Are you tired of feeling powerless when faced with ethical dilemmas in your organisation, be it work or school? Do you long to speak up and take action but fear the consequences of going against the norm? Mary C. Gentile’s book, “Giving Voice to Values: How to Speak Your Mind When You Know What’s Right,” offers a progressive approach to tackling these challenges. With the seven pillars of action as your guide, you can learn to align your actions with your values and become a powerful force for positive change. Don’t let fear hold you back any longer – it’s time to give voice to your values and transform your workplace for the better. Let’s explore the author’s seven pillars of action:
- Distinguish among ethics, morals, and values: Understanding the differences between ethics, morals, and values is crucial. Ethics refers to the principles that govern the conduct of individuals and organisations. Morals are personal beliefs about what is right or wrong. Values, on the other hand, are the core principles that guide our behaviour and decision-making. Let’s use a student in a high school environment as an example to illustrate the difference between ethics, morals, and values:
- Ethics: Imagine a school policy promoting academic integrity, which means students should not cheat on tests or plagiarise assignments. Following this policy is an ethical responsibility for all students. If a student discovers that a classmate is about to cheat during a test, the ethical choice would be to report it or inform the teacher, as doing so upholds the school’s standards for fairness and integrity.
- Morals: Now, consider the student’s personal beliefs about honesty. This student might believe that cheating is wrong because it undermines their hard work and the efforts of others. This personal belief reflects their moral judgment that cheating is unacceptable, regardless of the school’s policies.
- Values: Lastly, think about the student’s values. For instance, they might value academic excellence, which drives them to study hard and do their best in school. They may also value integrity, which aligns with their commitment to honesty in their academic work. These values influence their decision-making and behaviour, guiding how they approach their studies and interactions with peers.
- Use “enablers” to support value-based actions: Leveraging support from friends, colleagues, or mentors can provide the encouragement and reinforcement needed to uphold one’s values in challenging situations. When navigating ethical dilemmas, these enablers can offer guidance, perspective, and moral support.
- Approach values-based dilemmas calmly: Viewing ethical challenges as a regular part of business helps individuals approach them with composure and clarity. By recognising these dilemmas as opportunities to uphold one’s values, individuals can navigate them more effectively and make moral decisions.
- Align with your organisation’s purpose by clarifying your purpose: It is essential to have a clear understanding of your purpose and values to act in alignment with your organisation’s mission and values. Individuals can contribute meaningfully to the overarching goals and objectives by aligning personal values with the organisation’s.
- Know your style, strengths, limits, and preferences to prepare to speak up on values issues: Self-awareness is key to effectively addressing values-based issues. Understanding your communication style, strengths, limitations, and preferences enables you to articulate your values confidently and constructively. This self-awareness serves as a foundation for advocating for what you believe in.
- Prepare a script to articulate your values effectively: Crafting a script allows individuals to communicate their thoughts clearly and assertively when addressing values-related concerns. Individuals can ensure their message is conveyed authentically and persuasively by preparing in advance.
- Deal with people’s rationalisations: Anticipating and addressing justifications or explanations from others is essential when advocating for values-driven actions. By recognising common justifications for unethical behaviour and preparing responses, individuals can effectively challenge these rationalisations and uphold their values with conviction.
Giving voice to your values is important because it can help you make decisions consistent with your principles and beliefs. It can also help you build trust and credibility with your colleagues, supervisors, and clients at work and with educators, classmates, and friends at school. Moreover, it can help create a positive organisational environment based on respect, integrity, and ethical values.
We often face challenges in our everyday work life that test our respect, integrity and ethical values. Mary C. Gentile’s seven pillars of Giving Voice to Values provide us with a practical framework to navigate such situations and confidently speak up on values issues. Let’s explore some of the challenges you may encounter in your work or school environment:
- At work, for example, suppose you notice a colleague stealing office supplies and feel uncomfortable. In that case, you can use the “reasoning and rationalising” pillar to understand why this behaviour is unethical and how it can harm the organisation’s reputation. Then, you can use the “action and implementation” pillar to speak up and report the behaviour to the relevant authority. By doing so, you lead by example and inspire others to do the same, creating a workplace that is true to its core values.
- Let’s say you are given an unrealistic project deadline that would require you to work long hours and sacrifice your time. You can use the “clarifying and articulating values” pillar to understand why this deadline is not aligned with the organisation’s work-life balance and employee well-being values. Then, you can use the “action and implementation” pillar to approach your supervisor and explain your concerns, proposing a more reasonable deadline that aligns with the organisation’s values. By doing so, you lead by example and inspire others to stand up for their values, creating a workplace that prioritises employee well-being and work-life balance.
- At school, say you witness a group of students bullying another student. You can use the “clarifying and articulating values” pillar to understand why bullying is not aligned with the school’s values of respect and kindness. Then, you can use the “action and implementation” pillar to speak up and report the behaviour to a teacher or school counsellor. By doing so, you lead by example and inspire others to stand up for their values and prioritise a safe and inclusive school environment, creating a school that is true to its core values.
- Say you witness a classmate cheating on a test. You can use the pillar of “reasoning and rationalising” to understand why cheating is unethical and how it can harm the integrity of the academic institution. Then, you can use the “action and implementation” pillar to speak up and report the behaviour to the teacher or school administration. By doing so, you lead by example and inspire others to prioritise integrity and honesty in their academic pursuits, creating a school environment that is true to its core values.
Maintaining an integrity and ethical leadership culture is critical in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing organisational environments. Mary C. Gentile’s strategies and seven pillars of Giving Voice to Values provide a comprehensive framework for individuals to navigate ethical challenges and speak up on values issues with confidence and clarity. By adopting these pillars, individuals can lead by example and inspire others to do the same, creating organisations and a life that is successful and true to its core values. So, let’s commit to these pillars, and together, we can build a brighter future for ourselves and our organisations. It’s a compelling read!