Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Business Ethics, Part II
The greatest shifts in American culture tend to originate from the media, but even something as innocuous as a saying can drive a cultural change. One saying in particular seems to epitomize a cultural shift that seems to be going unnoticed. But maybe the recent problems at Swift with the illegal aliens well help us remember it:
“Just do it and ask for forgiveness later.”
Heard that one lately? Used that one lately? We all have, and most of us have likely heard this used at work.
The first time I heard it, I was a little shocked. It sounded like something I would have used as a kid while trying to rationalize to my Mom when leaving the house without her knowledge. Taken aback, I looked back at my boss at the time to see if he was serious; he was. The walls of resistance softened, and I began to nod slowly. The stamp of authority seemed sufficient to justify doing something that I would not have ordinarily done.
Maybe I was raised with unusual values. My parents were adamant that I say “please” and “thank you”. I am extremely adamant that my children do the same. I didn’t tell my parents where I was going or what I was doing; I had to ask (I broke that rule a lot, though). May I go to Mike's house? Can I borrow the car? It wasn’t considered good manners to take things that weren’t yours without asking, and it wasn’t okay to do things without checking in with other people first, especially authority figures.
The ironic thing is that those values segued nicely into the professional world. We don’t go into someone’s office and take a file from their desk when they aren’t around. We wait until they show up and then we ask them for the file. We don’t make big decisions without communicating with others first. We consult with our managers, discuss with our team members, loop in other employees and such.
But one day we started saying things like, “It’s okay, we’ll do it now and ask for forgiveness later and let someone else sort it out”.
Or, "...we'll do it while we can and let the government sort out the problem...after all, they created it"
That's what I think Swift did.
When you catch yourself using the same strategy as an eight year old kid, you really ought to slap yourself on the hand and reconsider your approach.
Now, perhaps I’m overreacting and reading into this a bit too much, but here’s a perspective on what this “approach” to life and business is really enabling:
And what is it that we are actually tolerating? At the root of this, aren’t we are tolerating being blatantly illegal? In some cases, the business knew they were doing something illegal, and yet they did it anyway. So did the people of Marshalltown...they tolerated it!
Regardless, there seems to be an entitlement factor that is driving our actions and decisions. It’s okay to do whatever you need to do to take care of yourself or your profit margin.
It's okay as long as I pay $1.89 a pound for meat at the grocers...or as long as they provide jobs...or because I don't want to do that nasty work.
Others will figure out a way to sweep up after you. Others will work around you and figure out a way to deal with it. Others will make adjustments (at their own sacrifice) based on what you did. In other cases, you’ll be able to talk your way out of it, buy your way out of it, or will simply accept the loss as a game that you didn’t quite pull off.
Don't you think the people at Swift are having these conversations right now? Of course they are!
Those “other” people are real people...other LEGITIMATE businesses who are following the law and barely scraping by. Consumers who are happy to accept a product simply because its cheaper than someone elses. Taxpayers who are having to pay for accidents involving uninsured drivers...or workmans comp...emergency medical care...and a whole host of things we have to pay for because we "tolerate" it.
They are part of our universe, and what we do affects them. I guarantee you will find yourself on the receiving end of a counterfeit apology and pleading eyes, and I hope you recognize it for what it truly is. Instead of accepting it, confront them.
Stop doing business with them. Ask why they thought it was okay; if they don’t have a legitimate answer, tell them in some way that it won't be tolerated this time...that you found their actions to be disrespectful and unacceptable.
Attach and enforce real consequences. Let them know that you aren’t okay with the approach they took. If their behavior left you questioning their ethics, judgment or integrity, tell them that.
Stand up for yourself. Respect yourself enough to demonstrate to others that you expect respect from them.
The entitlement factor is so great that we have cast aside manners where we treat others with courtesy and respect in favor of taking care of our own needs expeditiously. I fear that this may be the beginning of a cultural change where treating others with disrespect is socially acceptable, which can have truly disturbing consequences and impacts on our society.
I ask you to demonstrate integrity and build trust in others by rejecting this problem solving solution. We are not crafty children or wily teenagers, we are adults who have the knowledge, skills and savvy to render this tactic unnecessary in both our professional and personal lives. Set a new standard on respect for yourself, those you work with or for, and those you do business with.
“Just do it and ask for forgiveness later.”
Heard that one lately? Used that one lately? We all have, and most of us have likely heard this used at work.
The first time I heard it, I was a little shocked. It sounded like something I would have used as a kid while trying to rationalize to my Mom when leaving the house without her knowledge. Taken aback, I looked back at my boss at the time to see if he was serious; he was. The walls of resistance softened, and I began to nod slowly. The stamp of authority seemed sufficient to justify doing something that I would not have ordinarily done.
Maybe I was raised with unusual values. My parents were adamant that I say “please” and “thank you”. I am extremely adamant that my children do the same. I didn’t tell my parents where I was going or what I was doing; I had to ask (I broke that rule a lot, though). May I go to Mike's house? Can I borrow the car? It wasn’t considered good manners to take things that weren’t yours without asking, and it wasn’t okay to do things without checking in with other people first, especially authority figures.
The ironic thing is that those values segued nicely into the professional world. We don’t go into someone’s office and take a file from their desk when they aren’t around. We wait until they show up and then we ask them for the file. We don’t make big decisions without communicating with others first. We consult with our managers, discuss with our team members, loop in other employees and such.
But one day we started saying things like, “It’s okay, we’ll do it now and ask for forgiveness later and let someone else sort it out”.
Or, "...we'll do it while we can and let the government sort out the problem...after all, they created it"
That's what I think Swift did.
When you catch yourself using the same strategy as an eight year old kid, you really ought to slap yourself on the hand and reconsider your approach.
Now, perhaps I’m overreacting and reading into this a bit too much, but here’s a perspective on what this “approach” to life and business is really enabling:
- This seems to suggest that you can do whatever you want with total disregard toward others as long as you follow it up with an obviously insincere apology later...or blame it on someone or something else.
- It appears to be socially okay to disrespect others. According to this, you can borrow your roommate’s things without asking and steal your coworkers food from the fridge at work. For the truly advanced, you can violate rules, go around the system, thumb your nose at the law and cheat – as long as you can con people into accepting an apology if you get caught.
And what is it that we are actually tolerating? At the root of this, aren’t we are tolerating being blatantly illegal? In some cases, the business knew they were doing something illegal, and yet they did it anyway. So did the people of Marshalltown...they tolerated it!
Regardless, there seems to be an entitlement factor that is driving our actions and decisions. It’s okay to do whatever you need to do to take care of yourself or your profit margin.
It's okay as long as I pay $1.89 a pound for meat at the grocers...or as long as they provide jobs...or because I don't want to do that nasty work.
Others will figure out a way to sweep up after you. Others will work around you and figure out a way to deal with it. Others will make adjustments (at their own sacrifice) based on what you did. In other cases, you’ll be able to talk your way out of it, buy your way out of it, or will simply accept the loss as a game that you didn’t quite pull off.
Don't you think the people at Swift are having these conversations right now? Of course they are!
Those “other” people are real people...other LEGITIMATE businesses who are following the law and barely scraping by. Consumers who are happy to accept a product simply because its cheaper than someone elses. Taxpayers who are having to pay for accidents involving uninsured drivers...or workmans comp...emergency medical care...and a whole host of things we have to pay for because we "tolerate" it.
They are part of our universe, and what we do affects them. I guarantee you will find yourself on the receiving end of a counterfeit apology and pleading eyes, and I hope you recognize it for what it truly is. Instead of accepting it, confront them.
Stop doing business with them. Ask why they thought it was okay; if they don’t have a legitimate answer, tell them in some way that it won't be tolerated this time...that you found their actions to be disrespectful and unacceptable.
Attach and enforce real consequences. Let them know that you aren’t okay with the approach they took. If their behavior left you questioning their ethics, judgment or integrity, tell them that.
Stand up for yourself. Respect yourself enough to demonstrate to others that you expect respect from them.
The entitlement factor is so great that we have cast aside manners where we treat others with courtesy and respect in favor of taking care of our own needs expeditiously. I fear that this may be the beginning of a cultural change where treating others with disrespect is socially acceptable, which can have truly disturbing consequences and impacts on our society.
I ask you to demonstrate integrity and build trust in others by rejecting this problem solving solution. We are not crafty children or wily teenagers, we are adults who have the knowledge, skills and savvy to render this tactic unnecessary in both our professional and personal lives. Set a new standard on respect for yourself, those you work with or for, and those you do business with.
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