道德課：解決工作與生活難題的五種思考

by Bruce Weinstein

一件好事，為什麼到最後大家都不快樂？
想理清一團亂的職場人生，就從道德智商的五件事開始！

　　我們隨時隨地都在工作與生活中遇上道德難題，譬如開除人（分手）該怎麼把傷害降到最低？譬如想對路上超你車還回頭咒罵你的人還以顏色；譬如到底可不可以談辦公室戀情……

　　「做？還是不做？」我們內心充滿掙扎與矛盾。

　　本書作者溫斯坦明確指出，事業與人生若要順利美好，不僅情緒智商要好，道德智商也很重要。高情緒智商者的特質之一，是能夠留意自己及他人的感受；高道德智商的人則懂得正確處理這種感受。不僅能明辨是非，也有勇氣去做對的事。可以說是最實用、最有價值的一種做人處事智慧。

　　道德智商攸關一個人的事業是否成功、人際關係和諧與否，乃至自我肯定的程度。然而，做出正確選擇並不容易，甚至連搞清楚什麼才是正確的事，也很不簡單。儘管每個人的行事作風跟理由都不盡相同，但我們行動時都可從五個方面來思考：

　　•這樣做會造成傷害嗎？
　　•這樣做能把事情變得更好嗎？
　　•這樣做尊重人嗎？
　　•這樣做公道嗎？
　　•這樣做是有愛心的嗎？

　　只要能善用這五個原則衡量該做的事、並且放手去做，不管事情多麼複雜，我們都能找出最好（有道德）的方式過生活。

道德智商…那又怎麼樣？

　　道德智商不等於鄉愿，它是理性的五原則，思考別人的判斷，以及所有支持這些判斷的依據，幫助我們無論在何時何地，都能做出明智決定。

　　工作上，它讓我們避開尷尬人際關係、與難纏傢伙平靜共處、批評與裁撤人員時阻止負面餘波，還能聰明回應上司的不合理要求與行為。

　　生活中，它教會我們把時間分給親近的人、區別吝嗇與節儉的界限、善待自己的身體，並且化解不公道帶來的憤怒情緒。

　　它讓企業與客戶懂得彼此尊重與給予，減少消費糾紛。

　　無論是哈佛大學醫學院教授Dr. Sanjiv Ch．pra、心靈導師Dan Millman、健身專家Denise Austin、電視主持人Deb．rah N．rvelle，皆身體力行本書智慧。無論你在什麼職位、做什麼事，也能和他們一樣，鍛鍊道德智商，讓日子過得更美好。

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Business, Self Help

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 2011

About the author

Bruce 'The Ethics Guy' Weinstein should not be confused with the icecream chef Bruce Weinstein.

Reviews

[Masen Beliveau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Personally, I didn't really enjoy this book... It was talking about things I already knew. For example, if a co-worker/friend posts an inappropriate picture on Facebook, will you advise her to take it down? Of course someone would, because they wouldn't want that person to embarrass themselves. A lot of silly things like that that I already knew or had been taught by my parents. If you don't know the answer to these kinds of things, then be my guest and read the book. Otherwise, don't waste your valuable time.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mainly info we already know but forget to use. Like I told my children when they had a dilemna - "take the high road". Easier said than done. Good refresher on how to treat and get along with others, both family, friends and co-workers.

[Kate Loving Shenk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book, one whose principles I aspire to.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really perfect for today's fast pace peeps. Hope it makes it way to many leaders and families. Great lists ways to apply to real life at different age levels.

[Claire Hardwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Good practical advised , very easily digestible material .

[g clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love, love, love ethical philosophy. This book makes it super practical and makes it memorable.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bruce Weinstein is known as "the ethics guy" and as my first exposure to his work I found it overall useful and reflective. Weinstein uses a five part system to help evaluate whether a particular decision would be considered ethical. His principles are 1) Do no harm, 2) Make things better, 3) Respect others, 4) Be fair, and 5) Be loving/caring. I appreciate that he establishes these principles to guide his thinking as he approaches various ethical scenarios. The book lays out a number of situations for how to think about or handle everything from workplace conflict/conversations to personal interactions with friends, to business/customer interactions. It's made me rethink past decisions and reflect on the ethical nature of them. Some of the challenge I have with Weinstein's examples surround the nature of timing. It seems like some situations could violate one of his principles on a short-term basis thereby rendering it not ethical, but could in fact be in a long-term interest and therefore ethical. He mostly defined the do no harm in the physical context but a few examples later in the book also applied it to an emotional context in how someone receives or takes something. I thought that area is fraught with complications because the ethics of a decision become dependent on how the receiver responds to a particular action, which can't always be known or anticipated in advance. Reading his work has made me curious enough to pursue a more comprehensive education in this area and Weinstein provides a solid list of additional recommended readings and why they were significant for him. I especially appreciated the extra step he took of discussing why the additional readings matter.

[Wendy Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main framework/hypothesis of the book is very sound - five principles to maximise ethical behaviour. Was it a gripping read? No. Were there useful examples? Generally. Was a whole book needed to explain the principles? Probably not. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that this material will stick in my mind going forward.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a suggested read for those who make decisions in the workplace. I feel that the author does a great job distinguishing between right decisions and ethical decisions. I will be re-reading this one.

[Norjak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good principles (seemed relatively common sense / but perhaps that is because it parallels all workplace training/classes I've had)

[Linda Is on her way · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF pretty quickly

[Przemek Krydka · Rating 5 out of 5]

An accessible review of classical ethics with basic real-life applications, without getting philosophical.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

In today's business environment, ethical business is not only something that customers hope for... it is something that they expect. However, how should ethical business be defined? Furthermore, what principles should guide business leaders? "Ethical Intelligence: Five Principles for Untangling Your Toughest Problems at Work and Beyond" by Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D., is a good place to start. The book explores how businesses should treat customers and what they should expect from their customers. It also explores ethics as it relates to your personal life. It is definitely a book that should be added to your reading list.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

5 principles: do no harm, make things better, respect others, be fair, and be loving. Not only know but also do.
Not a fan of the quizes in the book. Bibliography at end of what else to read and watch (tv shows and movies).
Overall a bit fluffy.

[Jeremy Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Adopting these topics into the requirements CPA's cover ever cycle for their ethics would be a good idea.