Prevent Unethical Choices by Asking Yourself These 9 Questions

Dr. Steven Rogelberg is a chancellor’s professor at UNC Charlotte, former president of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and author of Glad We Met: The Art and Science of 1:1 Meetings.

Making unethical choices in business can harm your reputation, as well as your customers, clients, and colleagues. It also sets a normative example, harming the moral fabric of society.

To make good ethical choices, ask yourself the following questions and reflect on the answers, which should steer you in the best possible direction:

1. Would I be comfortable explaining my decision to a friend, a mentor, or family members?
2. What are the long-term consequences of my choice (not just the short-term gains)?
3. Does the decision I am considering uphold my integrity and reflect well on me?
4. Could this decision harm others? (Pay particular attention to the potential harm it could cause to vulnerable populations.)
5. What alternative courses of action would have fewer negative consequences?
6. Have I sought advice and considered other perspectives?
7. Does it pass the “front-page test”? (Imagine your decision as a headline in a newspaper; if it would cause shame, that tells you something important.)
8. Will this choice bring me pride in myself or am I already feeling guilty for entertaining it?
9. Would I want others to make the same decision if they were in a similar ethical dilemma, especially if I were on the side being affected?

Learn how to create a code of ethics for your business.

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