Introduction
The world is composed of a huge population with each person having different behaviors from the other. Every individual has a set of personal beliefs and values in society. Personal values and the moral reasoning that translates these values into behavior are important factors in determining the behavioral aspects of individuals. The historical, cultural, family, religious and community backgrounds of individuals shape their personal values and provide the principles by which they carry out their day to day activities. This paper discusses how ethics develop in a person, its effects on an organization, and on the performance of an individual.
My personal ethical development
My personal ethical development is based on certain character traits that define moral standards as stipulated in most societal aspects. One of the character traits is honesty. The way I exhibit honesty is by speaking out what I feel about a particular subject or topical issues without minding whether my opinion differs from that of my boss. The second character trait is the fact that I exhibit loyalty whereby I am loyal to my institution in all circumstances.
Thus, I sometimes find myself defending my institution to my colleagues because I feel like I am an ambassador of my institution to my colleagues. Although my opinion may differ from that of the management, I still remain loyal and willing to defend my institution. In addition, I am a very open-minded person. I embrace any idea that is expressed towards a particular course as long as the idea is for the good of the situation at hand. I may design a particular process but will still be open to criticism and other people’s opinions.
I am also a very responsible person. I usually perform my duties on time and to my best. I usually undertake the responsibilities that I have been assigned meticulously in order to bring the best out of that. I am also very conscious of time. Punctuality is one of the virtues I always uphold. I have never been late to school unless I am faced with matters beyond my control. I have also never submitted my assignment late except when I am faced with particular challenges that I will explain to my teachers. One of the virtues I also like to uphold is the virtue of self-respect. Respect for my own self involves adhering to my own standards of ethics in my day to day processes.
I also respect others by valuing each of their opinions towards worthy courses. I also do my best to prevent myself from offending my colleagues. The ability to be fair in all my judgments is also a character I like to uphold. I always endeavor not to expect from my colleagues more than I do. I also try my best to understand my colleagues and their situations in relation to the demands of many assignments.
One character that I have always been striving to suppress is stubbornness. I know that I am very persistent but I try my best not to include the aspect of stubbornness in my persistence. Persistence without stubbornness is what I am currently working on and I have a very strong feeling that I am going to make it in due time. All the above ethics guide me through my day to day activities with my colleagues.
I have come to understand that they all apply in our schools, our workplaces, and in society in general in order to enhance the good relationship with others (Marie 2009). Sometimes, the values stated above overlap in my day to day activities. The reason is that morals, values, and ethics are actually intertwined to bring about a complex mixture of character traits that are appropriate in the society, the school, and the workplace (Be the Dream 2009).
Influential figures in my ethics development
There are a number of individuals who were and are still being involved in the development of my ethics. I would like to give thumbs up to my parents who have been monitoring my characters and guiding me in many aspects of life. My parents have taught me to uphold honesty and to understand the difference between right and wrong. My teachers have also made sure that I remain responsible in all that I do in order to attain the best grades and to make me into an all-round personality that can fit in the society pretty well.
The teachers have also taught me to be determined in all my pursuits. In addition, I have been able to learn from my religious leaders the character of loyalty and respect for others. My colleagues have also taught me to be able to embrace other people’s opinions since my opinions may not be the best in a particular issue.
Real-life example
During the last students’ election in our department, I was given the task of overseeing the whole process. I received application letters from first years, second years, third years, and none from the fourth years. I was infuriated by the fourth years’ lack of submitting their application letters in time. Therefore, I decided that the elections will go ahead as planned without the fourth years’ participation.
However, after the elections, the fourth year reported my actions to the chairman of the department, and I was forced to deliberate on this issue. We held a meeting with the chairman and I was advised to engage in a power-sharing deal that included the fourth years since they were also part of the student’s body. It is through this meeting that I learned the virtue of responsibility, open-mindedness, fairness, respect to others, loyalty, and embracing other people’s opinions.
The effects
The effects of my ethics have been the major determinant factors in my success. Honesty has given me the opportunity to earn respect from my teachers, parents, and religious leaders. The ethics have broadened my awareness in various aspects of life. I can now analyze and come up with a framework and structure that guides organizational issues. For instance, in the above real-life example in which I was engaged I a power-sharing deal, I came up with a structure that guides on how the posts of the officials in our student’s body should be contested. This structure takes into consideration the number of students in each class in order to eliminate any bias.
The situation has earned me the respect of the entire student’s fraternity in the department. I attribute this glory to my virtue of open-mindedness and fairness. Ethics is important in any organization because it is through ethics that the organization can succeed in its achievements and goals. Ethics creates a culture of tolerance and healthy competition between individuals (Scivicque 2007).
Summary
My personal ethical development is based on certain character traits that define moral standards as stipulated in most societal aspects. Some of the character traits include honesty, open-mindedness, loyalty, self-respect, and fairness. My parents, teachers, religious leaders, and colleagues have helped in my ethics development. The effects of my ethics have been the major determinant factors in my success. Honesty has given me the opportunity to earn respect from my teachers, parents, and religious leaders.
Reference List
Be the Dream. (2009). Mold Possibilities into Reality. Personal Ethics and Life. Web.
Marie, C. (2009). Ethics Development. Web.
Scivicque, C. (2007). Personal Development. Developing Personal Ethics. Web.