Aaron Beam, a public speaker and former co-founder and CFO of Fortune 500 HealthSouth, shares his insights into how businesses can remain ethical in his book Ethics Playbook: Winning Ethically in Business. With transparency and energy, Aaron channels his personal and professional experiences into actionable insights for businesses and early professionals. Ethics Playbook is a no-nonsense guidebook inspired by the corporate fraud Aaron participated in decades prior. It challenges all businesses and professionals to raise the ethical bar for themselves and the organizations they interact with. In today’s fast-moving landscape, Ethics Playbook addresses the timely yet overlooked issue of ethics.
From the late 1980s to the 90s, Aaron Beam served as the co-founder and CFO of HealthSouth, a fledgling medical startup in Alabama. The company provided outpatient surgery, diagnostic, and rehabilitative healthcare services that grew rapidly in popularity, granting it a spot on the Fortune 500. In 1996, HealthSouth nearly collapsed as Aaron Beam and then co-founder Richard Scrushy committed one of the largest corporate frauds in American history. According to the SEC, HealthSouth consistently overstated earnings since becoming a publicly traded company. Under the guidance of senior executives, earnings were inflated by at least $2.4 billion to meet or exceed Wall Street’s expectations. In 2003, Aaron pled guilty to corporate fraud and was sent to federal prison.
After finishing his sentence and paying restitution, he has become a prominent voice in business ethics discussions. His firsthand testimony about what led to his decision-making is hard-hitting for any business or early professional. Aaron has given over 1,000 speeches about ethics in universities, healthcare groups, accounting associations, and other corporations. He has written two books, one about the chain of events leading to the fraud and the other about possible solutions. The second book, Ethics Playbook: Winning Ethically in Business, was inspired by Aaron’s Q&A sessions with audiences. After almost every talk, students and executives would ask him how they could be more ethical. This was a catalyst for the book’s creation. It caused Aaron to deeply reflect and seek support from researchers who wanted to shed light on this ignored topic.
In 2015, the Ethics Playbook: Winning Ethically in Business was published. Its wisdom has been woven into Aaron’s speeches prior, but the book is a valuable tool for anyone seeking guidance on how to work within clear ethical boundaries. Aaron wrote the book for everyone, including executives looking to develop an ethical company culture or employees who want an employer with integrity. Even entrepreneurs can find worthwhile insights in the pages of the Ethics Playbook. Its easy-to-read and research-based principles are reinforced by Aaron’s anecdotes, shaping the book into a rewarding but entertaining read.
Like any other skill, ethics must be practiced daily to become second nature. Aaron promotes this concept in the Ethics Playbook, encouraging readers to examine their behaviors and become aware of the most common ethical dilemmas.
“Ethics Playbook is useful for anyone, but I believe students deeply benefit from learning about real-life scenarios that may test their morals,” says Aaron. “By reading my book, they can become aware of how to handle pressure to achieve financial goals or toxic company cultures that may influence them to act negatively. In the past, before the HealthSouth fraud, business ethics was rarely taught in universities or to employees on the job, which is why I was so passionate about bringing these truths to light.”
Media Contact
Name: Aaron Beam
Email: Beamspeaks@aaronbeam.net
Published by: Pathos Communications Ltd