Personal ethics development: origins, principles, and decision-making foundations

Personal Ethics Development

Personal ethics are something that develop over time. According to Corey, Corey, & Callanan (2007) ethics originate or emerge "from what has occurred rather than from anticipating what may occur" (p.10). Ethics result from the desire to achieve and strive for what is in the better welfare and interest of the self and others. Ethical development stems from the standards and behaviors that develop when a person acts, reacts and grows based on the situations they experience as a part of their life. Ethics are the norm for the correct actions and moral behaviors a person takes in any situation, which form one's character, virtues and formulate one's sense of duty.

My underlying ethical system stems from my core values, which were shaped by my family and upbringing. I grew up believing that it was critical to obey your mother and father. These were ideals presented to me based on my strict Orthodox religious upbringing. As a family we were taught never to question our Father, and to treat our mother with respect. Loyalty, Hard-work, Responsibility for our actions, and Honesty were among the most important ideals as were Integrity and the ability to maintain an independent lifestyle. Family was also of critical importance. In fact, creating a family system is the underlying basis or foundation of my personal ethical system. Core values sustain it. It was ethically and morally important to stand up for your family no matter how wrong or right they were. This builds unity, trust, and over time strong relationships one learns to depend on. Fear is not something that is common in a family-based ethical structure where honesty and loyalty are firmly established.

Having spent a long time on my own, I now see that sometimes, family is not always right, but nonetheless, continuous support is vital to sustaining a family's ethical system and foundation. While religion was the core value that sustained my ethical structure when young, I use a gold standard today to support my family idealism. Now, I do not care as much about "religious" idealism as I do about "love" itself and supporting what is right vs. wrong. Rather than support a religious institution I support Christ, and support moralism based on humanity at large.

My personal code of ethics allows me to be able to fulfill my obligations to people, and lead them in a righteous and fair manner. I am dependable, loyal, and honest. I am independent and capable. I believe that it is right to do what is good for the community at large. I do not believe in mixing my personal life, as this can pollute and contaminate the professional world (Jensen, 2007; 2008). There is a differentiation one must make between family and work life.

Managers have an obligation to provide feedback and performance evaluations to employees. Secretan (2011) notes that performance management can be "subjective" and demoralizing, thus it is critical that managers approach it from a values-based perspective that removes common mistakes made such as "fear" based reviews, and allows the manager to create coherent conversation that is not demeaning, "intimidating, judgmental or autocratic."