Message for new business leaders: Profit and personal gain

Recently a senior executive at a large financial services firm struggled to answer whether the client's interests come first, reported Dean Robert Mittelstaedt of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in his remarks at the convocation on May 13, 2010. What has happened to respect for customers, commitment to organizational purpose and advancement, making the right decision even if it does not maximize short term profit, he asked. The global trend away from a focus on excellence and organizational success to a focus on personal success is "dangerous and destructive," he said. He challenged the graduates to measure success by the progress made in society and their organizations. Make that your ultimate goal and personal success will follow, he said. "Your leadership will differentiate you, your ethics will save you, and continuous learning will make you successful."

Recently a senior executive at a large financial services firm struggled to answer whether the client's interests come first, reported Dean Robert Mittelstaedt of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in his remarks at the convocation on May 13, 2010.

What has happened to respect for customers, commitment to organizational purpose and advancement, making the right decision even if it does not maximize short term profit, he asked. The global trend away from a focus on excellence and organizational success to a focus on personal success is "dangerous and destructive," he said.

He challenged the graduates to measure success by the progress made in society and their organizations. Make that your ultimate goal and personal success will follow, he said. "Your leadership will differentiate you, your ethics will save you, and continuous learning will make you successful."