Surprise! Good News For a Change… Sort Of !

No it’s not an April Fools’ joke---rather some unexpected good news. A recent survey of teenagers revealed the fact that most kids choose their own parents as favorite role models. Friends and coaches and teachers are not even close seconds.

This survey conducted by Junior Achievement and Deloitte confirms similar findings from past research.  So despite all the verbal rebellion, tough talk and crankiness, adolescents admire their parents, worry about their own ability to live up to parental standards and achievement, value parents’ views.

This puts a different sort of burden on parents. Their own ethical conduct is being closely watched and mirrored by their children, despite protests to the contrary. I wonder if there is any connection between the apparent low point in business ethics during the current moment in history and the fact that these same polled teens in large numbers confess to unethical conduct.  What’s more, almost 40 % believe it’s necessary to break the rules in order to succeed.

We’d better clean up our business and professional acts, not to mention demand of ourselves decency in interpersonal involvements if we want to see the next generation raise standards of behavior. What’s at risk is the ability to trust anyone at all in any situation.