Ethics Newsline®

RE: “Spreadsheet Sophistry: Where in the WorldCom Do They Learn That Stuff?” by Rushworth Kidder, July 1.

Rushworth —

As a military ethicist, I don’t think the problem is ethics but integrity. These people knew what they were doing was wrong, but they didn’t care as long as they could get away with it. That kind of thinking shows that they lack the kind of wholeness that is essential in leadership.

Perhaps the time has really come for boards, stockholders, and stakeholders to be asking the very basic question that any military ethicist would ask: Is this a person that I would be willing to trust my life with? If the answer is either “no” or “I’m not sure” then maybe they should be looking for another leadership candidate.

– Arthur E. Gans, CD, MTh [military ethicist, Anglican Priest]
Winfield, British Columbia, Canada