"The person who had the most significant impact on me was not a personal mentor in the traditional sense but a presenter I heard in college. The speaker's message was about "doing the right thing." As the talk unfolded, I became increasingly aware of the difference between doing what is legal and doing what is right. Following regulations and staying out of trouble are worthwhile goals, but they are not the same as acting ethically."
"That distinction was invaluable. Too often in the military, we consider ourselves ethical if we simply follow the rules, but blindly following regulations can sometimes lead to unethical outcomes. I was fortunate to hear that presentation early in my career, and it stayed with me for decades. I tried to remind myself often that regulations alone do not define ethics."
Chris Finerty served over thirty years across the United States Air Force, the Air National Guard, and the Department of Defense, performing operational flying, combat deployments, and legislative roles advising senior leaders. A college presenter instilled a core ethic: distinguish doing what is legal from doing what is right, and avoid equating regulations with ethics. Finerty led large, diverse teams at the Pentagon and in the Guard, built connections between Congress and the Department of Defense, and emphasized honest mentorship by sharing his own mistakes and explaining what he could have done differently to develop better judgment in future leaders.
Read at Business Matters
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