I’m confused – Why is it that one side of an issue thinks it’s acceptable to demand respect while also thinking they don’t have to reciprocate? Why is ethical conduct not required of all parties involved? Where and when did ethics get tossed off the train?
As leaders within our organizations and our communities we have an obligation to practice ethical leadership at all times. More importantly, we have an obligation to follow an ethical approach while engaging in the dialog.
One of the hallmarks of collaborative problem solving is all sides of the issue are given the opportunity to be heard. How else are we going to know what the issues are which frame the problem? More importantly, how else can we determine where the actual problem lies if we shut down one side or another of the issue simply because we don’t want to hear what that side is saying? One of the hardest things about collaborative problem solving is having to listen to a side of an issue which we might personally detest. However, the ethical and responsible adult will put aside personal preferences and engage in active listening – meaning not only looking like we’re being respectful but we actually do respect the other person’s point of view. We don’t have to agree with it, but the ethical thing to do is listen and work to find some point of commonality which can lead to a realistic and lasting solution. Vilifying those we don’t agree with does not advance the discussion, nor does it come across as ethical behavior to call these folks whatever names we want simply because they disagree with us. I don’t know about anyone else but that behavior doesn’t even come close to being ethical conduct. The ethical approach is to respect the differences among the parties involved in the argument and then work together, as mature responsible adults, to find a resolution to the issue.
