That, I will not do.

Do Not

(image from actiondreamteam.org)

There is a certain scenario that gets played out over and over again in books, movies and television shows. This scenario is sometimes presented as life and death and sometimes it is presented in a much more humorous way. Sometimes it is blatant and obvious, and other times it is very subtle and you don’t even realize it until you view it in hindsight.

What am I talking about? It’s the ethical dilemma.

You know what I am referring to. Take most any suspense or dramatic movie and the hero or heroine is presented with a scenario which under any other circumstances a different choice would be made. Now, I am NOT referring to illegal activity, just unethical situations.

For a silly example: Your child wants an ice cream cone. As you walk to the counter, the server says “I only have one more.” At the same time you see a small child only 3 steps ahead of you going to the same counter. Now do you run to get ahead of the child so yours can get the cone?

Some would call that unethical and some would say “too bad for the other little kid.” See, neither choice is illegal, but it could be called unethical.

Now, up the stakes. Your boss tells you to sabotage a meeting to make his rival look bad. Again, not illegal, but certainly not ethical.

The point I am asking you to consider today is where do you stand in your own personal ethics code? Are you willing to do ANYTHING to advance, get better results, make more money; as long as it’s not illegal? Or are you willing to back off and lose out on something because it’s just not the right thing to do? How firm are you on that stance?

If your boss asks you to do something that you know is wrong, and says you will lose your job if you don’t do it, does your resolve waver? What if it’s a promotion? What if it’s a bonus? When you REALLY start thinking about it, it can get murky. I would love to say that there is nothing in this world that would make me do something I knew was wrong, but I have honestly never been truly stretched.

Have you ever been put in a situation where you had to make a decision between right and wrong? How did you handle it and what were the repercussions? I would love to hear your story. Please leave me a comment and get it off your chest.