In your career, you will have to deal with many ethical issues. What are likely to be the most challenging and what is your plan for developing the competencies you will need to handle these issues effectively?
Sample One
Just about every major business decision I can think of has an ethical component. In the technology world where I plan to make my career, one of the most perilous situations is when and how to share information with customers. Recently, a Computer Tech (CT) product group informed me of a possible production delay of one of our chips. The CT product group wanted to wait a few weeks before telling my customer about the possible delay because there was a slim chance they would overcome roadblocks and meet the original deadline. I did not want to withhold this information from the customer because it would deprive them of an opportunity to mitigate the impact should CT’s production delay occur. The product group reluctantly agreed with my suggestion to inform the customer and in the end, CT missed the deadline but the customer had a contingency plan in place.
My long term vision is to start and lead an implantable device company and with that comes a high level of social and ethical responsibility. There is a higher degree of ethical responsibility in this field because people’s lives and health are at stake. Two of the most difficult ethical dilemmas I will face include determining how to research an implanted device’s performance in clinical trials while minimizing the risk to humans and deciding which components to use in a device in order to keep costs low without compromising safety.
I aim to develop the tools necessary to identify and resolve ethical dilemmas effectively. Harvard case studies will permit me to learn about complex ethical issues related to customers, investors, employees and society. In addition, the case studies will extensively train and prepare me for the process of ethical decision making. I will receive additional training by participating in the Leadership & Ethics Forum speaker series and through debates with fellow students to reflect on and discuss many ethical issues. As a future leader of a company, I will rely on the frameworks learned at Harvard and apply best practices in governance policies and processes developed by other ethically responsible organizations.
Sample Two
Given my long-term goal of a career in politics, the frequent pressures of special interests are a challenge to which I am acutely attuned. In fact, I have faced these interests head on during my time on Capitol Hill.
At the start of the Lebanon-Israel war during the summer of 2006, a lobbyist presented me with a statement in Congressman Higgins’ name that was one-sided and unbalanced, reflecting unequivocal support for Israel. I faced the difficult dilemma of either submitting the words as they stood, without acknowledging the people suffering on the other side of the conflict, or rewriting the statement to reflect empathy for each party, while risking the alienation of our crucial pro-Israel donors. My action on the final Israel-Lebanon statement was a balancing act, acknowledging shared suffering and empathizing with both sides. Forging this honest approach was necessary and right but not easy. As my professional reach grows, I will continue to rely on my ethical instincts, as this moral challenge I dealt with this summer is certainly a prelude of more difficult future issues.
Similar problems will inevitably arise in my career aspiration within New York City government, particularly in the recurring disputes between unions and the business community. For instance, labor’s voice has been subsumed by the business lobby in the fight to increase wages; how this debate plays out on the New York political stage is always a delicate balance. As a political leader and a Democrat, how will I prevent a showdown between labor and business, and more pressingly, how will I be able to satisfy two sides that play integral roles in sustaining both our burgeoning economy and our political coffers?
It is in this vein that the Leadership and Corporate Accountability Course at HBS intrigues me, with its utilization of case studies to tackle the multitude of ethical decisions facing today’s leaders—both in business and in the public sector. In politics it will be crucial for me not to simply tackle ethical issues, but to be responsible for proactively playing a role in ceasing the negative impacts of special interests. To that end, I would like to create a panel or conference at HBS on special interests and their intersection with business and politics, which would help fellow students sort through these issues before starting careers on either side of the private-public sector divide. HBS will offer a community of scholars who are vigilant about competing forces in the workplace, striving to go about their jobs mindful of responsible corporate and public governance. Pursuing an MBA within this context will help me forge a moral compass of my own, poised to guide me through the most difficult ethical challenges that lie ahead.
Sample Three
The most challenging ethical issues I will encounter as a business leader in financial services will be those that force me to make tradeoffs between my responsibilities to employees and my responsibilities to shareholders. Should I shift operations to low cost off-shore locations? Should I cut healthcare costs in favor of bottom line savings? I will be required to balance business sustainability with employee wellbeing. To develop the competencies I need to make such choices, I will study current cases in business ethics, learn how effective leaders balance the competing needs of key stakeholders, and develop a network of business leaders that I can rely on for guidance.
Harvard Business School will provide me with an opportunity to study cases and trends in business ethics. Taking ethics courses like Leadership and Corporate Accountability and The Moral Leader will expose me to the most challenging ethical issues business leaders face. I will learn from spirited debates with my business school classmates and by understanding their unique perspectives. In the future I will continue to study business ethics and stay abreast of new thinking on the ethical challenges business leaders face.
It is also important for leaders to understand the perspectives of all stakeholders when making tradeoffs. A complete appreciation of each group’s needs and the nuances of each situation will enable me to make wise ethical decisions. As a future leader, I must ensure that I have elicited all perspectives before making my decisions. I’ll need to study the communication techniques that effective leaders use to understand the positions of all constituents and make holistic decisions.
On the other hand, informed decisions do not necessarily lead to creative solutions. Since creative solutions often emerge from group dialogue, I will build a strong network of colleagues and friends, who I can confide in and brainstorm with. Communicating with fellow industry leaders, consultants, and academics will help me to generate creative solutions to challenging issues. Leveraging the experience of others will broaden my thinking and help me to be proactive in my ethical decision making. I can’t think of a better place than Harvard Business School to start building that network.