Does doing the right thing help you succeed in your career?
In March, RecognizeGood held two Ethics in Youth Education events that taught me a lot. Both delivered the same message, but in different formats. In partnership with Round Rock ISD and the Round Rock Partners in Education Foundation, we held our second Ethics in Youth Conference where high school juniors and seniors heard from community leaders on the subject of ethics as it related to their future careers. As part of Georgetown’s Youth Career Fair, we held two panel discussions centering around the question, “Does doing the right thing help you succeed in your career?” Both seemed to me not only valuable for the students who attended, but for the schools themselves as well as for the gracious business owners and leaders who agreed to be part.
Students seem to genuinely enjoy hearing from different perspectives, and our message of “Do good, and you’ll do well” seemed to be received as more than just a feel-good pep talk – this was real advice from truly successful people, and wasn’t something they’d necessarily learn in the classroom. Educators and parents more than ever seem to be focused on setting their kids up for future success at a young age, and with more opportunities constantly hitting today’s students than would have been imaginable in my high school days (not THAT long ago!), part of me feared that relating GOOD to successful futures might get lost in the noise. But as more and more successful organizations and their leaders identify the true value in GOOD employees and colleagues, the idea is validated time and time again – and as educators look more and more toward industry to integrate what’s needed in the workforce with what students learn in the classroom, our Ethics in Youth Education program is picking up speed in a way I don’t think any of us could have predicted. I’m thrilled with the possibilities and really, really excited about the way this program helps complete the triangle of business, community, and the people who make both thrive.
