“I think we're alone now, there doesn't seem to be anyonearound.”

Whether those lyrics bring to mind Tiffany (ugh!) or Tommy James(yes!), many is the lovestruck teenager who totally understood themessage.

It seems appropriate during March, long designated EthicsAwareness Month by many fine organizations within the insuranceindustry, to consider what help Tommy James' ode to teenagelove/lust can provide in strengthening our approach to formingsolid ethical behaviors in our world of insurance.

Specifically, the concept that marks a key benchmark for ethicalbehavior: “Ethics is who you are when no one else is around.”

To which I submit but a single word in reply: Bull! A classicexample of this misleading “when no one else is around” scenario isa case study once brought to me by a student: You are drivingthrough the desert, 400 miles from the nearest town. The trafficlight turns red. After you stop, it remains red for some time.Looking around, you see no one. Do you wait for the light to changeor run it?

If you are going to form ethical behaviors that actually matterin the real world, you have to deal with the fact you are seldomtruly alone. Even in the song, note the disclaimer: “There doesn'tseem to be anyone around.”

Anyone who has an interest in our behaviors and actions watcheshow you react to a real-life situations. Some examples:

How you treat that prospect in our office: Both the prospect andyour employees are watching.

How you treat your employees: Your other staff and othersurrounding members of the public are watching.

How you react to questions or requests: Consider how many folkswill know if you agree to alter or modify a certificate ofinsurance, especially after you have repeatedly admonished yourstaff how any such modification is a clear E&O risk: yourstaff; your insured; the certificate holder; the carrier; everyparty that is provided a copy of that certificate and possibly,your attorney and E&O carrier.

How you follow underwriting guidelines and proper businessprocedures: This affects your carrier loss ratios as well aspotential contingent income that would have proved key tobottom-line profits for you, any partners, fellow stockholders,future buyers/perpetuation plans and even family members who dependupon your continued income.

How you feel about yourself: Staff, clients, friends and familymembers are just the most immediate stakeholders who will sense—andbe affected by—a toxic attitude or unhappy personality resultingfrom increasing tension created by your gap between the type ofethics you want to practice and those actions you actuallytake.

In honor of your personal stakeholders, make this March the timeyou drive that ethical stake in the ground. No more magicalthinking that somehow everything is negotiable as long as it is“victimless” or seemingly unseen.

The 'Red Light' Scenario and its Faulty Logic RegardingEthical Training

1. With all of the real ethical decisions we have to face in thereal world, why bother to make one up? There is no traffic light inthe desert 400 miles from nowhere!

2. Because we all know the case is fake, we have just been givenpermission to fake our answers.

3. Included in those who can fake answers is the instructor, whocan now make up any answer that serves his or her purposes, with noresponsibility to make sure that his answer is worthy of thestudent's time or grounded in reality.