Ethics in parenting

I was fortunate to attend a luncheon today at my alma mater, Drury University, that featured a brief talk on ethics by Jack Shewmaker. Mr. Shewmaker is a past CFO and past president of Wal-Mart and is known for being one of the most influencal business men in American history. His speech is almost too difficult to summarize in this short thought because as he spoke I could sense the years of experience from which he drew his perspective. Emerging from all his stories on bold new policies and dynamic personalities came two important challenges: be transparent, and do what is right.

When thinking about ethics in leadership, these two principles cannot be more strongly emphasised. Transparency places yourself above reproach and assures people that you are being honest with them. Doing the right thing speaks about fairness and integrity. There was a third challenge that unraveled from these two and that was, enable others to give their very best.

It is easy to reward a good deed or to criticize a wrong act. It is much harder to set a person up for success, to open the doors for opportunity, and to encourage one to make the right decision. But shouldn't that be a greater measure of a man? - to see how he has helped another succeed.

These principles on business ethics should be applied to parenting. How are you teaching your child to succeed?