Ethical values you subscribe to and working for a company that shares them
Amany NuseibehSpeaker, Global Leader | Optimal ConsultingSydney, Nsw, Australia
In an interview with Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf on toastmasters website, John stated “I think careers are three-legged stools: First, work for a company that shares your values; second, work for a boss who cares about you; and third, invest in yourself.”
The values that the global project management community defined as most important are stated in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct: Responsibility, Respect, Fairness, and Honesty (https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/...c_lang_temp=en)
1. What other ethical values do you subscribe to? 2. How do you go about confirming that the company you are about to start working for shares these values? Saving Changes...
That's simple, what you do when no one is looking or listening.
2. How do you go about confirming that the company you are about to start working for shares these values?
Ask and then listen...it's possible to "hear" confirmation (and/or) truth when others speak. It's a skill that takes time to it develop but very reliable with developing relationships, minimizing risk and meeting expectations
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1 reply by Amany Nuseibeh
Jan 31, 2020 12:17 AM
Amany Nuseibeh
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Thank you @Gregory - what you do when no one is looking or listening represents how our values are translating into actions without pretense.
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Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
I believe in being truthful to myself, not just others.
If something is said or done that makes you cringe or twinge, pay attention to it. Your body and mind are telling you something.
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1 reply by Amany Nuseibeh
Jan 31, 2020 12:19 AM
Amany Nuseibeh
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Thank you @Stéphane for another definition - being truthful with ourselves is a great start and listening to our gut feeling is one good approach.
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Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear Amany
Interesting your question
Thanks for sharing
In addition to the PMI Code of Ethics Principles:
- Fairness
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Honesty
There are other Principles and Values:
- Transparency in processes and results
- Customer satisfaction
- Continuous Improvement
- Rigor
- Creativity / Innovation
- Teamwork
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1 reply by Amany Nuseibeh
Jan 31, 2020 12:21 AM
Amany Nuseibeh
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@Luis - Thank you for sharing the values. I was wondering if you could share with us how do you go about confirming that the company you are about to start working for shares these values?
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LORI WILSONRETIRED - Technical Project Manager| RETIRED - LifePoint HealthClarkston, Wa, United States
Hello Amany: I very much appreciate the words you shared by John Stumpf.
Regarding what other ethical values I subscribe to…I am a Christian and therefore those values come into play for me. It is also important for me to believe my work is making a difference, so I look for companies and positions where I believe that is true – where the work I am involved with will help others.
Confirming the company I decide to work for shares these values is harder. I’ve been part of the American workforce for over 40 years, and things have really changed in the marketplace during that time. In many companies, mission and vision sound beautiful but sometimes the reality is quite different in the trenches. In my father’s day, he worked for through hard times and good times for a company – showing his loyalty even when things were tough. Often he and his peers retired with a gold watch after many loyal years. Today, our workforce is much more fluid with staff often staying for a few years and then moving on - the loyalty between workers and companies is very different now than it was in the past, historical knowledge and understanding is impacted and company values can appear different than advertised. Obviously, this is not the case for all companies, but is something I have noticed over time.
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1 reply by Amany Nuseibeh
Jan 31, 2020 12:27 AM
Amany Nuseibeh
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@Lori - Thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience - the importance of adding value, making a positive difference and contributing to the community at large!
As you stated, unfortunately, loyalty and long service are no longer on the cards for organisations where cultures vary and pockets of various cultures could exist within the same organization.
1. Integrity and transparency - do what you say and don't hide the truth
2. As Lori says, this is very tricky as the company might have these values institutionalized in some areas but not the one you are going to work in. Asking scenario questions in the interview process of your hiring manager is unlikely to yield the full picture. The only option is to speak to folks who have recently left along with some who are already there. One mark of a good team, department or company is when a hiring manager is willing to give you the name and contact info of someone who is no longer with the company to speak about their experiences.
Kiron
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2 replies by Amany Nuseibeh and Vincent Guerard
Jan 29, 2020 11:53 AM
Vincent Guerard
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Kiron,
Well presented.
How many companies/hiring managers did provide information for contact that is no longer with them, to you? what percentage?
I never got such information, I did ask often.
Jan 31, 2020 12:31 AM
Amany Nuseibeh
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@Kiron - Thank you for adding integrity and transparency to the mix. I agree with you and @Lori - pockets of cultures could exist within the same organization distorting the full picture.
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Anton OosthuizenSenior Business Analyst / Project Manager| Self EmployedPretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
I do not really subscribe to any particular value as I strive to be ethical in what I do, whether that takes being honest, treat others with fairness, etc.
The second question, however, is a bit more difficult. Most companies talk the talk so on the surface it looks great and often this only surfaces much later. I used to work for a very large international company that has all the bells and whistles, which included an ethics committee. But I realized (much too late) that this committee was used to protect the leadership team instead of enforcing ethics. I would suggest using sites like Glassdoor. While not totally objective it does give you some insight into possible areas of concern.
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1 reply by Amany Nuseibeh
Jan 31, 2020 12:37 AM
Amany Nuseibeh
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@Anton - Thank you for sharing your story - how sad to have an ethics committee that does not have any teeth! While ethics awareness is great, having measures and penalties at their disposal would have made the committee more effective. Thank you also for mentioning glassdoor.
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Alankar KarpeProject and program management, Speaker and mentor | WiproBangalore, India
Integrity, transparency and keeping things simple are something that I subscribe to. Most of the organizations says what seems right and do what seems right for the business, so its nearly impossible to gauge if they really subscribe to these values or not.
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1 reply by Amany Nuseibeh
Jan 31, 2020 12:41 AM
Amany Nuseibeh
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@Alankar - Thank you for adding integrity and transparency to the mix (Kiron and yourself are on the same page). I was wondering if you could share how you go about finding the company's values given that as you stated "Most of the organizations says what seems right and do what seems right for the business, so its nearly impossible to gauge if they really subscribe to these values or not."
1. Do the right thing, every single time. Especially when under pressure.
2. Equal treatment and opportunity to all.
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1 reply by Amany Nuseibeh
Jan 31, 2020 12:43 AM
Amany Nuseibeh
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@MD Sarfaraj - Thank you for adding your thoughts. I was wondering if could share how do you go about confirming that the company you are about to start working for shares these values?
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Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Those are not the values most important defined for the project management community. Those are the most important defined by the PMI. Company code of ethics is above the code of ethic created for the organization which the company takes as the model to follow in project management. That´s important to understand. Saving Changes...
Adnan ShareefEPMO Director| JEDCO (Jeddah Airports Company)Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
I will not say more than what my colleagues said.
I believe that integrity, transparency, teamwork, doing the right thing and leadership are the most critical ethics. Saving Changes...
