Turning Ethics Into Profits

A visionary colleague and good net-friend of long standing, Shel Horowitz, has scored a hat trick (that's "hockey" for a trifecta, to you dog-racing fans out there) with his new proposal to start a movement calling for high-level ethics in business.

One - he's positioned himself as a highly ethical businessman (something I've always known him to be) to a wide and growing audience

Two - he's starting a movement that, while Quixotic (tilting, as it is, at the windmill that is nothing less than the face of greed - a powerful motivator), still has a chance of actually making a positive difference in business, society and the lives of individuals

Three - come up with an interesting, personal example of "cause marketing" (something I've long championed myself) - but this time using the cause to market his own new book (rather than using the book to market the cause)

In all things, Shel has long been an innovator, and I salute him for his latest efforts.

You can learn more about this effort, you can sign a strongly-worded pro-ethics pledge, and you can buy Shel's book, at .

I thought about weighing in on ethics myself, but after some reflection, I decided to let Shel's efforts stand (for now, at least) on their own clear merits. So click on over and take a look - and if you agree that business ethics are too precious to be left to Fortune 500 CEOs, give some thought to signing on to Shel's crusade.

Ned