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Whether brought on by outside sources or one's own choices, ethical dilemmas sneak up on the best of us. No matter who you are or how hard you try to avoid them, they will always find you. You may be ready for ethical problems in one area but unprepared in another.

The key to preparing for the inevitable ethical dilemmas in business is to identify and understand their source. The following six avenues for business ethics crises must be anticipated and adequately understood.

Delivering Service: At its most basic level, business is about delivering service. Customers are gained or lost not only by whether or not we come through with the service but by the process it took to get there. Delivering service provides the front-line impression that others use to judge the entire company. This must be done with the absolute highest ethical standards. Making a sale can seem like the be-all and end-all. Avoiding responsibility for mistakes may seem more important than making it right, but it isn't.

Fulfilling Obligations: Both co-workers and customers personally judge your character by how well you keep your word and obligations. Does our word mean anything? Is there a sense of trust between you and your business partners? The fact that people generally trust each other is what makes business work. Leaving obligations unfulfilled, no matter what the justification, is almost always seen as a shady ethical maneuver. It is important to remember that wherever trust and confidence of employees and customers goes, so does business.

Responding to Crises: What is your instinctive response to a crisis? Is it to back pedal, smooth talk, and point blame? One's true colors are shown when the heat is turned up. Responding to a crisis has three levels: your initial response, solutions offered, and follow-up action. From the beginning to the end, your character and integrity are tested. Act on principle over emotion. View the crisis in the proper context with a realistic perspective. Think about the stakeholders involved. Consider how the current crisis can strengthen your character.

Reacting to Company Policies and Practices: Fact: rules, policies, and practices need to be obeyed. An ethical person plays by the rules. As an employee, your ethical choices are somewhat limited. The company lays down the law and you, as an employee, must comply. Since few people like to be told what to do, we instinctively push back when something is not to our liking. But the choice to play by the rules is not ours to make. When in conflict with company policies or practices, an ethical person asks questions, provides solutions, and respects the outcome regardless of the outcome.

Dealing with Third Parties: All the various vendors, contractors, competitors and agencies that come into our work-world are third parties. These outsiders have their own interests at stake. As they're buying, selling, or helping we must offer them the same level of respect and honesty that we would give to our most trusted colleague in the next cubicle. If the third parties are the source of ethical problems then they need to be dealt with honestly and with impartiality.

Managing Strategies and Plans Made by Management: Unless you're at the top, authorities make decisions that affect every aspect of your job. Some management decisions are dramatic while others are minor procedural protocols. Our ethical response is to abide by the plans of management. The first step in preparing for this is to check our own attitudes toward authority. Do we have a problem with authority? Secondly, we must understand that change is inevitable. We must learn to deal with it or we will never be at peace with our job. Thirdly, we must have an open, honest relationship with management so that when we encounter a conflict, we will have the ability to communicate our feelings and work for constructive change.

Ethical dilemmas use these six avenues, and more, to reach you in your workplace. Look inward and outward to see your areas of ethical vulnerability. Know who you are and by what principles you stand. By taking a proactive role in identifying the kinds of ethical problems you face and where they come from, you will not only be better prepared for work, but also for life.