Qualities: RIGHT THING

My first ground rule is always to tell the truth. A client will call and say, 'This terrible thing happened to me. What should I say?' I say, 'Wait a minute. First ask: What was the right thing to do? Then do it.'
––Howard Rubenstein, Public Relations Consultant

We've been trying to follow the advice of Mark Twain, which was, 'Do what's right and you'll please some of the people and astound the rest'.
––Ronald Reagan

Do the Right Thing. It is such a simple answer to so many questions. It is normally not difficult to know what is right; it is often very difficult to do it decisively without a lot of excuses and dithering and trying to find a way out.
––John Roberts

This is one of those signs to paste on the inside of your forehead where you can see it when choices arise. It is so easy to rationalize another answer. We need a little reminder now and then if we don’t practice. Some call it the voice of conscience. Some say “what would my father or mother do?” Some freeze and can’t decide and slide toward the easy, wrong answer. Even practice is not the total solution; the development of a sound ethical and moral foundation in our formative years makes the big difference. If we wait too long in life to do that, it becomes a lot more difficult, like learning a new language. The brain is already set in some ways, and less amenable to change.

For many of us, it helps to have a parent or spouse who has already gone through the process. We pay attention as they wisely suggest answers to our dilemmas. Religions, of course, show us worthy standards. And, as part of western civilization and because of abuses throughout our society, we can now take college courses in ethics and business behavior. The culture of some business organizations promotes honor and ethics.

Above all, we see everywhere good examples of people who do the right thing all the time with little difficulty. They are like professional athletes; we cannot see the years of preparation and experience and regular practice that make it look so easy. We cannot see the complex decision-making machinery that goes to work on the difficult decisions, programmed almost like computers to provide correct answers.

Presidential and other political campaigns are instructive. They show us people making regular and public decisions between votes and principles. They illustrate that doing the right thing is frequently a compromise rather than a clear-cut choice between right and wrong. And, we usually make a judgment when one of them crosses the line and sacrifices too much to try to get elected. That applies to the rest of us; our moral and ethical lives are shades of gray.

There are two nice things about doing the right thing: other people notice, and so do we. Sometimes there are tangible and psychological rewards when others develop respect for us. It generates good feelings and self-respect. These can overcome the material losses that may arise from those tough decisions, and they reinforce our ability to make those right decisions again later.