A Lesson in Ethics: Reflecting on Unconventional Mentoring Experiences

In the landscape of professional growth, it’s interesting to ponder the ethical dilemmas we sometimes navigate, even in seemingly innocuous environments like mentoring. A recent experience I had while volunteering with a Junior Achievement team has provided some amusing yet thought-provoking insights into the complex nature of ethics in business practices.

As part of our commitment, a group of enthusiastic associates—comprised of second and third-year professionals—decided to guide a high school team through the process of creating and managing a small business. The objective was straightforward: the team would establish a company, operate it over a few months, and engage with real-world business challenges. Our chosen product? Fruit baskets.

At first glance, selling fruit baskets appeared to be a wholesome venture. The team planned to purchase bulk fruits and baskets, assemble them, and personally deliver these delightful offerings to homes in the community. However, we quickly encountered a significant hurdle set by the Junior Achievement guidelines: the prohibition of taking on any debt. While well-meaning and aimed at mitigating risks for students, this rule complicated our ability to procure the necessary supplies.

The core of the issue was evident. Without the ability to create any form of liability, we faced a conundrum: how could we purchase the fruit without upfront capital? And how could we generate those funds while adhering to the rules? The solution we devised was to collect prepayments for the fruit baskets from our customers. It was a practical approach that allowed us to operate the business smoothly, yet it came with its own set of concerns.

This is where the true comedy of ethics emerges. As part of our mentoring role, we were tasked with assisting the students in creating weekly financial reports for submission to the Junior Achievement office. Transparency is crucial in business, but if we accurately recorded our cash collections and deferred revenues, the regional office would undoubtedly raise an eyebrow.

To navigate this challenge, we inadvertently established two distinct sets of financial records. We maintained one set to track the real financial situation—the one we kept for our understanding and operational needs. The second set, however, was meticulously tailored for the Junior Achievement audits, glossing over the realities of our prepayment model.

As weeks rolled by, it became a point of dark humor among us. One day, during a casual conversation, we collectively realized, “Oh no, we’re keeping two sets of books!” At that juncture, it was decided to continue the current approach