The MBA Oath: Deciding We Stand For

As graduation season approaches there is a unique movement afoot. It involves MBA’s committed to leading in the interests of the greater good and living out the principles articulated in an oath.  Among the principles included in the MBA Oath are:

I will manage my enterprise with loyalty and care and will not advance my personal interests at the expense of my enterprise or society.

I will protect the human rights and dignity of all people affected by my enterprise, and I will oppose discrimination and exploitation.

I will protect the right of future generations to advance their standard of living and enjoy a healthy planet.

Started by a group of Harvard Business School students, the MBA oath has already been signed by several thousand current and soon-to-be MBAs from throughout the world.

My buddy Elizabeth Doty, author of The Compromise Trap recently blogged about how the MBA Oath helps to address ten common misconceptions about compromise at work.  She writes:

The MBA Oath is of immense value as a touchstone that keeps us connected with our highest and best selves. Having that clarity and courage benefits us, because it keeps us in touch with the source of creativity, vitality and self-respect that allows us to create value and reap its rewards. It is better for our businesses because it shifts the focus off clever shortcuts onto the long-term drivers of innovation and value. And it serves our society, because it activates a much broader leadership perspective in the institutions that have so much power to shape the rules of the game.

If you feel this is an effort worth your support, here are two ways to contribute:

1. Consider forwarding a link to people in your network. I’m encouraging all of my classmates and friends from the UCLA Anderson School to sign on!

2. If you are an MBA, consider signing the oath.