Midlands Business Journal • OCTOBER 9, 2020 •
27
Ethics Under Pressure Moral Courage in the Face of Ethics Adversity
Register today at EthicSpace.org
October 13th, 2020
1 Day 3 Speakers Breakout sessions ethicspace.org
Business Ethics Alliance lands on 'Ethics Under Pressure' theme for EthicSpace by Gabby Christensen
Focusing on a timely theme for its annual EthicSpace conference, the Business Ethics Alliance has landed on the topic of moral courage for the 2020 event. According to Eve McLain, director of education at Business Ethics Alliance, moral courage is defined as having consistent ethical behavior even when it is difficult, unpopular or comes at a cost. “We felt this was a great conversation to have as a community,” McLain said. “We wanted to raise awareness of what it was and also to provide practical tips and advice on how to muster it when needed.” She noted planning takes a lot of people power and figuring out how the event was going to be held was the first step. “We have been known for over a decade of bringing the Greater Omaha business
community together to have these important moral and ethical discussions and here we are in the midst of a pandemic,” she said. “Our old way of doing it wasn’t going to work this year. We, like almost all other conferences, are going remote and virtual.” McLain said the Business Ethics Alliance also searched and secured the tools that would allow the conference to take place in a space that is safe. “The speaker lineup is great,” she said. “We have SecondCity to learn techniques to speak up, especially in uncomfortable situations. We have Don Eckles, the co-founder of Scooter's Coffee, to share a lifetime of wisdom and what mustering moral courage in the workplace looks like in action. And we have Dr. Jill Brown, professor of Management at Bentley University to discuss how moral courage is necessary to make it to the
top of one’s field ... and stay there. We also have three breakout sessions to go deeper into the conversation, including Mustering Moral Courage, When Compliance Doesn’t Quite Cover It…You Need Ethics and You’ve Seen Something Wrong…Now What?” When COVID-19 hit, McLain said businesses faced many ethical dilemmas — or situations that had two right answers but choosing either comes at a cost. “They had to choose if they were going to close their businesses down or keep them open and there were risks associated with both,” McLain said. “They had to choose how they were going to distribute work between overworked and stressed employees, how they were going to support their employees who were trying to balance new home responsibilities and risks, how they were going to manage their account receivables and pay-
ables to be fair to the vendors they work with but still try to cover their operating expenses and so much more. They had to take moral stances even if they disagreed with others whose opinions they valued.” And then, she noted race relations came to the forefront and social justice demanded attention. “Conversations we may have avoided in the past became required as we explored the concept of systemic racism and what role companies play in the dismantling of such systems,” McLain said. “This year has been full of moral and ethical situations that require our attention. Moral courage, having consistent ethical behavior even when it is difficult, unpopular or comes at a cost is a conversation begging to be had and we’re pleased to offer the space and resources for that conversation as businesses traverse these trying times.”
Conference’s virtual format to provide space for ethics conversations without boundaries by Michelle Leach
The Business Ethics Alliance quite responsibly began planning for this year’s EthicSpace Conference as soon as the last, inaugural event was in the books in late October 2019. A year ago, the organization anticipated 550 attendees at CHI Health Center Omaha. The world had other plans. “We held out hope that the pandemic would run its course by the time October 2020 came around,” said Patrick Leahy, director, resources and development. “In early summer of this year, we foresaw that was not going to be the case.” Cancelation was out of the question after the Alliance spoke with its partners and 2019 attendees. “It was clear the value EthicSpace Conference provides in helping bring individual organizations and the entire community together,” Leahy said. “Making space for ethics conversations was needed during these turbulent times.” The organization pivoted; speakers that no longer “made sense,” given new challenges and the latest business headlines, were replaced with a more relevant lineup. “In conversations with our sponsor-partners, it was agreed that this topic of ‘moral courage’ is needed in today’s business environment and a beneficial conversation for the community to take part in,” he said. It is challenging to facilitate interaction
between presenters and audience, offline conversations, and a sense of community, but there are silver linings. “We are no longer confined to our geographic region,” he said. “For a half-day, in-person conference, it was unreasonable to expect attendees to come to Omaha from Grand Island, Scottsbluff or even Kansas City.” Within reach online, employees at locales across the country can take part. “We have been able to get speakers we may not have otherwise been able to, as their calendars have opened up,” he said, adding the nonprofit hasn’t incurred associated travel expenses. Last but not least: “There is no cap on the number of people we can accommodate,” he said. If Habitat for Humanity of Omaha Engagement and Experience Officer Kenneth Mar was asked eight months ago about virtual events, he would have said “No” to that format, decrying the lack of the relational aspect of not being there in person. “Today, apart from distancing and doing the right thing, maybe the mind set needs to change to ‘go big, go virtual or go home,” Mar said. “The maximizer in me always says, ‘How scalable can we make this?’ or ‘What is our capacity? Can we fill this place?’ You don’t have limits now. It can be as big as you can dream by going virtual — an incredible opportunity
to educate without boundaries.” Business Ethics Alliance and its programming have, by Mar’s account, expanded the boundaries of Habitat’s culture — within its actual workspace and in terms of how each team member is positioned personally. “It causes one to think of who you are as a person and how your team defines you,” he said. In fact, other than key functions such as hiring and budget, Mar said there is no more important workplace discussion than ethics. “It is how our employees identify within the neighborhoods and community that we serve,” he said. “There is nothing more important than how Habitat for Humanity of Omaha transacts our business and serves the community.” Similarly, Leahy noted how business ethics deals with how to treat others. “Many of the issues businesses are dealing with today require an acknowledgement of being part of something bigger than just ourselves or our organization’s specific mission,” he said. “This requires that we think about how our actions impact and affect others in the short and long term.” Businesses understand markets and communities, and how the actions of one have an impact on many. To this year’s most-pertinent theme,
Leahy said this: “To address tough problems requires tough decisions. Moral courage helps us muster the will to take the stand we feel called to, endure the hardship and face the danger associated with not making all sides happy.” Determine values — take internal and external stances aligned with what you aspire to be. “To do that consistently, you need to strengthen your own and your organization’s ‘moral courage muscles,’” Leahy said. Tools acquired at EthicSpace, he added, support attendees’ work the next day, week, and year — moral courage represents a lifelong skill. “Businesses who send their people to attend are investing in their workforce in ways that will create a ‘speak-up culture’ and contribute to the company’s long-term vitality,” Leahy said. When Habitat employees and supporters are posed the question of moral courage, Mar said the notion of selling hope — not just building homes — rings true. “There is nothing more important than what a home offers a family,” he said. “The opportunity, the future, all the dreams a parent has for the family, that is hope.” Moral courage, he noted, is the mindset that what Habitat does is right for the families and neighborhoods they serve — not just the organization.
EthicSpace — inside OCTOBER 9, 2020
THE BUSINESS NEWSPAPER OF GREATER OMAHA, LINCOLN AND COUNCIL BLUFFS
$2.00
VOL. 46 NO. 41
inCOMMON invests in historic neighborhoods
THIS WEEK 'S ISSUE:
by Michelle Leach
AnswerPro adds Omaha location, uses latest tech to provide clients with creative solutions. – Page 2
l tria us ket d In ar M
Industrial firms aim to carve out niches, elevate diversity initiatives. – Page 6
y
log
o hn
c
Te
Technology industry remains robust through changing times. – Page 23
In 10 years, inCOMMON Community Development’s holistic approach to investing in neighborhoods has had a transformative effect on the Park Avenue neighborhood with its $14 million affordable housing project, a now seven-year-old community center and amenities ranging from a community garden to playground. The nonprofit’s team is setting out to have the same positive effect on another historic north Omaha neighborhood: Walnut Hill. “We went through a pretty extensive process of looking for a neighborhood to replicate in … one that has an opportunity for redevelopment,” said Director Christian Gray. “We want to see people benefit, not be displaced, forgotten or disinvested.” Founded in 2001 as Mosaic Community Development, the organization based out of 1340 Park Ave. is built on four pillars of workforce development, relationship development, leadership develContinued on page 4.
Director Christian Gray at 40th and Hamilton streets, the site of the future community center in the Walnut Hill neighborhood … The nonprofit has made investments in affordable housing in Park Avenue that retain, but don’t replace residents. (Photo by MBJ / Becky McCarville)
Omaha’s Rockbrook Camera shifts to single location, expands store and online offerings by Becky McCarville
When the pandemic hit the U.S. in March, Rockbrook Camera took advantage of the unexpected down time to consolidate its two Omaha stores, a plan that was put in place a year before but scheduled for May. The Legacy location, near 168th Street and West Center Road in the Shops of Legacy, opened in 2006, also underwent a light
remodel and expansion of its classroom space. Rockbrook Camera now occupies 13,000 square feet of its 18,000-square-foot Legacy building. “We knew long term it wasn’t a good play to have two full line camera stores with all the inventory and everything else required five miles apart,” said Chuck Fortina, Continued on page 4. Director of Community Engagement Tony Veland speaking at the Heartland Developers Conference … Engagement at the conference remained high after moving to a virtual format. (photo courtesy of AIM Institute)
Virtual format can’t dull enthusiasm for Heartland Developers Conference by Dwain Hebda
Co-owners Chuck Fortina, left, and Tony Fortina … Planned consolidation of the two Omaha locations and a light remodel of the Legacy location, sped up by the pandemic, turned out to be a “blessing in disguise.” (photo courtesy of Rockbrook Camera)
Organizers at the AIM Institute didn’t know what to expect out of their annual Heartland Developers Conference after switching to a virtual format. What they discovered was the event was more relevant than ever. The 2020 conference, held Sept. 24, attracted 1,500 registrants and 1,000 participants, 200 more than last year’s event. Tony Veland, AIM Institute’s director of
community engagement, couldn’t have been happier. “We were ecstatic with the turnout at the event,” he said. “With this being our first virtual conference, we didn’t really know what to expect. We thought we would still have some pretty good excitement, and fortunately for us I think we marketed it well. We had a really good platform that people were able to Continued on page 10.