If there is any one thing the mortgage sales person should take away from what has happened in the last few years (and still what is happening in the loan modification segment), is that they must operate with ethics and integrity. The taint of a few taints everybody.
Earlier this year, ethics expert Christopher Bauer made a couple of recommendations regarding books that people should read on the topic.
The first is"Blind Spots: Why We Fail to Do What's Right and What To Do About It" by Max Bazerman and Ann Tenbrunsel.
Bauer said "This is probably the best book I've seen on the current state of empirical research on behavioral ethics. It is extremely readable (non-academic sounding) and covers a wide range of compelling, often counter-intuitive, and always-interesting findings on how we go about making and justifying our ethical decisions.
"Some of what they discuss is more than a little alarming (e.g. why defining ourselves as ethically-attuned can systematically increase our chances of engaging in a wide array of ethics transgressions, etc.) but it is all both fascinating and valuable. One could make the case that they don't do much to fulfill the title's promise of 'what to do about it' but I think that's easily forgiven in light of all the terrific information and ideas they've put into this book. Highly recommended."
His other choice is "Giving Voice to Values: How to Speak Your Mind When You Know What's Right" by Mary Gentile.
"The title says it all. The writing style seems to be a bit off-putting for some readers, I gather, but I think Gentile does a terrific job of discussing many of the common barriers we find—both individually and organizationally— to speaking our truths as well as ideas on how to keep those barriers from getting in our way nearly so much.
"'Giving Voice to Values' is perhaps a somewhat less easy read than 'Blind Spots' but is highly recommended as well. Even if you don't agree with 100% of what Gentile says—and I certainly don't—it seems to me that reading it can't help but be a thought-provoking experience," Bauer declared.
