Leadership, Ethics, and Customers

John Huntsman said, “There are no moral shortcuts in the game of business – or life. There are basically, three kinds of people: the unsuccessful, the temporarily successful, and those who become and remain successful. The difference is character.”

As an accountant and consultant, if we don’t have character and are not ethical, how can our customers trust us? If you wait long enough, people’s true ethics and character will show through and people will stop using them as professionals, dealing with them in business, and following them in their personal lives. I have seen this time and again with customers, partners, associates, and competitors – where weak ethics and character lead to disaster. Very few individuals, if anyone, will trust people with weak ethics and character and without trust you can’t lead employees and build good relationships with customers. Therefore, it is impossible for someone with weak ethics or character to ever become a true leader, have true success, or to remain a leader for long.

“In law, a man is guilty when he violates the rights of another. In ethics, he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so.” - Immanuel Kant