[DFT] Fw: [ChivalryToday] Knights of the Corporate Roundtable

[Seanan]

Knights of the Corporate Roundtable
© 2005 Scott Farrell
www.ChivalryToday.com

To be a knight you must be a warrior — but you must also be more than a
warrior. This lesson is at the heart of the Code of Chivalry, and it’s
a principle I explore in nearly every seminar and presentation on
chivalry I give, whether it’s to an elementary school class or to a
conference of high-powered executives. We all want to know what it
means to lead with honor.

Interestingly, that subject was recently touched on by Ed Freeman, the
academic director of the international Business Roundtable Institute
for Corporate Ethics, in an interview with “Corporate Ethics” magazine.
There’s an interesting parallel to be drawn between the principles
Freeman describes in this interview and the leadership principles of
the Code of Chivalry.

According to Freeman, a leader must do three things to “create a
culture of ethical leadership.” First, he explains, a leader must
“empower employees to push back against the organization (and) to give
executives and directors bad news early.”

Second, Freeman says a leader must communicate with employees “to
develop a clear understanding of the firm’s ethical aspirations. Every
employee should know what the company stands for.”

As the final step, Freeman explains that leaders must “actively engage
in boardroom conversations about ethics, which go beyond simply
following the rules.”

How do these three principles relate to the Code of Chivalry? In my
presentations I emphasize that to be effective, chivalry must be put to
use in three arenas: in battle, in service and in spirit.

In battle, a warrior must have courage and strength — but that doesn’t
mean attacking recklessly or trying to intimidate rivals through
over-confidence and bravado. A great warrior must be strong enough to
see his or her own strengths and weaknesses, and that means having the
courage to face brutally honest self-assessment. The warrior who thinks
she’s invincible, or the general who thinks his army can’t be beat is
on the short path to defeat. Remember where the term “Achilles’ heel”
comes from?

In service, a warrior must remember that an army is a team, and to be
effective, every member of the team must have a clear view of the goal
as well as a practical understanding of how to achieve it. Clear
communication of objectives and methods is vital for an effective army,
and creating that kind of communication is a function of policies based
on trust, honesty and respect.

In spirit, a warrior must internalize the sense of honor and
self-respect they want to see in their soldiers and their allies.
History shows that where leaders go, armies will follow — a leader who
demonstrates cruelty, duplicity, laziness or arrogance will soon be
leading a team with the same attitudes, no matter how much he or she
speaks of honor and ethics. Hypocrisy weakens both the resolve of a
warrior and the cohesion of an army.

In this sense, cutting-edge business-ethics theory and the Code of
Chivalry are giving the same essential messages: Be bold enough to
acknowledge (and correct) your weaknesses; build trust among your
teammates through openness and communication; and value the principles
of honor and ethics if you expect the people you work with to value
them.

Live by the Code of Chivalry in battle, in service and in spirit.
Whether you call it “business ethics” or “knightly virtues,” it’s a
wonderful reminder that you must be more than a mere warrior to be a
knight in shining armor.

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Learn more about "Corporate Ethics" magazine (which has an excellent
selection of articles from back-issues available on-line), as well as
many other resources for ethical, honorable leadership on the
"Leadership Links" page, found under the heading "Leadership &
Chivalry" in the left-hand navigation bar at www.ChivalryToday.com

Also - Enjoy our newest selection of real-life stories of chivalry and
"knights in shining armor" submitted by visitors to the Chivalry Today
website in our "Portraits in Chivalry" page.

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Readers are permitted and encouraged to share this article with others
as a way of furthering the understanding of the Code of Chivalry in the
modern world. Scott Farrell's seminars on chivalry and the knightly
virtues are available to businesses, schools and civic organizations
throughout the Southern California area; more information can be found
on our website. Please include all copyright statements and
attributions when forwarding Chivalry Today articles. Copyright 2005
Scott Farrell and Shining Armor Enterprises. Visit our website at
www.ChivalryToday.com .