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How do I stay true to my ethical beliefs and stay honest under pressure?

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Chirayu’s Answer

Staying true to your ethical beliefs and staying honest under pressure can be challenging, but there are several things you can do to maintain your integrity: Your core values are the beliefs and principles that are most important to you. Identify them and use them as a guide when making decisions. Make a commitment to act with integrity in all situations, even when it may be difficult or inconvenient. Surround yourself with people who share your values and can offer support and guidance when you are faced with ethical dilemmas. Take time to reflect on your actions and decisions. Ask yourself if they align with your core values and if you are proud of the way you have behaved. If you witness unethical behavior, speak up. It can be difficult to confront others, but it's important to stand up for what you believe in. If you make a mistake or act in a way that is not aligned with your values, take responsibility for your actions and take steps to make it right. Set clear boundaries for yourself and communicate them to others. This can help you avoid situations that may compromise your integrity.
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Russ’s Answer

When you have questions about ethics and morals, remember that whatever you decide to do, needs to rest well on your own conscious. It's difficult for one person to define the boundaries of what another thinks is ethical or moral. I have found the most efficient way for me to look at it is "stay true to yourself." Being ethical and moral, you need to look in the mirror and be proud of who you are looking at. When teaching classes, I always remind my students that we live in a world of surveillance. Every single person out there has the ability to record a video, post it online and have millions of people view it. Of those viewing it, they w​ill decipher it, pick it apart, "Monday morning quarterback" so to speak. Remember, it's not what it is, it's what it looks like from across the room. So, when thinking of moral and ethical behavior, because the two do go together, be mindful of what someone else may see it as. The best way to examine this would be thinking "if my mother, grandmother or children saw a video of me, would they be ashamed or proud?"

Each person has a set of standards of what they find acceptable and not. When looking for a job, a partner, a spouse, there are limitations to what you will find acceptable. Never settle for something, trying to change a person to be what you find in that acceptable range. Going back to the start of this answer, what you have as inner thoughts, let your conscious be your guide, so to speak. Be brutally honest with yourself, even if you are less forthcoming externally and don't let opportunities relevant to you pass by. So to recap, be yourself, ponder "what would someone watching a video with no context think is happening" and stay true to your own set of standards.

Russ recommends the following next steps:

Create a list of short term and long term goals.
Next, create three ways to reach those goals.
Finally, set a milestone for each goal. Think about how to reach the goals and how following your set of standards will allow you to achieve it.
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Ryan’s Answer

I would consider the type of environment that makes you question ethical behavior and honesty. If it is a toxic environment that should be weighed against your willingness to fight for it (and suffer whatever consequences) or leave and find an environment conducive to your ethical standards.

I should also say, being steadfast in that conflict can be taxing, stressful, and often includes litigious circumstances. Prolonging your stay within that environment can have devastating effects on your well-being and career. Especially if that organization gains a negative reputation.

It is important to maintain your integrity and build trust with others. Here are some tips to help you stay true to your ethical beliefs and stay honest under pressure:

1. Know your values: Take the time to identify your values and what is important to you. This can help you make decisions that align with your beliefs.

2. Be prepared: Anticipate situations where you may be faced with ethical dilemmas and have a plan in place for how you will respond.

3. Seek advice: Consult with trusted mentors or colleagues who share your values and can offer guidance on ethical decision-making.

4. Take a step back: When faced with pressure to act unethically, take a step back and evaluate the situation objectively. Ask yourself if the decision aligns with your values and if it will have negative consequences.

5. Speak up: If you see unethical behavior, speak up and address the situation in a professional manner.

6. Be accountable: Take responsibility for your actions and own up to mistakes. This can build trust with others and demonstrate your commitment to ethical behavior.

7. Seek support: Surround yourself with people who share your ethical beliefs and can offer support and encouragement.
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Amy’s Answer

Staying true to your ethical beliefs means something different to each person, but universally compromising your ethics can come back to haunt you. Typically when people compromise their ethics, it causes additional stress and worry, that lasts far beyond saying "NO" to a request to compromise. It can damage your brand/reputation with your employer or the people around you and keep you from moving ahead or worse get you fired. Honesty and Integrity are critical in business, and building a strong brand as someone who acts honestly and with integrity is highly valued. If you are feeling pressured to go against your ethics or act dishonestly, the consequences to giving into this pressure will outweigh whatever the short term benefit might be. If someone pressures you to compromise, tell a trusted advisor or leader. When I've faced this pressure, I'm reminded of this quote a professor once shared with me: Warren Buffett said " It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you'll do things differently."
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Christine’s Answer

Honestly, there is a simple answer to this. If you are honest and straight forward in life in general, you will attract honest and straight forward opportunity. If you don't take anything personally and remember that you are responsible for your own decisions, these two questions are automatically answered for you. This has been my experience. If it's a case of you filling our a resume and trying to make it sound better, read it out loud to yourself once you've completed it. Evaluate your expression and think what it would sound like to you if you heard it as a business owner. I guess it goes back to the old additive that if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to hide!

Good luck with finding your own truth in this journey!
Christine
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Hsinlin’s Answer

This is a such great question that most people don't ask. It's a true challenge and very difficult to manage when under pressure and when directions come from people who are more senior than you. It's important for you to fully understand your own ethical boundaries and know what you can tolerate vs. not. For things you can't tolerate, you can choose to report it anonymously, you can choose to not be a part of it, or go as far as leaving/resigning from your situation. None of those choices are easy to make but may be important to you. Talking to your friends and families can help you to make those decisions as well. Just remember, if it's important to you, continue to be who you are regardless of what pressure you get.
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Luciana’s Answer

You need a lot of character and reevaluate what it is that you feel is unproductive on a personal level, you can make a list of things. To keep yourself under pressure, is difficult, you need willpower and self-confidence, and you are motivated by a goal that you want to have in the future and you know that your sacrifice will be worth it.
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Brandi’s Answer

Staying true to ethical beliefs and staying honest under pressure can be challenging, but there are several things you can do to help you stay on track:

Define your ethical beliefs: It's important to have a clear understanding of your personal values and ethical beliefs. This will help you to recognize situations where your values may be challenged, and to make more informed decisions.

Stay informed: Stay up-to-date with the latest news and developments in your industry or field. Knowing what is going on can help you to recognize when there is pressure to act unethically.

Practice decision-making: Practice making ethical decisions in everyday situations, so that when faced with more difficult situations, you will have developed your decision-making skills.

Seek support: Talk to trusted friends, family members, or colleagues about the pressure you are facing. Seek out mentors or professional associations that can provide guidance and support.

Take responsibility: Ultimately, it is up to you to make ethical decisions and to act with integrity. Take responsibility for your actions, and be willing to stand up for what you believe in, even when it is difficult.

Remember, staying true to your ethical beliefs and staying honest under pressure is not always easy, but it is essential for maintaining your integrity and building trust with others.
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Terresa’s Answer

Integrity is one of the best qualities I find in us. I stay true to my own by trusting myself, my instincts about right and wrong are spot on. I have to live in my skin so at the end of every day I ask myself do I feel bad for any of the decisions or choices I made that day. my theory is that if you feel bad about it then chances are very good that it was a bad decision. I will not compromise my integrity no matter what because trust is the hardest to build and the easiest to destroy. Be honest with yourself and you will have no problem being true to others.
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Erick’s Answer

Stay true to yourself and what you believe in. It's no fun being in an environment where you have to hide who you really are and unable to pursue your own happiness.
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John’s Answer

I think it can be difficult to truly test one's ability to be ethical and honest under pressure. I studied accounting in college and a few different accounting classes I took focused on the 3 dimensions required to commit fraud: need, opportunity, and justification. The theory is that these dimensions must all be present to some extent for fraud to occur. "Need" refers to the individual's personal motivations to be unethical such as large amounts of debt. "Opportunity" refers to the ability for the individual to do something unethical such as being a manager with the knowledge to hide their unethical actions. "Justification" is why the individual feels that there actions are reasonable such as being passed over for a promotion. I think 99% of us would agree that we would never do something unethical such as committing fraud, but until you are truly in a position where you have a "need" and "opportunity", none of us know how we would truly react. I think the best thing we can do is learn about ethics to further understand how we can make ethical decisions.
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