Defining What Ethics & Integrity Mean To You

Jan. 16, 2024

Written By Ingrid Bergmann

In the ever-evolving world of public service, senior Canadian public servants face a complex landscape filled with grey areas, unwritten protocols, and ethical dilemmas. As an Executive Coach, I've been privileged to work with countless individuals navigating this challenging terrain. Today, I want to share some thoughts with you, shedding light on the crucial topics of ethics and integrity in the public sector.

Public servants must thrive in and navigate an environment of 24/7 media, increasingly centralized decision-making, a stronger political service, permanent campaigning, and big data. Precisely the world in which Ethics and Integrity are practised.

There probably isn’t a day that goes by that you don’t notice something that makes you stop and think – is that legit? Should I take a closer look? Did I hear the Minister/Council Member right? Can we defend that in the court of public opinion? The higher you climb in your career, the more likely you will face these dilemmas. Some answers will be obvious, but many will amount to judgment calls that are best not made in isolation.

Definitions

To help us navigate the topic of ethics and integrity, let’s start with some definitions that I have borrowed from the BC Office of the Auditor General:

• Ethics is fundamental to good governance and good government. Ethics are moral principles that inform and guide individual and group behaviour. It is about bringing people together to share a set of values. Ethical behaviour is about people knowing what is right and what is wrong and doing what is right - even when no one else is looking.
• Integrity is to put the interests of the public and the public service above your own personal interests and avoid all conflicts of interest, whether real or perceived.
• Impartiality is to provide advice and recommendations free from preference or prejudice.

Who Can Help You?

As a Coach, I think the work you have taken on can’t be done alone, and it might sometimes feel very lonely. You need to surround yourself with the best advisors you can find and also include people who fit in the following categories:

• A confidante: Someone with whom you can privately pull your hair out and engage in a rant in exchange for returning the favour, and who will tell you when you are losing it or when your behaviour is rubbing others the wrong way (and getting in your own way).
• A coach: Someone who can become your objective thinking partner and sounding board, the person with whom to practice what you are learning until it becomes effortless and the next lesson appears.
• A couple of wingmen: Those who can see what lies outside of your peripheral vision and can outline the wider playing field for you.
• A couple of contrarians/dissenters: those who don’t agree with you and see things very differently, whose opinions you respect and who will help you ‘prosecute’ your ideas.
• A mentor: someone who has held the job before and can tell you which way to turn when the wind changes.

Politicians and Ethics

Senior public servants can find themselves challenged by requests from politicians. The politician may be confusing their interests with those of the public. Maybe the politician wants to put their thumb on the scale as a contract is being awarded. Maybe someone on the politician’s staff is asking the senior official to overlook something; they might be blocking advice from getting to the politician or taking gifts from constituents. Many of the Master Mentors in our Full Course have faced these circumstances. When all other options have been exhausted, they may have had to ask themselves if this is the right time to quit. It is not an easy choice, but it is a question they are all prepared to ask.

Practical Integrity in Leadership

As an Executive Coach, I have completed many Narrative 360 reports on behalf of clients. I often ask respondents how the leader demonstrates integrity. Most say that the leader is:

• honest and transparent
• self-aware and even-keeled in their responses to tricky situations
• trustworthy and respects confidentiality
• reliable - they follow through on what they say they will do
• someone who practices what they preach
• someone who owns up to their mistakes as opposed to hiding them, blaming others or making excuses

Leaders who demonstrate integrity create psychologically safe workplaces and inspire others to contribute their best.

Work With Your Coach

Your coach can help you identify your ‘advisory council’ and can also provide a safe place to mull over the options when you come across something you think is unethical. They can also help you build your own integrity guideposts – what questions do you need to ask yourself to ensure you are on the right side of your own line? Remember that anything you do where you are using your position for personal advantage is a conflict of interest. Recuse yourself if you, a family member or a friend has any sort of financial or other personal interest in a decision that is being made by you. These things are especially important in small, rural or northern communities.

It goes without saying that there can be risks associated with sticking with your principles. It can be easier to go along. And sometimes going along offends your sense of what’s right and wrong. Work with your coach to create an exit strategy should it become necessary.

Some Parting Thoughts

I hope you found these ideas useful and interesting. Learning how to build your ethics and integrity can take time and some trial and error. A good way to learn is to ask someone whose skills you admire how they do it. Another way to learn is to ask your boss or a colleague with more experience to share stories of what worked well and what didn’t. If you disagree with the ideas, then ask yourself, what do you think instead? If these tips and ideas were helpful to you, and you’d like to keep learning, you might consider taking our Full Course, an Accelerator Short Course, or downloading our playbook.

www.publicsectorleadership.ca