The Profession and Ethic

Guided Discovery.

Artist: GP Photography

Suggested Reading

• ADP 6-22, Army Leadership and the Profession

  • Pages 1-1 through 1-14 based on printed document (PDF pages 17-30)

  • Discussion of the Army profession, ethic and expectations of a professional, ethical leader

• Link to ADP 6-22 on the US Army Publishing Directorate

• This week’s Study: Just Following Orders

• All excerpts below are from ADP 6-22 unless otherwise noted

Introduction

***We’re trying something different this week: focusing on key excerpts and questions, without as much prose.

Oath of Office for commissioned officers and DA Civilians

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the
United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and
allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation
or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office
on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

1-2. Providing the purpose, direction, and motivation required to inspire others to risk their lives to accomplish missions requires leaders committed to their profession and ethic. To prepare Army leaders to fulfill their responsibilities, the Army profession develops Soldiers and Army civilians who demonstrate character, competence, and commitment…

1-3. The Army has a dual nature as both a military department of government and a trusted military profession. The character of the Army as an institution and a profession are both essential to accomplishing the Army’s mission. However, it is the American people’s trust and confidence in the Army as an ethical profession that grants it the autonomy to exercise the disciplined initiative critical to accomplishing missions under diverse conditions around the world.

1-7. Ultimately, society trusts professions and grants them autonomy and discretion with prudent, balanced oversight or external controls. If a profession violates its ethic and loses the trust of society, it becomes subject to increased societal regulation and governance.

Are your ethics evident?
What grants you and your profession autonomy and discretion?
What role do values and ethics play in your career and family life?

This Week’s Reading, Abridged

1-5. Professionals accept the responsibility to be stewards of the people and resources entrusted to them by society and to advance the state of their profession in anticipation of changes to the world around them. Professions motivate their members to answer a “calling to honorable service,” to pursue lifelong learning, and to cooperate as members with a common purpose higher than individual gratification. A calling or vocation means that the mission is more important than the individual is, which is the basis of sacrifice.

1-10. Five characteristics identify and establish the Army as a profession. These characteristics reflect American values, the Army ethic, and the Army’s approach to conducting operations. Demonstrated consistently, these characteristics reinforce trust between the Army profession and the American people. The five characteristics of the Army profession are—

• Trust.

• Honorable service.

• Military expertise.

• Stewardship.

• Esprit de corps.

1-12. Trust has a direct relationship on the time and resources required to accomplish the mission.

1-13. Trust within the Army profession allows us to rapidly task organize units and build teams where interpersonal relations are not yet established.

1-23. While none of us can be completely prepared for complex, ambiguous situations, we should reflect on the Army ethic, study lessons learned, anticipate ethical challenges, and mitigate the risks. It is expected that Soldiers and Army Civilians, as trusted Army professionals, will do what they believe is right.

1-24. Military expertise is the ethical design, generation, support, and application of land power, and the associated capabilities essential to accomplishing missions in defense of the American people. The Army profession demonstrates military expertise while conducting operations assigned by civilian authority. The Army is trusted to accomplish missions ethically, effectively, and efficiently. The Army profession develops and demonstrates military expertise in four broad fields of knowledge:

• Leader and human development.

• Moral-ethical.

• Geo-cultural and political.

• Military-technical.

1-40. Esprit de corps is embedded in the Army culture, professional organizational climates, and shared identity. Esprit de corps is reflected in the customs, courtesies, and traditions of the Army. Discipline and standards are intrinsic to the Army profession. Armed forces conduct operations with the discipline required by military art and science. Discipline allows Army professionals to choose the harder right over the easier wrong in the face of temptation, obstacles, and adversity. Standards establish acceptable levels of performance and achievement; Army professionals strive for excellence in performance of duty.

Reflect on the order of the list of professional characteristics - does the sequence surprise you? Why?
Reflect on the order of the four fields of knowledge for military expertise - does the sequence surprise you? Why?
Do you organizations exhibit trust? What evidence do you have? What might be needed?
How do you prepare for and navigate ambiguity?

1-44. True professions are guided by an ethic that establishes the personal and institutional standards expected of its members. A professional ethic creates a shared professional identity, and provides an enduring set of moral principles, values and beliefs that guide that profession as it provides its specialized service to society. The Army ethic is the set of enduring moral principles, values, beliefs, and laws that guide the Army profession and create the culture of trust essential to Army professionals in the conduct of missions, performance of duty, and all aspects of life.

1-48. Soldiers and Army civilians join the Army profession with personal values developed in childhood and nurtured through years of experience. Diverse backgrounds and perspectives reflect American society and are a great strength of the Army. The oath to support and defend the Constitution unites all Army professionals.

1-51. In situations of uncertainty, where the rules do not provide clear, courses of action, Army professionals base their decisions and actions on the moral principles of the Army ethic.

If you remove the word ‘Army’ from the above, what elements are most relevant for your organizations and teams?
Do you have an organizational ethic?
Do you have a family ethic?

1-57. Leaders set the example, live by and uphold the Army ethic, establish a professional organizational climate, and inspire their team. Without leadership, there is no profession, only bureaucracy. While the senior leader is responsible for what the team does or fails to do, success demands that all perform duty with discipline and to standard. In this way, leaders and followers are trusted teammates in the exercise of mission command. The consistent demonstration of character, competence, and commitment, with shared understanding and intent, reinforces mutual trust.

1-62. Leadership demands courage, a character attribute and an Army Value. The mission, duty, and life itself require Army professionals to reject cowardice—they accept risk and overcome adversity and their fears. They realize that they risk personal harm in performing their duty and accomplishing missions. The harm may be physical, emotional, or spiritual. Nonetheless, Army professionals communicate with candor and tact, seek shared understanding, and demonstrate courage by doing what is ethical, effective, and efficient despite risk, uncertainty, and fear.

1-63. Some situations exist where leaders may have multiple options that are ethical, but they create tension with one another in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. It is professional judgment gained by experience that helps inform the best decision among choices that are all ethical.

1-67. Every Soldier and Army civilian has the duty to be a leader, follower, and steward of the Army profession. They are accountable to the American people to make decisions and accomplish the mission in accordance with the Army ethic. They hold themselves and others accountable to achieve standards and strive for excellence. They exemplify a life-long commitment to defend the American people and secure the national interest. In demonstrating the Army Values of honor and integrity, Army professionals uphold the Army ethic and conduct themselves in a manner worthy of their professional status.

1-75. Influencing is persuading people do what is necessary. Influencing entails more than simply passing along orders. Through words and personal example, leaders inspire purpose, provide direction, and when required motivation.

1-76. Leaders provide clear purpose for their subordinates. Purpose gives subordinates a reason to achieve a desired outcome. Leaders convey purpose through direct means such as requests, directives, or orders. Leaders inspire subordinates to do their best by instilling a higher purpose that rises above self-interest. They explain why something should or must be done and provide context whenever possible. Subordinates who understand why they are doing something difficult and discern the higher purpose are more likely to do the right thing when leaders are not present to direct their every action.

1-81. How leaders motivate others matters. There are practices that are always positive, while others are good or bad depending on the context of the situation. There are those who can inspire others to act because they respect the leader’s judgment, respect that the leader earned. Earning this type of personal respect takes time, so leaders may need to motivate others initially based upon the authorities and respect inherent in their duty position. In either case, leaders should be judicious about using pressure or threat of punishment when motivating others, because doing so too often or when unnecessary breeds resentment and low morale.

How do you communicate ethics?
How do you influence people to do what is ethical?
Are your ethics evident?

Questions for Individual Reflection

1. When was the last time you disagreed with a superior's decision based on ethical grounds? What was the personal cost?

2. How do you reconcile the situations when your personal values conflict with what's best for shareholder value?

3. Can you simultaneously serve shareholders, employees, and society equally? Is this tension resolvable?

4. What shortcuts in ethical behavior do you privately justify when facing pressures to succeed?

5. If your organization ceased operations tomorrow, would society genuinely mourn the loss of your contribution?

6. Are you influencing others toward a higher purpose or simply executing efficient processes?

Professional Discussion Prompts

1. How do you measure and quantify trust within your organization beyond employee satisfaction surveys?

2. How does your organization's decision-making structure prevent ethical blind spots at critical junctures?

3. How do you distinguish between training that creates compliance versus character building development?

4. What activities or practices genuinely unite your workforce around shared purpose rather than shared paychecks?

5. When stakeholder interests are in conflict, what framework determines priority: shareholders, employees, customers, or society?

Personal Discussion Prompts

1. What would you want your children to say about the way you conduct your professional life?

2. How do you explain to your family when professional obligations require their personal sacrifices?

3. What childhood experiences shaped your understanding of right and wrong in leadership situations?

4. What professional fears do you carry that your family likely doesn't understand?

5. Which of your stated values have you never actually been forced to defend under pressure?

Exercises

1. Professional Identity Beyond Profit

   1. Exercise:

      1. Participants write a 30-word statement defining their professional identity that excludes financial metrics, market position, or competitive advantages

      2. Small groups compare these identity statements with their company's stated mission and values

      3. Discussion focuses on moments when individual professional identity conflicted with organizational demands

   2. Debrief:

      1. When your professional identity conflicts with organizational pressure, which typically wins and why?

      2. How do you maintain personal professional standards when industry norms suggest otherwise?

      3. What would change in your decision-making if you viewed your role as stewarding a profession rather than maximizing returns?

2. The Trust Equation in Business

   1. Exercise:

      1. Participants individually assess their organization's trust levels across three dimensions: upward (with board/investors), lateral (with peers), and downward (with direct reports)

      2. Each person shares one specific example where trust accelerated decision-making speed and one where lack of trust created organizational friction

      3. Group maps the relationship between trust levels and delegation authority in their respective organizations

   2. Debrief:

      1. When you delegate significant authority, what specific behaviors signal that trust exists versus mere compliance?

      2. How do you distinguish between trust earned through competence versus trust earned through character?

      3. What organizational systems inadvertently undermine the trust you're trying to build?

Feel free to borrow this with pride and use with your teams, professionally or personally. If you do, please let me know how it went and tips for improvement: matt @ borrowingwithpride.com