The first responsibility of a professional was spelled out clearly, 2,500 years ago, in the Hipprocratic oath of the Greek physician: primum non nocere, “above all, not knowingly to do harm.” No professional, be she doctor, lawyer, or manager, can promise that she will indeed do good for her client. All she can do is try. But she can promise that she will not knowingly do harm. And the client, in turn, must be able to trust the professional not knowingly to do the client harm. Otherwise he cannot trust her at all. And primum non nocere, “not knowingly to do harm,” is the basic rule of professional ethics, the basic rule of an ethics of public responsibility.

ACTION POINT: First do no harm.

Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices