Josephson's ethics tune getting more play after scandals

Ethicist, provocateur and list-maker Michael Josephson has never been more in vogue. He's been cajoling and scaring people straight about ethics since 1985. One of his favorite audiences has been the newspaper industry.

Now, with media credibility eroding and journalists still shell-shocked over breaches of ethics such as the Jayson Blair affair at The New York Times, Josephson finally has the full attention of the men and women in the upper reaches of newspaper management.

On Monday and Tuesday, at the Reston headquarters of the American Press Institute, Josephson talked, listened to and cross- examined 20 newspaper publishers and executives from around the country about their plans to guard against ethics violations within their companies.

Josephson, a lawyer and former law professor, knows the value of lists as teaching tools. His "Six Pillars of Character " – trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship – help him help others to make better decisions. (The list is even set to music on a children's video.)

Then there's his "The Twelve Truths About Being the Boss, " a pithy, timely and sobering list for executives that is suitable for framing in any executive suite.

Twelve Truths About Being the Boss

1) Everyone rationalizes, including you.

2) There are lots of things you don't know and lots of people who hope you don't find out (In other words, the most dangerous problems are the ones you don't know about.)

3) Complacency and overconfidence about ethics is a major vulnerability (Everyone says it can't happen here until it does.)

4) The Law of Big Numbers is that in an organization of size there are bound to be some crooks and psychopaths, people who are weak, crooked or unstable.)

5) What you allow, you encourage

6) Most people resist the temptation to lie most of the time; few are never tempted or resist all the time.

7) The higher the stakes – large financial incentives, relentless pressure, fear of losing a job – the greater the cheating.

8) Most people overestimate their ethical reputation and ability to resist temptations.

9) We judge ourselves by our best intentions and most noble acts, but we're judged by our last worst act.

10) If you decide to fight fire with fire, " you're likely to end up only with the ashes of your own integrity.

11) If you hire, retain or promote a person of doubtful character or shaky integrity, you'll eventually pay the price. (Character is a vital competence. Hire for character, and train for skills.)

12) In the end, what matters most is relationships. And what matters most in relationships is ethics.