What Can We Learn From Pirates?

A lasting organisation has to be a sustainable organisation.

With Pirates Week starting today here in Cayman its a reminder that an organisation can’t be all about the here and the now. OK, the pirate analogy is probably a bit of a stretch. That said, at least around these parts there are now no pirates. So, what happened?

Well, piracy is a ‘business’ built on the foundation of no ethics. Thats the first clue that an organisation will not be around for long. Perhaps they could get away with it for a while, but the tipping point comes when unethical behaviour is just too much for the surrounding society to bear and a concerted effort is placed on removing the offending person, group, or business.

No business is going to stand the test of time unless it is firmly and culturally rooted in ethical decision making. What do you do to encourage ethical decision making in your life and your business?

I live in the Cayman Islands and I'm married to Christina. We have two children, Ryan, attending Northeastern University in Boston, MA, and Taylor, attending University of Leeds in Leeds, UK. I own several businesses in Cayman. My list of 'pasts' include past chairman of the Cayman Islands Special Economic Zone Authority, past president of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman, and past president of the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce.