Staying on the Ethical Straight and Narrow

Schmidt warns that organizations should be honest about their financial status and not try to hide any difficulties they might be having.

“It’s very easy to put a spin on something, but it’s not particularly ethical and in reality it could come back to haunt you,” she says.

Ask yourself how the organization would look if something you’re doing ended up on the front page of tomorrow’s paper. If you’d be mortified, Schmidt says, “That’s usually a good indication that you’re doing something that you ought not be doing.”