"As a manager my purpose is to serve the greater good by.... I will seek a course that enhances the value my enterprise can create for society over the long term...therefore , I promise..."

The idea of a Hippocratic Oath for the Business Grad is going to be ignored by many, scoffed at by nearly every GenXer and, perhaps even made the butt of a few jokes in the National Review but, most Boomers will not only get it, we'll applaud. (Personally, anyone who signs on to this and attempts to walk the talk in the next few years will get my complete support - not that any of them need it.)

Take a moment to look at the MBA OATH site and read the initial names signing the oath.

First of all, the names you'll see are individuals who represent half of Harvard's 2009 MBA Class (the daughter of my business partner, Mark Mehler, was among those who walked a week or so ago).

Second, most of these grads are not "fresh outs" but successful young business people and entrepreneurs with several years experience. Their idealism, while tempered by their experience, seems undiminished in what they are aspiring to achieve. (You can be sure that the back story on this movement will be interesting).

Finally, if these folks walk the talk, they will be mainstreaming a values driven approach in (principally) a For-Profit environment that in the past, only a small percentage of their colleagues would have even considered.

If you listen carefully you'll hear the sound of my hands clapping as I rise to congratulate them.