The Foundation of Ethics:

A Book Review of Kenneth Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale’s “The Power of Ethical Management”

It seems like everytime you turn on the news, look at your social media feeds, or visit your break room to get a cup of coffee, you hear stories about questionable ethical behavior in the workplace. This is nothing new, as I am fairly sure that humans have been selfishly positioning themselves for advancement and self preservation since the beginning of time. Although there are enough books, research papers, and articles published about ethics to fill an entire Amazon Warehouse, I believe that Kenneth Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale’s book, “The Power of Ethical Management,” contains simple and timeless principles that should be understood by everyone, especially those in a management positions at work.?

Blanchard and Peale did not take the approach most thought leaders do, writing long and detailed examples, benefits, or researched based information about ethics. Instead, they discussed their principles through a parable. I usually don’t care for business books written in story form, but this short read presented the author's points in a memorable and simple way that can be related to any business, industry, or circumstance. Even though the book was written in the 1980s, the story could be applied to current day moral dilemmas and will remain an applicable story for years to come. At only 134 pages, this book can be read in short order, however, there are only a few main principles which I will outline to save you the time, although I do recommend you read it when you have a short flight without seatback entertainment to pass the time.?

When presented with a moral dilemma, Blanchard and Peale suggest running the issue through a set of three questions that can “help take the grayness out of ethical situations.” (Blanchard & Peale, pg 18).?

The three “ethics check” questions are:?

1. Is it legal? This is the easiest question to answer at face value. If it is illegal, then it surely is not ethical, however, there are other “laws” that you must consider in this question. For example, you might also ask yourself if it violates your company policies or your own moral code. Additionally, there are many unethical and immoral practices that are totally legal, so you must consider all the laws. The law of the land, the law of your company, and your own personal beliefs.?
2. Is it balanced? This is where things start to get a bit harder to decipher. All of us have spent the better part of our lives learning how to justify our actions, feel entitled, and have strong personal bias. So we need to strive to think objectively when asking ourselves this question. Blanchard and Peale suggest asking ourselves, “Is it fair to all concerned in the short term as well as the long term? Does it promote win-win relationships” (Blanchard & Peale, pg. 26)? If we allow our bias and ego to cloud objectivity, it may be difficult to answer this question correctly. Which leads to the third question.
3. How will it make me feel about myself? Unless you’re a sociopath, when we do things that are unethical, illegal, or selfish, we know. Even if it is deep down, we know. If you are closer to sociopath than not, Blanchard and Peale suggest asking, “will it make me proud? Would I feel good if my decision was published in the newspaper? Would I feel good if my family knew about it?” These questions will help you keep perspective. If it would embarrass you on social media, then it is safe to say it is unethical.?

These three questions are an effective “sniff test.” They can get you started on making the right decisions with far less inner turmoil as you think through any dilemmas you might face. However, this is not really a framework for living an ethical lifestyle and leaves more to be desired. The ethics check questions are merely a tool to use when you face moral and ethical dilemmas. For all the times inbetween, Blanchard and Peale suggest five core principles to live a life of ethical behavior. “The five core principles of ethical behavior are also the ingredients for genuine, lasting fulfillment in life. Highly successful, satisfied individuals practice these Five P’s with great consistency” (Blanchard and Peale, pg. 42).?

The Five P’s of Ethical Power

1. Purpose: I see myself as being an ethically sound person. I let my conscience be my guide. No matter what happens, I am always able to face the mirror, look myself straight in the eye, and feel good about myself.?

When we have a purpose, it is easier to determine what actions or decisions we should make. Simply reflect on the decision and decide if it aligns with your purpose. If you don’t have a purpose, then outside influences will decide your purpose for you. It is important to note that goals are not your purpose. Goals are destinations, tangible things you accomplish along the way. “Purpose is ongoing. It gives meaning and definition to our lives” (Blanchard and Peale, pg. 44).?

2. Pride: I feel good about myself. I don’t need the acceptance of other people to feel important. A balanced self-esteem keeps my ego and my desire to be accepted from influencing my decisions.?

Be careful to not confuse pride with the distorted image of self importance. That is a negative kind of pride that influences all manner of poor behavior like,? rationalizations, cover ups, exaggerations, lies, arguments, and selfishness. The appropriate pride that Blanchard and Peale discuss is referring to a healthy self-esteem, where pride “is sprinkled with a fair amount of humility. Remember: People with humility don’t think less of themselves, they just think about themselves less” (Blanchard and Peale, pg. 48).?

3. Patience: I believe that things will eventually work out well. I don't need everything to happen right now. I am at peace with what comes my way.?

It is important to have faith that things will work out best when living ethically. “One reason why people sometimes get off course is because they lack faith; and with lack of faith, they become impatient” (Blanchard and Peale, pg. 56). There is a lot of power in positive thinking, and I am not referring to the crazy energy, weirdo practices that many subscribe to. I think Blanchard and Peale would agree that books like “The Secret” are bonkers at best. However, positive thinking begets positive behaviors, whereas negative thinking has a tendency to break down your moral compass which influences poor behavior. “When we lack faith we tend to grav for the here and now. In so doing, we sabotage the future” (Blanchard and Peale, pg. 57).?

4. Persistence: I stick to my purpose, especially when it seems inconvenient to do so! My behavior is consistent with my intentions. As Churchill said, never! never! never! Give up!”

There are many situations that arise that may cause you to question your code of ethics or purpose because your ethical decision might make you unpopular or may have short term consequences that are unsavory.? These situations take commitment and persistence. “When you’re committed, you find ways to suppress your rationalizations” (Blanchard and Peale, pg. 67).??

5. Perspective: I take time to enter each day quietly in a mood of reflection. This helps me to get myself focused and allows me to listen to my inner self and to see things more clearly.?

“Perspective is the capacity to see what is really important in any given situation” (Blanchard and Peale, pg. 69). It is important to spend time in reflection, quieting the chaos of life and really thinking about the bigger picture and how it relates to current issues. Only when you have the right perspective does your purpose remain clear.?

All of these principles are just as applicable in your business life or within any organization as they are in your personal life. In fact, “most ethical deterioration you find in an organization can be traced to impatience in attaining goal and objectives. That impatience compromises customer and employee satisfaction and begins a negative cycle that affects results” (Blanchard and Peale, pg. 110). To make it easier for you to relate the Five P’s to both your business and personal lives, I have created charts that you can save and reference often.?

There are incredible benefits to living an ethical life within your personal life, and businesses that prioritize ethical behavior above all else will have much stronger organizations. To keep you research on the topic going, and to read more about the benefits of ethical behaviors, start by reading an article written by Sean Peek for Business News Daily titled, “A Culture of Ethical Behavior is Essential to Business Success.” Peek does a great job of outlining many positive effects of ethical behavior in business. For example, Peek suggests that “ethical behavior positively impacts a business’s financial performance” (Peek, paragraph 23).

Since this book review just scratches the surface of the topic of ethics, I will continue to write about ethics in the future, both from personal experience and rooted in research. For now, I recommend reading Blanchard and Peale’s, “The Power of Ethical Management” and give it a 4 Star Review. It would have been 5 stars if there was more content, research, and examples, although they did a great job presenting the principles in the book as a parable.?

Sources

Blanchard, Kenneth & Peale, Norman Vincent (1988). The Power of Ethical Management. William Morrow and Company, Inc. ISBN 0-688-07062-0

Peek, Sean (2024). A Culture of Ethical Behavior Is Essential to Business Success. Business News Daily. https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9424-business-ethical-behavior.html