Core Commitments
Personal Code
of Ethics
My foundational framework for using business as a force for good, balancing profit and purpose.
Mission
"I will use business as a force for good. I aim to be a participant in scaling corporate, social, and environmental impact without compromising business growth by using my creative skills and business sense."
Vision
To help contribute to, and even complete, one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals by turning social impact goals of companies I work at into scalable, revenue-generating realities. I will solve complex organizational problems with creative, sustainable strategies that balance profit and purpose and show the world that sustainability is the most profitable way to run a business.
Ethical Principles
Responsibility & Repentance
I will take responsibility for my actions, readily admit mistakes, willingly adapt to new perspectives, and most importantly, repent for any wrongdoing.
What is “Repent”? Repent is going beyond being apologetic. It means apologizing, meaning it, and genuinely striving to do better next time. It’s a sorry, backed by immense determination for improvement and action.
The Best Version Principle
I will treat others not as they deserve to be treated, but as the best version of themselves deserves to be treated.
Value of Creative Labour
I will commit to treating creatives and myself with value just as I would with any other labourer demanding compensation for their time, knowledge, and effort. This is especially important for spec work and its abuse in the creative industry.
Fair Work & Safe Workplace
I will provide fair work, good-paying jobs, and a safe workplace, should I ever be in the position to give it.
Environmental Stewardship
I will demonstrate environmental stewardship, apply the seventh generation principle, and push for long-term sustainability and thinking long-term.
Intentional Permission
I will ask for permission, not forgiveness. It may be harder to do, but it is the correct approach in most cases.
Expected Tensions
Integrity is often tested in the gray areas of business.
Dark Patterns & Manipulation
I expect to be pushed to use dark patterns and manipulate people into using/purchasing a product/service. This puts me in a tension of doing the wrong thing to keep my job. If possible, I will do all that I can to persuade my authorities to use ethicals business tactics and help them see long-term value in this decision. If that does not work, then I will leave that company. To me, it’s not virtue-based, but rather duty-based. A duty to uphold good values in the business world and not to be manipulated by greed or envy for one’s personal gain.
Transparency Under Pressure
I expect that a deadline will come and my work won’t be great. It will be something I am ashamed of. This is not an easy conversation to have, but if the receiver of my deliverables does not like what I’ve done, then it is more important that I am transparent about it and openly communicate with them what happened for the results to be this way. If I must accept a loss, then so be it. I will look at it as a learning opportunity. If the table is flipped and I’m the receiver, then I expect people to be fully transparent with me. I am more forgiving to those who admit their faults. The most important part: **Don’t burn bridges.**
How My Thinking Evolved
I’ve noticed that a lot of my ethics and morals have remained the same. I like to think that’s a good sign that I was already an ethically based person. However, spec work was a new term for me and opened my eyes. This strengthened my stance on the value I possess as a creative and how I view the value of others.
My values are not permanent. They can change, and sometimes, I can have values that are problematic for some ethical frameworks and not for others. It’s a matter of selecting which one to prioritize in specific situations... If there is any value that should be incorporated into a company or even a person, it should be adaptability. Adaptability allows one to mould their values to address a certain problem.
Approaching ethical dilemmas is about going beyond trusting my gut. Listen to it, yes, but dive deeper into what it is telling me. It is a starting point, not a solution. Instead, I now maintain an adaptive ethical framework designed to be specifically tailored to the unique demands of any given situation.
When it comes to mistreatment, I will use a duty-based framework for systematically overcoming mistreatment for myself or members of my team. And I will operate with a virtue-based framework for handling clients, building a team, and being a leader for others and myself.
The Ubuntu Philosophy
“Every decision I make will be about what’s good for the team. It may not be what’s good for you or me, but if it’s good for the team, it’s good.” : Glen (Doc) Rivers, Boston Celtics NBA Coach
A person is a person through other people. Being a solitary human is a contradiction, because you can only learn to be human through being around other humans. “I can’t be all I can be unless you are all you can be. I can never be threatened by you because you’re good, because the better you are, the better I am.”