As part of our process for developing compelling online marketing and branding strategies, we often go through an exercise that prioritizes the 'Measures of Success' of the organization. This is a pre-requisite to determination the measures of success and key perfomance indicators for evaluation of online marketing initiatives.
For one recent client, the top measure of success stated was Business Ethics and Integrity. It was deemed to be more important than sales growth, profitability, product or service quality, customer satisfaction, and a host of other measures. In fact, the President of the organization stated that business ethics were considered so high on the success measures that, if lacking or sub-par, would prevent any other measures from carrying any weight. This is hard to argue with, but often it is challenging to see how some companies practice what they preach.
The truth is that ethical standards, high morals, personal integrity - core values in life as well as business - matter a great deal, every day. Most organizations have stated core values, but it's what they do with them that matters, how they follow them that makes a difference, to their employees, to the clients, and to all those that come in contact with them.
It's not enough to say that the client's interests matter most - that must play itself out in how strategies are developed, contracts are written, and ongoing expectations are managed. It's not enough to say you cultivate an environment that fosters creativity and new ideas; you have to demonstrate trust and support for your staff so they will deliver the impossible repeatedly, and enjoy it. And, if the leadership of an organization does not set the right example, it is easy to see how all the other measures of success suffer and become barometers of failure. It's a terrible spiral for some organizations, especially those too naive, inexperienced, or complacent to see what is happening and take action.
Some go bankrupt through circumstances beyond their control. One way to at least decrease the odds of it happening to your organization is to make sure your ethical account is never bankrupt.
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