March is National Ethics month, promoted by many fine insurance organizations such as the CPCU Society. So it seems only fitting I am watching the movie “Gettysburg.” What does a movie about one of the most frequently discussed and hotly debated battles in U.S. history have to do with insurance ethics? Well, since you asked….

Ethics also is one of the most frequently discussed and hotly debated topics in our society, not to mention the insurance industry. And just as Civil War buffs tend to let emotions and myths interfere with historical facts, people who discuss ethics inevitably lapse into disagreements about morals and values. Since many states now require completion of an ethics class as a criterion for meeting CE requirements, no doubt there is a lot of disagreeing going on in our business.

Trying to avoid the “morals/values” trap leads many ethics programs onto the rocks. Hoping to steer clear of any issue that might cause friction, they end up taking one of two paths: making the case studies and examples so egregious and/or illegal that no one could possibly suggest an ethical defense for them' or seeking a middle ground so meek and mild as to make Pablum seem Cajun-spiced by comparison. The problem? Both approaches render the subject meaningless and thus minimize its impact on the ethical behavior of the students.