Principles and People

Watching Warren Buffet this morning on CNBC, he mentioned "We prefer to match the people to our principles vs finding principles to match the people".  Ethics in business, while a gray area, is something that requires constant attention.   I remember Bob Buck's comment in a presentation at Armstrong Men's Fellowship dinner about ethics.  He said that one of the principles at Cintas was to do nothing that they might fear would be tomorrow's headline in the Wall Street Journal.

M.L. (Vistage Bud) invited me to a Salvation Army event a couple of weeks ago. Right there, embedded in their mission statement was the basis of their principles - "It's message is based on the Bible".  This is a faith based non-profit, so it is expected that religion would be embedded in their mission, vision and goals.  But what about other "for profit" businesses.

What role, if any, should religion, morality and ethics be an active part of a business operations?  Just try to think of the businesses  you know that proudly promote their religion.  Not many.   I feel that business must rely on it's people (and their underlying principles) to provide the foundation of the businesses ethics.

When I was at Accenture, during the rollout of our Mission, Vision and Values, I remember the six core values - quality client service, one global firm, integrity, stewardship, best people and respect for the individual.  For me, personally, it was easy to support these values as they reflect many of the things I try to use as guiding principles in life.  Finding people that match these principles was the key to recruiting.

Warren is right.  Now let's extend this to the business of life.