Ethical Lens Inventory

0:00 welcome to a conversation that will help you become more ethically mature and aware over the next few minutes we're going to talk about ethical plurality the idea that we have four different perspectives that helps us chart a path to ethical maturity I'm Katherine bear the founder and CEO of Ethics gain a company that provides learning tools for people who want to find out more about ethics and ethical decisionmaking this presentation is designed to help you interpret the

0:27 results from your ethical lens inventory and instrument that helps you identify your core ethical perspectives the lens you use to make ethical decisions as human beings who want to thrive in our community the answers to two foundational questions help us Define ethics first what beliefs and behaviors are expected to be considered ethical in our community whether with our family and friends our work or our profession second what kind of a person do we want to be what beliefs and

0:57 behaviors will support us becoming ethically mature as we take a look at the foundational def definitions of being in community we notice that each of us has a personal moral compass a set of values that guides us into ethical Behavior this Compass was set first by our parents as they taught us how to be a good member of the family and get along with those closest to us this initial teaching provides us with our gut feelings about what is right in a given

1:28 situation then we have experiences and learn more about the world calibrating our Compass to help us choose the right path we use the word ethics to describe the beliefs and values that our communities have about what behaviors are expected for people who are considered ethical our community ethics help us decide how people should be treated what is fair our ethics also help us know what is expected of us in our various roles and as leaders and then as we move into our

1:58 various professions each profession has guidelines about what it means to be ethical now philosophers and others who have studied how we can make good ethical choices offer four different perspectives on how we can harmonize the conflicting values in our lives and our communities the rights and responsibilities lens has as its icon a telescope the perspective known as deontology tells people to look for the ideal values that are Universal

2:30 and will help them Define their obligations their duties the results lens has as its icon a microscope the perspective known as consequentialism encourages people to look at their immediate context their world to know how realistically to choose goals and how to moderate their desires in order to flourish as a person the relationship lens has as its icon a set of binoculars this perspective known as the Justice theories reminds us that we as members

3:02 of a community might not know who we are or what we're going to be we will not know if we're going to have lots of resources and power or not so much thus we need to make decisions that are fair for all people the reputation lens has as its icon the camera the perspective known as virtue ethics encourages us to take on the virtues the habits of behavior that count for ethical excellence in the roles in our

3:31 communities each of those lenses gives us a slightly different perspective on making good ethical choices the rights and responsibility lens teaches us to use our reason to determine the obligations that we embrace the results lens encourages us to follow our hearts as we make choices that will lead to Human Excellence and flourishing the relationship lens asks us to consider those without power as we put processes for justice in place and Det determine how to distribute the

4:00 goods of Our Community Education food housing and health care and finally the reputation lens encourages us to develop an ethical character as we seek to be virtuous the ethical lens inventory is a tool that helps you discover which of the four perspectives is your ethical home and helps you notice that others have different value priorities if you land in the center you either are not sure about your ethical preferences or you can move easily into to any of the four lenses if you're on

4:32 the edges you have very strong preferences these strong beliefs may mean that you have difficulty understanding others or have a hard time flexing to meet other people's ethical expectations looking at all the different dots on this scatter plot Each of which represents a person with a particular ethical perspective we begin to understand why when faced with ethical dilemmas we don't have any one right answer describing the lenses as we take a look at the

5:04 categories of ethical traits we notice that the categories are the same but depending on where you landed you will have a different expression of your ethics different beliefs and expected behaviors from those who see the world through one of the other ethical lenses when we ask people whether the description they received matches their understanding of themselves they will often agree sometimes when they can't quite see themselves in the description a good friend can help often saying yep

5:34 that describes you as you spend time reflecting on the descriptions you'll be taking the first step to ethical maturity knowing yourself each of the four ethical perspectives has a different ethical gift self-knowledge celebration of free will a quest for justice expression of compassion all four of the gifts are important as we work to resolve different ethical dilemmas such as how should we respond to expressions of

6:05 hatred or just plain meanness how can we hold each other accountable for living into our best self as we learn to listen for and appreciate the contribution of each ethical perspective our decisions will be better and more acceptable to others because each of the ethical perspectives favors a different reason for acting people often wind up fussing about their reason for acting rather than noticing that they agree on the action to be taken if you believe that

6:35 being ethical is fulfilling your duties you won't resonate with someone for whom being ethical involves making sure people are treated fairly if getting to win-win situations meets your ethical goals you won't think a great deal about building your character again in an ethical conflict a sign of respect for the other person is to acknowledge their value priorities and perspectives and present your plan for Action in terms of their ethical lens as you review the print out from

7:05 your ethical lens inventory I'd invite you to take time to reflect on the sources of unethical action our blind spots are those places where we don't even notice that we're on an unethical path learning to pay attention to the signals other gives us that we might be behaving badly helps us become aware of our blind spots and then Coach ourselves to better ethical Behavior stress and temptations are major causes for unethical Behavior where are the stressors in your life that might cause

7:37 you to bend the rules or become mean and judgmental finally very few of us are intentionally unethical so we don't resonate with the vices however the vices are often a virtue taken to excess so knowing them is useful knowing not only your own ethical preferences but those of others can help us on the path to ethical maturity being included is one of the most important and Powerful motivators for us as human beings when do we follow the guidance of

8:09 others when do we stand firm for what we believe and not get swept along in the undertoe of unethical Behavior being respected is very different than being included respect is built up over time and can be destroyed with one lapse of judgment one unethical act making sure that you keep your eye on the path to respect is important finally respecting ourselves is the most important project of Our Lives over the course of Our Lives we shape what is

8:38 known as our ethical self all of our beliefs and behaviors work together to Define our character the way we can be counted on to behave when the chips are down paying attention to what you think and feel and then how you behave can help you modify your behavior to live into your own and your community's definition of an ethical person you'll notice that much of the conversation is framed as questions to be asked rather than answers to be

9:07 declared as you continue to ask questions of yourselves and others why would I choose this action what will get a good result what will be fair for everyone in this situation what is expected of me in this role the answers will become more clear and you'll be well on your way to ethical maturity