In this 7‑minute interview, Professor Pete Alexander talks with Kevin Foster, a professional speaker and ethics expert who advises financial and other professionals on making ethical decisions. Kevin explains that he enjoys meeting people, speaking on stage, and sharing stories to prevent career‑ruining ethical lapses. He attributes his strong work‑life balance to daily Transcendental Meditation, a 45‑minute walk, a supportive spouse, and a dog. The core of the conversation focuses on six common personal circumstances that lead professionals into ethical trouble: exaggerated ego, temptation, external pressures (e.g., drugs, alcohol, workplace stress), leadership integrity failures, failure to consider consequences, and "stinking thinking" (believing rules don’t apply). Kevin says leadership integrity failures and neglect of consequences are the most frequent issues he observes. He recounts his first job on an assembly line in Detroit, noting the stark cultural contrast with militant union workers and the lasting lessons learned. The episode ends with Kevin directing listeners to his website, JohnKevinFoster.com, for videos, blogs, and social media connections.
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This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes or less because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, tell me who you are and what you do.
Hi, my name is Kevin Foster, and I'm a professional speaker and expert in ethics. I travel the country helping financial professionals primarily, but any of the— any profession that requires ethics in their business, help them make better ethical decisions and stay out of prison.
Excellent, Kevin, thanks for being with us. Question number 2: What's the best thing about working in your industry?
Well, I love meeting other people and I love helping, um, people But I also love being on stage and telling my story and the story of others in order to help others from getting on the slippery slope and destroying their career by making stupid decisions.
That's commendable. Question number 3: I hear from other business leaders that staying in a good work-life balance for them and their team members is a challenge. What are your thoughts?
I really don't have that much of a problem staying in a good work-life balance. Very fortunately, I started Transcendental Meditation back in 1974. I've been practicing every day since, and I have that as my regular way in order to relieve stress, and it's done a tremendous job of doing so. So I just keep up with that, and then also I walk about 45 minutes a day. So I am out there. I am keeping a pretty good balance, and I have a wife that keeps me straight as well, and a dog who loves to be walked. So all that helps me out quite a bit.
All those are wonderful, especially, you know, the meditation and exercise and having a loving pet and family members. It is all great. So I am glad that you are doing that. Question number 4. What other successful business leaders like yourself should be on my podcast?
Well, let me think about that and I'll get back to you on that one.
Sure. Question number 5: What insight or advice would you give to other business leaders?
Well, I have noticed that most people get themselves into ethical problems through, um, 6 key, uh, personal circumstances or characteristics that they let slip by. The first one is an exaggerated ego. Ego is how we define ourselves, and when the ego is exaggerated, then those with exaggerated egos tend to take advantage of others. Also, I noticed that bad decisions are made when people are tempted, and that temptation comes when there is opportunity, and temptation is when our gut tells us that the decision we are about to make is not for the highest good. And so we make that other decision for whatever, for a variety of reasons. The next one, those bad decisions are made when we are hijacked by outside pressures. Whether it be drugs or alcohol or financial workplace pressures. And then when there is integrity failures with the people around us, primarily with our, our leadership— leaders are primarily responsible for setting the ethical tones within their organizations, their integrity tones. And if they fail to do that, then the whole organization can can really slip into bad ethical choices. So that is very, very important. Also notice that bad ethical decisions are made when people do not consider the consequences of their actions. I've noticed that the more that victims are distant or abstract, the more likely is— more likely that someone will make a bad ethical decision. Then the final one is what I just call stinking thinking. This is where people think, well, these rules don't apply to me. I'll never get caught. Everybody in my industry does this, that type of thing. Those are the problems that financial professionals or a lot of other professionals for that matter run into on almost a daily basis.
Interesting. Of those 6, I'm curious, which one of the 6 do you think you see most frequently?
I think integrity failures by our leadership is most prevalent within business organizations, but consequences not considered has got to be way, way up there. People do not realize that making these, these these really faulty decisions can ruin their career, their finances, and their family. Whether it's that extramarital affair in the office or not doing the— they're answering the questions on government forms, for example, in their product tests. We see that all the time.
Interesting.
But, you know, so it's really up to our leadership in order to set the ethical tone within an organization. But by the same token, it's up to the individual employee to consider the consequences of all their, um, of all their actions and act accordingly.
Thank you for that. Very sound advice. And question number 6: Tell me about your first job.
Well, believe it or not, my first job was actually working on the assembly line in Detroit when I was going through, through college. My father worked for Ford Motor Company, and he put me on the job working in the Michigan truck plant in Wayne, Wayne, Michigan, which is a suburb of Detroit. And that was very, very interesting because I worked with a lot of people who were very much unlike me at the time. I was just a young college student at the time, and we had all these hardened union workers there, and unions were, were very militant at that time. And it was a period of my life that I don't think I'll ever forget, but it was certainly a lot of life lessons that came out of that one.
Neat, neat. So Kevin, thank you for being on the show. How can people find you?
They can find me at JohnKevinFoster.com. I go by Kevin, but my first name is John. So remember, JohnKevinFoster.com. And I have some great video out there, and there's some free advice out there as well. Read my blog and connect with me on my social media as well.
Excellent. Well, this is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. For more insights and ideas, please go to LinkedIn, YouTube, or Facebook and search for Winning at Business and Life Podcast. Thanks for listening.
