Association Of Catholic Bloggers

We live in a secular world. Yet, how we conduct ourselves, in business, has at its foundation God’s moral laws – what we call today, business ethics.  Business ethics calls for us to be honest, respectful, wise, prudent, just, tactful and courteous in transacting business with others. These ethics require us to be virtuous, if we want to be successful! Business Ethics at Work Honest  – The Eighth Commandment states, “ You shall not bear dishonest witness against your neighbor ” (Deut. 5:20). God calls us to live by the truth. Live an upright life, both in action and speech; tactfully, and with kindness. Respectful  – “ Do to others what you would have them do to you ” (Matt 7:12). God calls us to love unconditionally and that means respecting others, especially when we do not see eye to eye. We must not only respect others, but respect differences of opinion as well. Wise  – “ In the heart of the intelligent wisdom abides, but in the bosom of fools it is ...

The conventions are upon us. Today begins the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, running though to Thursday, the 21 st . The following week we have the Democratic National Convention beginning July 25 th through to the 28 th . With that said, I have a request to make: Could we, as a nation, show a little tact please? I think it is sad that I have to ask that our political candidates use some tact in their political discourse. Needless to say, it requires that I make a plea for civility, given recent historical experience. If history is any guide, then we are all in for a few months of rough seas. I get to this time of year, every year, and November can’t come fast enough for me; Read more...

Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove Have you ever heard that phrase before? It was new to me until the day I had to deliver some bad news on an audit. The auditee said that I had an “iron fist in a velvet glove,” meaning that I delivered a hard punch, with not much comfort, since velvet wouldn’t soften the blow of an iron fist very well. In my innocence, and to some degree of arrogance, at first I took it as a compliment! Then I got to thinking about what he said. How we deliver truth is just as… Read more...

Honey versus Vinegar What’s your choice? “You get more with honey than you do with vinegar” – a classic American idiom that speaks volumes. I think all of us would choose the sweet taste of honey over the bitter taste of vinegar. I think all of us would choose to be spoken to in truth with respect and dignity, versus in a cold, unfeeling manner. I have learned a great deal about the importance of practicing tact. I have found ways of speaking truth, with tact. For example, have you noticed how all of my posts have a positive spin… Read more...

Tact has always eluded me, until I began researching and practicing the virtues. I saved this virtue for discussion until now, because I had much work to do in this area, myself, before I could write about it. Bluntness, or lack of tact, can diminish the quality of relationships. It is confession time for me. I have a classic example of how the lack of tact can destroy relationships. Here goes: While I was still working as a technology audit manager, I was attending one of those “off-site” kumbaya type meetings, where I thought complete truth would be openly accepted... Read more...

Honesty truly is the best course of action. The thing that I like most about honesty is that I never have to worry about what story I may have told in the past, because truth is Truth, and the truth doesn’t change. Therefore, if I live in truth, I speak consistently, and by doing so, I build good character. Through honesty, we build integrity in the eyes of others and with God. Let’s face it, the only thing we get to take with us when standing in judgment before God, at the end of this life, are our sins and our integrity. I don’t know about you, but... Read more...