An Ethics Check

There has been quite a bit of discussion generated in light of the Penn State/Joe Paterno scandal. The discussion hits at a key leadership issue: character.


It has reminded me of a simple ethics check a friend of mine taught me several years ago. This simple tool extends cost-benefit analysis by adding a time dimension and can be applied to an ethical decision by asking:

Are the costs/benefits experienced now or in the future?

If the benefits are now, but the costs are in the future, it may not be a good ethical choice. If on the other hand, the costs will be experienced now, but the benefits are in the future, it may be a good decision. While this isn't a "universal law," it’s a good check.

Let's apply it to Joe Paterno's decision: If he had chosen to "go public" and risk damaging his and the school's reputation when he first found out about the abuse being perpetrated by one of his assistant coaches, the costs would have been immediate. But after the initial dust and fury settled, Paterno’s character would be intact and his reputation would have been enhanced.

Instead, he chose the "immediate benefits" of covering up the horrible scandal and deferring the costs to some future time, if he had been caught. Because of his choice, his reputation is now permanently damaged.

It really boiled down to a flawed cost-benefit analysis.