After analyzing the article “Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices”, I noticed many of the scenarios Carucci describes reflected my own experiences. This past summer, during my internship at Mount Airy Parks and Recreation, I observed that my supervisor, the department director, often faced excessive pressure to meet ambitious goals. While many of his objectives were realistic, at times the pressure to achieve results overshadowed his attention to his employees. As Carucci notes, excessive focus on performance targets can create “tunnel vision,” causing leaders to prioritize outcomes over people. I saw this firsthand, as my supervisor’s drive to serve the community and achieve goals sometimes came at the expense of listening to and supporting his team. 

This article really reminded me of our Hot Topic Headline for this module. Both Ron Carucci’s “Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices” and the Titan submersible tragedy highlight how good intentions can be brought down by the pressures of the job and questionable leadership choices. Carucci emphasizes that excessive pressure to meet unrealistic goals, lack of psychological safety, and leaders’ subtle signals can push otherwise ethical people into making harmful choices. Similarly, in the Titan incident, the ambition of the leaders may have created an environment where safety concerns were overlooked or even disregarded. Both cases illustrate that ethical lapses are rarely the result of personal flaws alone, but they often stem from organizational conditions that incentivize risky or unethical behavior.

Everything discussed in this article reflects patterns I see happening in everyday life. Around the world, individuals and organizations continue to struggle with unethical behavior and decision-making. Despite the creation of policies, codes of conduct, and ethics programs intended to guide leaders, human nature and free will still play a major role in how decisions are made. Carucci’s point that systemic pressures such as unrealistic goals, conflicting priorities, and lack of psychological safety can push even well-intentioned people toward unethical choices is evident in many current events, from corporate scandals to public sector failures.

Carucci, Ron. “Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices.” Harvard Business Review, 16 Dec. 2016, hbr.org/2016/12/why-ethical-people-make-unethical-choices. Accessed 29 Aug. 2025.