Is there one ethical rule applicable to everyone?
While I usually write on social issues in my December newsletters, many events over the past three months have occupied my thoughts, so I wanted to share my reflections now rather than later.
The Golden Rule: An Easy-to-Understand Ethical Standard
My December newsletters have referenced the Golden Rule several times, most notably – and most recently – in Scaling Up the “Golden Rule” from December 2022. In that article, I reference the outstanding little (110 pages, 4.5" by 6.5") book, Ethics 101: What Every Leader Needs To Know.
The book's author, successful pastor turned successful leadership teacher and author John C. Maxwell, talks about ethics as the cornerstone of success in life, in both your personal and professional pursuits. Dr. Maxwell cites the Golden Rule – treat others as you would like others to treat you – as an almost universal ethical standard, because variations of it span continents, faith traditions, and millennia, and calls it “One Rule for Everyone.”
It is also easy to understand – even a young child knows how he or she wants to be treated and can then treat others the same way.
Ethics: A Standard to Follow, and the Will to Follow It
The book quotes the following from the Josephson Institute of Ethics:
There are two aspects to ethics: The first involves the ability to discern right from wrong, good from evil, and propriety from impropriety. The second involves the commitment to do what is right, good, and proper. Ethics entails action: it is not just a topic to mull or debate.
Dr. Maxwell advocates adopting the Golden Rule as your personal ethical standard, because it is easy to understand, common across geography and faith traditions, and accepted by most people. Why is it accepted by “most people” and not “all people”? The author likens the outliers as kids playing “King of the Hill” for keeps – the only way to consistently win is to be the biggest bully, and most kids don't want to bully their friends.
Adopting the Golden Rule helps with the first aspect of ethics – the second aspect requires applying the Golden Rule, even when it's hard or costly to you. Dr. Maxwell devotes Chapter 5 to challenges in following the Golden Rule.
Five Factors That Can “Tarnish” the Golden Rule
The section heading above is actually the title of Chapter 5, where Dr. Maxwell discusses the following five factors:
- Pressure – The ethical violations used to exemplify this factor all involve “cooking the books” of a business, due to pressures from investors or lenders. These days, peer pressure or political pressure seem to be the cause of unethical behaviors making the news.
- Pleasure – Instant gratification has conditioned many people to want things now, Now, NOW! An inability to delay gratification encourages taking shortcuts – perhaps taking something that is not yours, versus working hard and saving up to buy what you want.
- Power – The book notes that many business scandals involve executives who come to believe a company's assets – which are actually owned by the stockholders or a non-profit entity – are their personal assets. The same potential for scandal applies to government, which is why our national and state governments rely on a system of checks and balances. As President John Adams noted, “No man is wise enough to be trusted with unlimited power.”
- Pride – On this topic, the book asks a rhetorical question – “How can people treat others the way they want to be treated if their preoccupation is to beat them?” [italics in original] The answer, of course, is they can't. This takes us back to the bully wanting to always be “King of the Hill” – to be richer, smarter, or better-looking than everyone else. The focus is on me, Me, ME! That's the problem with pride – the author notes it “can blind you – to your own faults, to other people's needs, and to ethical pitfalls that lie in your path.”
- Priorities – If your priorities are not aligned with your core values – your ethics – then your priorities can tempt you to compromise your values.
Dr. Maxwell closes the chapter by pointing out that he didn't include "greed” as one of these factors. Why? He explains that money by itself is likely not the root cause tarnishing the Golden Rule – rather, it's the pleasure, power, or pride that money makes possible.
Most Americans Believe in One Rule for Everyone
Despite the near-daily instances of poor or questionable behaviors reported from, or tracking back to, Washington, DC over the past three months, some recent polls have bolstered my hope for our nation. One of these was from Pew Research Center, known for conducting respected high-quality polls on a wide variety of topics.
On April 23, 2025, Pew released a poll on the current president's job rating and key policies. While much of the poll's results correlate with partisan affiliation or partisan leaning, there are several important areas with overwhelming bipartisan support or concern. Here are three poll results that caught my eye:
- Americans say, by a large majority, the current administration would need to stop an action if a federal court says it's illegal – 78% to 19% – and this rises to 88% vs 9% if the Supreme Court rules an action is illegal.
- By a large majority – 87% to 12% – the current administration should focus on the concerns of all Americans, not just those who voted for it.
- The percentage of Americans who are very or somewhat concerned about the price of food and consumer goods is 92%, while 87% say the cost of housing is concerning. Both represent a large majority.
Whether it's following the rule of law, ensuring the welfare of everyone, or worrying about necessities, I believe these results show that basic values and affordability concerns are common to almost everyone – and, by extension, that Americans truly believe the Golden Rule should be One Rule for Everyone.
Sincerely,
Todd L. Herman
PS – Please check out our most recent video – Culture Check: Ethics First
