Rose was full of surprises. At first glance you wouldn’t expect this woman in a wheelchair to travel where she traveled or say what she said.
So began Rose’s eulogy – eloquently written and told by her business partner.
Rose was a close friend of my family. She’d been a victim of polio in her youth and she navigated her world and our globe for over six decades in this wheelchair. I never noticed this chair; it was just part of her appearance and who she was.
Here’s one lesson I gleaned from that eulogy at her funeral. As co-owner of an ad agency one of her Fortune 500 clients wanted her to communicate the importance of ethics to all levels of employees, from factory workers to management. Rose conducted extensive research and out of volumes of information created a simple ethics quick test that would fit on a business card.
Your Ethics Business Card
Her six points, read at her funeral, can help guide all of us – as we handle work and play.
1. Is the action legal?
2. Does it comply with your values?
3. If you do it, will you feel bad?
4. How would it look in the newspaper?
5. If you know it’s wrong, don’t do it.
6. If you’re not sure, ask.
Feel free to make this into your Ethics Business Card. From Rose’s legacy to your every day life.
Author: Karen Cortell Reisman is Founder of Speak For Yourself®, a communication consulting firm, and the author of 2 books on how to communicate. She lives in Dallas, Texas and tries to learn from other people’s lives… hopefully before the eulogy is read.
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© 2021 Karen Cortell Reisman, All rights reserved
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Really good rules – easy to remember, but not so easy to follow. Nr. 6, for example – Whom do you ask? Rose should be an inspiration to all of us in overcoming our minor disadvantages as opposed to her being confined to a wheelchair. Such courage!
Roger – I’ll answer your question with another blog comment we got today – If you need to ask, then you know you’re in murky territory. Thanks, Karen
PS – YES, Rose was formidable and smart with high EQ.
Great ethics reminder! A summary point: if you are afraid to ask, then you know it’s wrong, so don’t do it.
Val – you’ve made an excellent point. Thanks, Karen