The ethics compass

Leading with clarity in a complex world

“To teach how to live without certainty, and yet without being paralysed by hesitation, is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy, in our age, can still do for those who study it.” - Bertrand Russell

In a world where we are constantly asked to make decisions - often quickly, under pressure and with imperfect information - where do we find our moral compass? My recent journey into the foundations of ethics, through a University of Oxford, Department for Continuing Education course on practical philosophy, helped me find some surprising answers. Ten weeks, about 10 hours each, well spent time.

For me as a CEO, the implications were immediate. I often find myself balancing long-term growth with short-term trade-offs, cross-cultural expectations with global business standards, or human impact with financial metrics. This course - structured around four major moral theories: virtue ethics, deontology, expressivism, and utilitarianism - offered not just intellectual insight but practical wisdom. It challenged how I approach leadership, communication, negotiation, and even personal reflection.

What started as an academic curiosity quickly became something deeper: a personal and professional journey into what it means to lead ethically, in a complex and uncertain world.

Virtue ethics: Who you are is how you decide

Aristotle's virtue ethics doesn't ask whether your action was successful. It asks: Did it reflect the person you want to be?

Before taking this course, I saw leadership largely through the lens of goals - results, strategy, execution. But ethics reminded me to reflect more deeply on character. In hindsight, there were moments where I focused on being "effective" without pausing to ask if I was being courageous, fair, or kind.

One situation sticks with me. I once had to mediate a conflict between two senior leaders. I remained neutral and pragmatic, thinking that was the fairest thing to do. But later, I realised that avoiding discomfort was not the same as being virtuous. True leadership, I now see, would’ve meant being brave enough to challenge both sides with honesty and empathy.

Virtue ethics taught me to stop asking only what should I do? and start asking who am I becoming when I do it?

Deontology: Doing right, even when it's not obvious

Kant’s deontology is rooted in the idea of duty - doing what is right, not because of the consequences, but because it’s the right thing to do. At first glance, this seemed straightforward. But this course made me realize that what we see as “right” is often filtered through habits, assumptions and pressure.

One case stood out clearly. We were in talks with a potential new partner to jointly enter a key Swiss account. Their solution filled an important gap in our portfolio and together we could present a much stronger value proposition. But during diligence, it became clear that their offshore labor practices were questionable. Not illegal, but ethically uncomfortable.

Previously, I might have taken the “win first, fix later” approach. But Kant’s categorical imperative made me pause: what if every company ignored this kind of conduct in pursuit of growth? We would be undermining the very standards we expect others to uphold.

Acting out of duty - not convenience or urgency - became the ethical guide. We chose to step back. And while it delayed progress, it reinforced something far more important: trust in who we are and what we stand for.

Expressivism: Understanding the emotions behind morality

Hume’s expressivism argues that moral judgments aren’t universal truths - they’re expressions of how we feel about certain actions. This was an uncomfortable insight at first. I have always prided myself on being logical, data-driven and precise in my leadership decisions.

But the more I reflected, the more I saw how often my reactions were emotional biased first, and rationalized second. Yet, luckily i can relay heavily trilogy sense i follow with discipline - guts, heart and mind - which has proven me right to a vast majority decisions taken.

I remember challenging a team lead who was constantly late to meetings. I framed it as “professional standards,” but my frustration came from a deeper emotional place - my Swiss sense of punctuality and respect for structure. That wasn’t wrong, but I had failed to acknowledge how cultural context shaped my view of what’s “right.”

Expressivism helped me ask: What emotional or cultural norms am I applying here? And more importantly, can I listen for the same in others?

This shift has made me a better communicator - more curious, less reactive. And perhaps most of all, it reminded me that morality is often felt before it’s reasoned.

Utilitarianism: Beyond the numbers

Utilitarianism, as proposed by Mill, urges us to choose the action that maximizes happiness or minimizes suffering for the greatest number. It seems like a useful metric - and as a business leader, I naturally gravitate to models that help weigh pros and cons.

But this course made me more aware of who is missing from the calculation.

For example, deploying an AI-based tool in your HR pipeline to accelerate candidate screening. It might work: faster shortlisting, fewer human biases and quicker time to hire. The ROI might be clear. But over time, we might notice something subtle - a drop in diversity from non-traditional educational backgrounds or then important generation mix. The model had learned from historical hiring data and unknowingly replicated patterns we were trying to avoid.

Before the course, I might have seen that as an optimization issue. But utilitarian reasoning helped me see the bigger picture: Was short-term efficiency coming at the cost of long-term fairness? Were we truly maximizing the collective good, or just those already best positioned?

The lesson: technology should serve people, not the other way around. Ethical leadership means asking not just who benefits - but who may be quietly excluded.

Ethics in action: Everyday questions, everyday leadership

This course was not about abstract debate. It was about practical clarity. Ethics lives in our daily choices - in how we treat a colleague, close a deal, respond to failure, or structure a partnership.

Here is how the four theories now shape my daily decision-making:

• Virtue ethics grounds me in who I want to be, especially under pressure
• Deontology reminds me to hold the line - even when I’m tempted to blur it
• Expressivism helps me pause and understand what values are being expressed - mine and others’
• Utilitarianism encourages me to zoom out and ask whose outcome am I really optimizing?

They don’t always point in the same direction. But that’s not the point. Ethics isn’t about certainty. It’s about awareness and structured reflection, especially when certainty fails us.

Final thoughts: Why ethics matters - now more than ever

In today’s world - with AI, geopolitics, economic pressure and cultural fragmentation - ethical leadership is not optional. It’s essential.

This Oxford course reminded me that philosophy doesn’t give you the answers. It teaches you how to ask better questions. It gives you the courage to act - not perfectly, but intentionally.

It gave me space to think not only as a CEO, but as a human being. And that balance - between performance and principles - is where true leadership begins.

If you lead people, shape culture, or make decisions that affect others (and who doesn’t?), I invite you to pause and explore these moral theories. Not just to read them, but to test them - against your daily decisions, your values, and your ambitions.

Because at the end of the day, your ethos is what people remember. And it’s also what you live with.

Learning truly is key. Thank you once more, dear Hossein Dabbagh for your superb course steering and guidance.