The UCSD article emphasizes ” Evaluate the options by asking whether they are legal, fair, and aligned with your values and organizational policies.” This approaches resonated with me because in mirrors the challenges I’ve faced in both internships and academic projects. When networking, there’s often a pressure to embellish experiences or emphasize minor achievements to stand out. However, I’ve realized that sustaining authenticity and staying true to myself preserves long-term credibility and aligns with my personal values even if it won’t help me in that certain situations. Similarly, in group projects, I’ve encountered situations where a teammate underperformed, and it would have been easier to not address it to them. Using fairness as a guiding principle reminded me to address it directly to that member while still being respectful to them as well.

This framework also connects to other leadership and ethical theories we have read about. Value-based leadership and the concept of ethicals from organizational behavior focus that decision should be guided more by principles that rules. USDC provides concrete steps that can be applied to real-life situations, making the approach practical when using it.

On a broader scale, this ethical approach parallels corporate practices governance. For example, tech companies evaluate ethics and use similar questions in order to be sure their innovation balances with responsibility (AI). If more organizations were asked whether their actions were legal and fair, more companies could have avoided scandals. The UCSD model demonstrates that ethical decision-making is both a personal practice and a critical part of maintaining organizational and public trust.

University of California San Diego. “A 7-Step Path for Ethical Decision-Making.” UCSD Blink, Ethics Awareness. “Evaluate the options by asking whether they are legal, fair, and aligned with your values and organizational policies.”