Establishing a Value System

One of the most important things for a leader to do is to have a value system that is clear. What do you believe? What is acceptable (morally) and what is not? Have you decided upon this? If not, it's time to think it through. It doesn't matter what you decide - what matters is that you decide something, and stick to it. If you think it's okay to pirate software because you're one who believes such things should be the property of anyone who owns a computer, fair enough. State your belief, let your employees know, and pirate away.

I personally think that pirating software is stealing. The people who own it don't want you to take it without paying....so to me, that pretty much constitutes stealing - but that's me. Since I believe this, I don't pirate software, and I make sure there's no pirated software on any of the computers at work, or on my computer at home. If I can't afford to buy it, I do without or wait til I've saved up for it.

My point is not to preach morals here. My point is that a leader must know what he or she thinks, values, believes. S/he doesn't need to force others to believe what s/he believes, but s/he must be able to calmly state his or her beliefs when asked. It doesn't matter how others react to your beliefs. What matters is how YOU react when they react. Can you stay calm? Can you listen to their point of view and try to learn something new? Can you STATE what you believe, or do you feel like you want to hide it because it might "upset" someone? The latter is very poor leadership indeed.

I remember my daughter and I driving back last winter from Seattle, and getting caught in an ice storm near Bellingham. We didn't have any luggage when we checked into the hotel, since we hadn't planned to stay the night. But luckily across the street from the motel there was a K-Mart so we headed over to buy some pajamas, toothbrushes and a pair of underpants for the morning. I couldn't believe the prices! Perhaps they really are this low at Walmart, a place I refuse to shop in due to the way they exploit their workers and such. Anyway, I got the nicest, snuggliest pair of jammies for about $8.95. I couldn't believe my luck!

Back at the motel, I came to a horrible realization. I looked at the tag inside the jammies (something I'd not done in the store, in all the rush) and sure enough - made in Pakistan. Pakistan! The child labour capital of the earth! I was sick about it. Didn't know what to do. The store was closed and wouldn't re-open til after we were headed home in the morning.

I still have those jammies. But there isn't a single time I put them on, that I don't take a moment to think of the plight of children in Pakistan, India, Thailand and parts of SE Asia. Children as young as 6 working in dangerous jobs for NO PAY at all in order to pay off small debts their parents owe - debts that with interest, will never be paid. Children chained to machines weaving beautiful Persian rugs for the industrialized world. Children doing dangerous jobs like disposing of medical waste. Children forced into the sex trade. I think about them, as I said, every time I put on the jammies. I say a prayer. And I vow to never again buy an article of clothing without checking the label.

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