Think creatively, not expensively. Communication is key in promoting ethical behavior. A simple method of creative communication is a bumper sticker that reads: “How do you like my driving?” The material can protect your business as well as the safety and well-being of your workers, business and community. Unquestionably, it is good-value effort for less than a buck. Now, what else can you do?

• Your impact can travel beyond your sphere. As such, you need to be a positive influence. Whether you are a clerk in a customs bureau or a bank manager, consider your effect on the larger community. Are your dealings with people fair? Do you do an honest day’s work every day? How can you make a constructive impact on the people that you deal with?

Shake, rattle and roll the questions, and carve an entirely new path to victory.

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E-mail bongosorio@yahoo.com or bong_osorio@abs-cbn.com for comments, questions or suggestions. Thank you for communicating.