After more than twenty years in the corporate world, ten of which included owning my own network marketing business, I felt it was necessary to really outline what ethics is, and what our role as network marketers needs to be. The following is the reason why I wrote a book about ethics in network marketing.
After leaving the corporate world and focusing on network marketing on a full time basis, one thing was crystal clear: people are people no matter what business they happen to choose to be in.
I personally have an extreme passion for the world of network marketing, and even though in some cases our industry has been given a black mark, as network marketers I feel we have not only a huge responsibility, but also a massive opportunity.
What is Our Responsibility?
Our responsibility as network marketers is to build leaders in the global communities using an ethical base that is consistent, and that treats others as we would like to be treated ourselves – and perhaps even better.
What is Our Opportunity?
Our opportunity is to build leaders using this ethical base, and have these leaders build millions of more leaders around the world, all using that same ethical base. Hopefully the end result will be not only a significant cleansing of the network marketing industry’s image, but will also leave the world a much better place.
“Let me give you the definition of ethics: it is good to maintain life and to further life. It is bad to damage and destroy life. And this ethics, profound and universal, has the significance of a religion. It is religion.” – Albert Schweitzer
During my time within the network marketing industry, I have been positively influenced by hundreds of professional network marketers. I also have met too many people within the industry who are the definition of why network marketing as an industry is shunned by the masses.
In life we get to choose who our mentors are, and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting several key people who I’ve been able to mentor with, a few of whom I would consider giants on this planet.
One of these giants is John Maxwell – an expert not only in leadership, but also in ethics.
“There is no such thing as business ethics – there is only ethics. People try to use one set of ethics for their professional life, another for their spiritual life, and still another at home with their family. That gets them into trouble. Ethics is ethics. If you desire to be ethical, you live by one standard across the board.” – John C. Maxwell
In society today, we have a moral and ethical challenge like no other time in history. All you have to do is open a newspaper or switch on CNN and the corruption and moral downfall of our business leaders is front page news each and every day.
This problem also exists in Network Marketing because the industry is full of people. This problem does have a solution, if one looks close enough. If you are going to be a network marketer, make sure you are one that acts responsible.
It is my hope that this work touches millions of network marketers around the world. However, I’ll consider it a personal and professional success if I can convert one “non-responsible” network marketer into a responsible network marketer.
See You on the Beaches of the World,
Kevin McNabb
“The Responsible Network Marketer”