Do The Right Thing Even When No One Is Watching

Do The Right Thing Even When No One Is Watching

From An Ounce of Prevention by R. Reese & Associates

February 10, 2026 · 31 min · Episode 23

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of integrity and ethical behavior in business through an interview with Ella McDonald.

Integrity and ethical business practices aren’t “nice to have,” they’re a competitive advantage. In this episode of An Ounce of Prevention , host Rachel Reese sits down with Ella McDonald , founder of McDonald Land Services , to unpack the Cornerstones of Success: honesty, integrity, and ethical behavior , and what they look like in day-to-day decision-making. Ella shares how growing up on a dairy farm taught her accountability early, how she pushed into land work in 1978 when she was told there were no women in the field, and the leadership standards she set as her company expanded into major U.S. basins serving oil, gas, renewables, and emerging energy sectors. If you’re a founder, executive, manager, or service provider building a reputation-based business, this conversation is a practical reminder: you have to choose ethics every day, and your organization has to live it, not just say it. Time Stamps / Chapters 00:00:01:04 Welcome to An Ounce of Prevention 00:00:25:17 Host intro + guest introduction (Ella McDonald) 00:01:31:06 The “cornerstones of success”: integrity, honesty, ethics 00:03:28:04 Starting in land work in 1978—“when pigs could fly” 00:05:15:21 Learning…

People in this episode

Host: Rachel Reese

Guest: Ella McDonald

Topics covered

  • integrity
  • ethical business practices
  • leadership
  • accountability

Keywords

  • business ethics
  • success
  • decision-making

Mentioned in this episode

Products: McDonald Land Services

Books & works: An Ounce of Prevention

Places: U.S., Marcellus, Rockies

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