Ethics and Integrity Kevin C. Duggan West Coast Regional Director ICMA

1. Ethics and Integrity Kevin C. Duggan West Coast Regional Director ICMA

2. Goal of This Presentation: Increasing the Odds That You and Your Organization Will Avoid An Ethical Crises

3. Definition: Ethics • Ethics: “In Accordance With the Accepted Principles of Right and Wrong Governing a Groups Conduct”

4. Definition: Integrity • Integrity: “Rigid Adherence to a Code of Behavior” • Integrity by Stephen L. Carter

5. Common Themes • Honesty • Transparent • Fair/Equitable • Consistent

6. What’s The Connection Between Ethics/Integrity and Leadership?

7. How Unusual Are Instances of Personal and Professional Misconduct? • “Unethical” • “Corruption”

16. WHY? • Ego? • Power? • Greed? • Avoidance of “Pain”? • Compulsion? • Embarrassment? • Basic Lack of A Moral Compass? • “The End Justifies the Means”?

17. The Greatest Threat to You Personally and to Your Organization: Complacency

18. 15 Thoughts…..

19. 1) “Prevention First”: • Never take ethics and integrity for granted • Talk about it • Train • Don’t assume it will just happen • Make it part of the organization’s culture and value system

20. 2) It will be Very Difficult to Have an Ethical Organization without Ethical Employees: • “Hire for Ethics” • Have it as a criteria • Talk about it as part of the selection process • Thorough background checks

21. 3) “Just Because it is Legal Doesn’t Mean it is Ethical”: • Don’t confuse “Legal” with “Ethical” • Not breaking the law will keep you out of jail, but won’t make you a role model of ethics and integrity (consider the spirit as well as the letter of the law) • Our obligation is to maintain public confidence in ourselves and our public institutions • We must hold ourselves to a higher standard than not breaking the law

22. 4) The Greatest Obstacle to Ethical Conduct: The “R” Word: • Our greatest enemy is our and our employees’ ability to rationalize that inappropriate conduct is okay • “I deserve………” • “In this case it is okay to ……..” • We can be seduced by our ability to come up with a “plausible rationale”

23. Beware of “…But No One Will Find Out”: • “A secret is a 5-second head start” • There is always someone who will (or could) know • No one finding out is NOT an appropriate criteria • YOU WILL KNOW

24. 6) “The Newspaper Rule”NOW “The Google Rule”: • The best defense to the “seduction of rationalization” • Understand you don’t just have to convince yourself – you have to convince everyone else

25. “The Taxpayer Rule”: • What you think is justified vs. what tax payers will think is reasonable • Public funds belong to the public

26. 8) Leaders Need to “Walk the Talk”: • Talking about vs. demonstrating ethics and integrity • Leaders need to hold themselves to a higher standard

27. 9) You Are Only Really Tested When it Isn’t Easy: • When you have something to lose or gain • When you can suffer personally or professionally for taking a stand • When it is difficult and uncomfortable

28. 10) If You are an Organizational Leader, it is Not “Just About You”: • You won’t simply be held accountable for your conduct, but also for the conduct of those in your organization • You will fail no matter how ethical you are if your organization fails to perform ethically

29. 11) The Three Levels of a Leaders Ethical Responsibility: • What you did: • Your decisions and actions • What others did – that you knew about: • Did you respond • How you responded • What others did – that you didn’t know about: • Should you have known • Pay attention • Ask questions/due diligence • “Open to bad news” – Don’t shoot the messenger

30. 12) Responding to an Ethical Failure: Being Judged Not Just on What Happened, But How You Responded: • Avoid the “C” word at all costs (“coverup”) • Full disclosure • Early disclosure • Corrective actions • The biggest issue is often not what happened, but how it was responded to • How you respond may well be the primary basis on which you will be judged • “Not deciding” is a decision for which you may be held accountable • Don’t turn an honest mistake into an ethical scandal

33. 13) Whose Responsibility Is It – Is It “Your Job”? • If you know about it – it is your responsibility to do something • What you are required to do depends on the circumstances • You don’t necessarily need to be the “Lone Ranger,” but……

34. 14) As a Leader, you Need to Support the Organization and “The Innocent” During an Ethical Crisis: • Protect those who stand up for ethical conduct/integrity • Keep the organization focused during an ethical crisis • Recovering from an ethical failure – learning and getting better

35. 15) The Three Questions You Will Always Need to be Prepared to Answer: • What did you know? • When did you know it? • What did you do about it?

36. Key Thoughts • You will not be an effective leader unless you demonstrate ethics and integrity • Beware of the “R word” – Rationalization • If you are a leader, it is your responsibility • No one finding out is not the criteria • The “newspaper rule” • The “taxpayer rule”

37. A Final Thought….. “All That is Necessary For the Triumph of Evil is That Good Men and Women Do Nothing”

38. Resources: • International City Management Association: www.icma.org • Institute for Local Government (California): www.ca-ilg.org