The presentation given to PMI on May 26, 2018 regarding ethics and moral leadership within project management.

1. Balancing Leadership,
Moral Courage and
Corrosive Relationships
in life of Project
Management
Carlo Antonio Nino
Deputy Country Director – Operations
Helen Keller International
Non-governmental Organization

2. About me…
• 15 Years – United States Marine Corps officer – Major
• 9 Years – International NGO

3. About me…
• Afghanistan – 2001, 2007, 2009-2013
• 2001 – Invasion, Nov 26
• 2009-2013 – International NGO work

4. About me…
• Liberia, W. Africa
• 2005 – USMC/ United Nations – Peacekeeper
• 2014 – Ebola Outbreak

5. About me…
• Liberia, W. Africa
• 2005 – USMC/ United Nations – Peacekeeper
• 2014 – Ebola Outbreak

6. About me…
• Haiti
• 2015 – Haitian National Police
• International Narcotics & Logistics – Dept of State

7. Djibouti, Pakistan, E. Timor, Eritrea, Dire Dawa – Ethiopia, Ghana,
Kenya, Tanzania

8. Bangladesh

9. Main Topics
• What would a Superman (or Superwoman) do? (leadership and setting the
example)
• Obligations to the stakeholders
• Audits (definition of character, how would one behave as is we’re always under
audit)
• To create, build, develop recurring relationships
• Attracting, recruiting more sponsorship, reputation building
• Business Culture
• Morale problems
• Lack of transparency
• Integrity
• https://youtu.be/dhY31n6qsFA

10. Goal 16: Peace, Justice & Strong
Institutions
• "Tackling corruption, bribery and money laundering, as well as
recovering stolen assets, are specific targets under SDG 16. Moreover,
such action is clearly a prerequisite to sustaining foreign investment,
innovation and economic growth, "he said. "But anti-corruption
responses are also crucial to ensuring access to healthcare, water,
education and other vital services; protecting forests, oceans and
wildlife; and reducing inequalities.“
- Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 23, May 2018

11. Man of Steel or Steal?
• Parenting vs location: Would you behave if you were raised elsewhere
or by someone else?
• Leads through deeds. Ductus exemplo (lead by example)
• Setting the example. Humility with exceptionalism
Moral excellence comes about as a
result of habit. We become just by
doing just acts, temperate by doing
temperate acts, brave by doing brave
acts.
- Aristotle (384 BC -322 BC) dead Greek guy

13. Culture
• So before conducting the planning of the project, you should know the
culture and management structure of your company. That’s ideal for
avoiding incompatibilities between the project and the company itself.
• Slow to change
• Don’t just stir the pot. Invest the time necessary to climatize the business
culture to remind those
- Peter Drucker
Enterprise
Environmental
Factors
What are they?
• Marketplace conditions
• Political climate
• Government or industry standards
• Organizational culture, structure &
governance

14. Moral Courage
• Confident in your own moral compass
• Experience and wisdom to know where to stop
• The moment you walk past a failure, corruption or
fraud and do nothing… you just lowered the
standard.
• Examples:
• Fraud
• Waste
• Abuse

15. Obligations to Stakeholders
• Audits (definition of character, how would one behave
as is we’re always under audit)
• USAID, DFiD, AusAid, other funding partners internal rules and
regulations
• Compliance
• Enterprise environmental factors (EEFs’ ) includes culture,
weather conditions, government regulations, political situation,
market conditions, etc., which are usually out of one’s control.
• Office best practices, policy and organizational process assets

16. Obligations to Stakeholders
• To create, build, develop recurring relationships
• Trust
• Good business
• Replicable events
• Attracting, recruiting more sponsorship, reputation
building
• Toxic climates
• Leadership breeds the type of commitment to project management
values.

17. Enterprise Environmental Factors and
Organizational Process Assets
• What is the culture of your organization?
• Integrity, character, rule of law
• Cultivating a climate of transparency, trust in systems
• Enterprise Environmental Factors and your Organizational
Process Assets

18. Recommendations
• Leadership will set the tone and is obligated to promote
office culture
• Ductus exemplo – Leadership by example (starts with you)
• Discuss stakeholder management within your matrix and
identify what your responsibilities
• See something, say something
• Exercise judgement, value system, document, remain firm
but flexible.

19. Talking to Management
• Be proactive instead of reactive. Good plans shape good decisions. That’s why good planning
helps to make elusive dreams come true. -Lester R. Bittel
• Be slow to anger-especially over petty issues. Anger is always more harmful than the insult
that caused it. -Chinese Proverb
• Instead of telling people they are wrong, point out mistakes indirectly. A person
convinced against his will is of the same opinion still. -Samuel Butler
• Look for some type of common ground as soon as possible. A compromise is the art of
dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece. -Ludwig Erhard
• If you find that you are in the wrong, admit it. It’s easier to eat crow while it is still warm. -
Dan Heist
• Admit one of your own poor decisions before pointing out a similar error by others. A
man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying… that he is
wiser today than he was yesterday. -Alexander Pope, from Miscellanies by Jonathan Swift
• Mend fences whenever possible. Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it
forgoes revenge, and dares forgive an injury. -E.H. Chapin

20. Talking to Management
• Tone (voice inflection, loudness, style of language
• Body Language (crossed arms, defiant, hands on hips, eye contact)
• Have a plan (time is a resource, get to the point but do so with context)
• Share your concerns how ethical issues will impact the organization
and the mission. The recipients or beneficiaries are the ones we are
here to help. For other projects it’s the client.

22. “The light at the end of the tunnel might
be you!” - Aerosmith

23. https://youtu.be/eYb8XupUOyc