I have posted recently regarding the ethical imperative that arises on a small boat.  Simply put, a small boat is not a cruise ship.  You cannot do whatever you want.  You must attend to the needs of others and of the boat itself and pay fierce attention to the environment outside of the boat.  Certain behavioral norms must prevail.  Otherwise, the boat sinks and all onboard face drowning. 

Today these words were spoken in Egypt by an American President:

“For we have learned from recent experience that when a financial system weakens in one country, prosperity is hurt everywhere. When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk. When one nation pursues a nuclear weapon, the risk of nuclear attack rises for all nations. When violent extremists operate in one stretch of mountains, people are endangered across an ocean. And when innocents in Bosnia and Darfur are slaughtered, that is a stain on our collective conscience. That is what it means to share this world in the 21st century. That is the responsibility we have to one another as human beings.

“This is a difficult responsibility to embrace. For human history has often been a record of nations and tribes subjugating one another to serve their own interests. Yet in this new age, such attitudes are self-defeating. Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail. So whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners of it. Our problems must be dealt with through partnership; progress must be shared.”

It’s a small boat world.  Ready or not.  It’s a small boat world.  

Does your organization operate like it lives in that world?  Do you?