ETHICAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Extra-ordinary entrepreneur are men and women of integrity. One wise man said "integrity is the glue that holds the pieces of our life together". I-integrity is the alignment of our our thoughts, our words, and our actions. If you are a man/woman of integrity, what you are thinking, what you are saying, and what you are doing at a particular time will be the same.

Integrity comes with a sacrifice, but produces results at the long run. While cutting corners can pay huge dividends immediately, it will always cost more damage thereafter. The entrepreneur today, must align his/her thought, words, and actions.

"Ethics is that behaviour which is the right thing to do given the circumstances." according to ethics author, Mary E. Guy. Being an ethical entrepreneur does not mean doing the right thing at the right time, it means doing the right thing at all times.

How To Become An Ethical Entrepreneur

Tell the truth always

There is nothing in this world that is more powerful than the truth. If your customers realize that you don't tell the truth, very soon they will stop doing business with you. Generally, all relationships thrives on trust. To build trust, you have to tell the truth at all time. Ethical entrepreneurs do not intentionally make statements that are untrue or deceptive. They don't tell half truths, exaggerations, or deception because these constitute unethical communication. Half truths are as good as lies

Label Your Opinion

Sensitive enterpreneurs must distinguish between facts, and opinions. Facts are things that are generally accepted. They are verifiable. Opinions are personal belifs held with boldness. Let your customers know if you are talking from your own opinion or from a generally accepted information

Be Objective

Ethical entrepreneurs do not jump into conclusion.They try to avoid letting their personality affect their business. For example, most entrepreneurs are "drivers", they like to give orders. Ethical entrepreneurs don't force or impose things on customers. Instead, they give suggestions and show benefits to motivate action. Ethical entrepreneurs recognize their own biases and strive to keep them from distorting a message.

Communicate Clearly

Accept responsibility for your words. Unethical entrepreneurs may tend to confuse customers by not communicating clearly. It is therefor your duty as an ethical entrepreneur to communicate clearly.Plain language means short sentences, simple words, and good organization.

Give Honour To Whom It Is Due.

It is unethical and illegal to use the ideas of others without credit given to the originator. It iscalled plagiarism. As an ethical entrepreneur, you should give credit to the work of others by

1.Referring to the originator's name

2.Using quotation marks

3.Documenting sources with end notes and foot notes.

Some of the common violation of business ethics are

1.Cutting corners on quality

2.Covering up incidents

3.Deceiving customers

4.Taking credit for someone's ideas

Agbolade Omowole runs Interpersonal Skills Trainings for corporateorganizations. He trains for Terry E. Gillen, Institute of Personneland Development UK. He is also a financial adviser at Aims Asset Management Limited.

Contact:

E-mail: nigeriaslifecoach@gmail.com
phone: 08020777803 (+248020777803)
Blog: http://www.101youngentrepreneurs.blogspot.com/