For my latest episode on my podcast I argued about this topic and I started with the basic definitions.
What is ethics?
Ethics is the study of morals and principles that guide our decisions about right and wrong. I do not want to delve into the various ethical theories, and go deeper again into utilitarianism, duty ethics, deontology and virtue ethics. It is the theories that provide the framework for understanding what is ethically correct in various situations, but in the podcast I deals with various topics within mentoring and coaching and that is where the focus is.
Socrates believed that «To do well as a man, one must follow his nature», and then he goes on to say that right insight gives right action, and right action in turn makes man happy. And that is what we want right – to be happy…
I was talking about «The global code of ethics» that EMCC has created. It is not only because it was made by the association I am a member of, but because they are trying to create a standard in ethics in our industry and so far 11 other associations in our industry have signed up to use the «Code of ethics» which is developed by EMCC Global.
I think there is no need to reinvent the wheel, we must be able to work together for the best interests of the client, mentee or coachee… They therefore want to launch the global ethical guidelines The ethical rules have been developed to set standards for what clients and purchasers/companies can expect from a coach/mentor in connection with coaching/mentoring or in connection with guidance/advice. The ethical rules must be the starting point for any cooperation agreement. It says something about how we should work with clients, how our professional behavior should be and how you can have an excellent practice.
In an attempt to create some kind of conclusion at the end, ethical dilemmas are an inevitable part of the mentoring and coaching practice. Being prepared for such challenges and having a clear understanding of ethical guidelines is essential for maintaining professionalism and integrity as a mentor/coach.
Everyone in the industry should seek guidance, participate in continuous professional development and be willing to reflect on and improve their own practice in order to meet these dilemmas in an ethical way. Using your professional network is important and having such a network behind you should be important for all parties involved.
