Our recent press release reports that “A Model for Conducting Business with Nobility Sustains its Momentum, Earns Place on Top 40 List”.
Meanwhile, a recent NY Times “Business Day” article (July 11, 2012) (and many others) reported on British bank Barclays and rate rigging, one titled “Parliament Questions Culture at Barclays”.
A string of announcements like this over the years raises the question: Is operating unethically just “SOP” (standard operating procedure) for companies (and especially individuals within them) for beating the competition? Or is it possible to operate ethically, and still succeed?
I’ve long believed that not only is the answer ‘yes’ (about the possibility of operating ethically and still succeeding), but increasingly, ethical behavior can actually help companies build a strong brand image and stronger long term profit performance. Why? Think about it. It’s the unethical firms that finally flame and burn, either because they operate outside the law and get caught – or more subtly, because the word gets out that they are unethical, and then customers, vendors and talented (and ethical) employees shun them, so it becomes harder and harder for them to maintain their business (let alone grow it). Conversely, I see too many examples of ethical companies succeeding to believe that’s a fluke. In fact, it looks like they’re “on to something” important.
NOBLE ENTERPRISE tells the story of one such company – Unitel (later renamed AT&T Canada), which was in the former (unethical) camp, and punished for operating unethically, but then as part of its revitalization, became a bastion of decency and ethical values and behavior. Their resurrection earned the CEO high praise as a Finalist for CEO of the Year, as well as earning shareholders huge returns. Here is a link to read the first chapter.
The above press release reports that NOBLE ENTERPRISE was named a “Top 40 Business Book” by John Spence, a fine consultant to management teams, speaker and seminar leader. He created the list shortly after he led a seminar at the MIT Entrepreneur’s Program, in response to his students asking for his recommendations on the best business books they should read.
Here’s John’s blog in which he announced his list. One reason I so value his high praise for Noble Enterprise is that he is a voracious reader of business books, so he “knows the territory” as they say. He’s also written a book, which he honorably did not include on his list, titled Awesomely Simple: Essential Business Strategies for Turning Ideas into Action. It was named “One of the Top Ten Small Business Books” by Small Business Trends.
The bottom line: When you’re thinking about how to “get ahead” – either as a business leader or how your company can get ahead, instead of looking for ways to “cut corners” and “bend the rules” – think: How might Nobility actually help me succeed? You might be surprised at how powerful a force it can be for business success.