Beware of Icons

The word icon is from the Greek εἰκών, meaning “image”.  One of the dictionary definitions is, “an object of uncritical devotion”.  We throw this designation around quite a bit, although it is often used with a qualifier.  Ronald Reagan has been called a “Republican Icon”, Hitler was an “Icon of Evil”, and Marilyn Monroe has been tagged a “Cultural Icon”.  Tiger Woods is referred to as an “Icon of Golf”, Kenneth Lay became the “Enron Icon”, and now, of course, Steve Jobs goes into the afterlife as an “iCon”. 

Icon is a hefty moniker for any living person to bear.  It carries a connotation of historical significance.  How can anyone be referred to as an icon and not succumb to the risk of developing a dangerous ego and delusions of grandeur?

Now we come to Joe Paterno, “Icon of College Football”, and arguably the most powerful and popular person at Penn State University.  Paterno fell far and hard from his pedestal last week, when he was implicated in the Sandusky child sexual molestation scandal in Happy Valley.  Paterno failed to follow through and act decisively to assure the safety of children brought into the Penn State athletic facilities, or to do what he could to block the actions of a predator that he counted as a friend.  Why he failed so miserably to do his duty may never be understood.  If you are inclined to defend JoPa, read the 23-page Grand Jury Report and get back to me.

There are lessons to be learned from this tragedy, and I pray they will be learned.  By definition, icons reach a point where they escape reasonable criticism.  In an organizational environment this means that the icon’s followers and beneficiaries have imbibed the Kool-Aid and are feeling the euphoric effects.  They don’t question decisions.  Followers do what they are told, to protect the icon and the surrounding institution.  They seek approval.  No one wants Nirvana to be disrupted.  Everyone is in La-La Land.

At the end of the day, and your career, you need to be able to know that you spoke up and fought for your principles and values.  Someday you might have to take on an icon to make things right.  I bet McQueary wishes he had.

Examine Your Ethics

Last night on TV I watched a grown man cry because he was faced with a professional challenge that violated his personal ethics. (Yes, I’ve been watching Celebrity Apprentice again. Blush.) In the most recent challenge, the candidates were given a charity fund-raising challenge. All the money would go to the winning project leader’s charity – not to the individual charities of each fundraiser.

This challenge didn’t sit well with project manager and famous rocker and actor Meat Loaf. He was beside himself emotionally, struggling with the idea that he was calling in favors to raise money that might not go to his charity. Meat Loaf asked Trump to change the rules, but was rebuffed and told that the show was about winning and if he won the challenge, he would get the money.*

This episode and Meat Loaf’s ethical dilemma made me think about personal ethics in a work environment. How often are corporate employees asked to do something that they know is wrong? Do you know where and how to draw the line and avoid violating your personal ethics? Most established companies have an official ethics policy, but in some circumstances there are gray areas subject to interpretation. In other cases, violations of ethics are perpetrated by senior executives. It’s not easy to say no when your job may be at risk. So what do you do?

1. CLEAR UP POSSIBLE MISUNDERSTANDING: You could be misinterpreting what you are being asked to do. Ask specific and probing questions to insure you have a clear picture of what is being asked of you.

2. SUGGEST AN ALTERNATIVE PATH: Recommend another option for action that avoids the ethical issue.

3. COMMUNICATE YOUR DISCOMFORT: In a calm, professional, and straightforward manner, explain to your boss what is making you uncomfortable. If you can reference your company’s ethics policy in a specific way – do so. Do this with a “help me understand” attitude.

4. RESPECTFULLY REFUSE: You can refuse to do wrong. This takes guts, but your unscrupulous boss may back down if you stand firm.

5. ASK FOR HELP: If you are sure you are being asked to do something unethical, and your immediate supervisor is unresponsive to your concerns – go over their head to upper management or to Human Resources for help.

6. LOOK FOR ANOTHER POSITION: If you are working for a supervisor or a company that is proving to be unprincipled, you may need to move on to protect yourself and be happy.

7. TAKE LEGAL ACTION: This is, of course, a last resort. It’s a lengthy and expensive road – but could be necessary depending on the stakes involved.

At some point in a long career, you will face ethical challenges. Stay true to your own standards, and you can avoid losing sleep over uncertainty and regret.

*How did Celebrity Apprentice end? First, another candidate (country star John Rich) promised to personally contribute the donations “lost” to Meat Loaf’s charity if his team fell short in the competition. That was an amazing act of generosity. Second, Meat Loaf’s team won, so he gained $190,000 to give to his charity.

Cautionary Advice

Imagine this: You have a good management-level job with a stable company. Suddenly, the massive project you have worked on for years grinds to a halt. Your company is the target of a lawsuit filed by a business partner. Your company responds with their own lawsuit. Fortunately, you still have a job. But the discovery phase of the lawsuit has begun, and you are involved. · You are succinctly warned not to dispose of any work product relating to the project. · The legal department has sent someone to collect the notebooks you have with all the handwritten notes you have taken at meetings during the course of the project. Don’t review them or sort them – just hand them over. · A minion from Legal has come to copy project files off the local drive of your workstation, and out of your file drawers. · Email files and shared electronic files have been subpoenaed, and are being retrieved from storage devices. They are being printed and copied for detailed review. · A lot of questions are being asked of you, about exactly what happened over the last few years. How can you remember who said what in meetings that took place months and years ago? · You are identified as a material witness who will be subject to a formal deposition. Lawyers spend days and hours preparing you for the experience. · For several days straight you are in a meeting room with lawyers from each side, a court reporter, and a taping device. Every word you say matters. How you say it matters. It’s stressful and exhausting. · Now you have been subpoenaed to testify in court. Does this sound far-fetched? It’s not. It happened to me 17 years ago when a multi-million dollar project crashed and burned. Fortunately, the case was settled out of court (to the advantage of my employer). For me (not accused of any wrongdoing in the suit), it was a learning experience. What did I learn? BE UNFAILINGLY TRUE TO YOUR PERSONAL ETHICS: It can be hard, when others around you are bending theirs. Always take the high ground, and be noisy about pointing out when others are not. TAKE GOOD FACTUAL NOTES, WITH DATES/TIMES AND EXACT QUOTES: Notes can become evidence. They should be devoid of your opinions and doodling. CONTENT OF WORK EMAIL SHOULD ALWAYS REMAIN PROFESSIONAL: I can’t tell you how much embarrassment some people I know were subjected to, when scores of people were reading their “private” emails. Compose all email as if it might be read by anyone. COMPLY WITH COMPANY POLICIES ON RECORD RETENTION: Throw away what you are not required to keep. If you still have something, it is subject to subpoena – you have no choice. I dodged a bullet years ago. I hope this cautionary advice helps keep you out of the crosshairs.

Be a White Collar Hero

On HGTV’s popular show, Holmes on Homes, Canadian contractor Mike Holmes rescues homeowners from repair and renovation disasters perpetrated by less-than-competent tradesmen. This weekend, I watched several shows back to back, while toiling on our elliptical machine. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this burly blue collar hero right the wrongs of shoddy electrical work, half-hearted carpentry, and unfulfilled project promises. Don’t you just have to love a guy with “MAKE IT RIGHT” tattooed on his bicep? Be still my heart! Mike Holmes and the dedication he has to his chosen blue collar profession got me thinking. When workers aspire to make the move from blue collar jobs into white collar professions, what are they really longing for? Big salaries, long lunches, 2-week vacations, and fancy cars? Is a white collar identity really the ultimate success? There’s no doubt that the white collar executive profile has taken a beating lately, as a result of those who have let their power take them to the dark side. Eliot Spitzer, former governor of NY, was hailed as a hero for how he pursued organized crime – until he was discovered to be a client of a prostitution ring under investigation by the federal government. Bernie Madoff was a trusted stock broker and investment advisor - until his fraudulent Ponzi scheme was uncovered and he was sentenced to 150 years in jail. Former CFO Jeffrey Skilling will be in jail until 2028 for his involvement in the collapse of energy giant Enron. “Feel good” news stories about heroes often seem to be about regular-guy, blue collar types… The guy on the way to work who risks his own safety to save the woman who falls onto the commuter train tracks… The neighbor who runs into a house on fire to rescue an 80-year old in a wheelchair… The sanitation worker who finds and returns a priceless memento mistakenly discarded by its owner. There is a simplicity to the goodness and the rightness of these actions that does not fail to be heartwarming and inspiring. Where are our White Collar Heroes? I know they are out there, although they rarely end up on the TV news. They stand firm against unethical activity in their organizations. They treat employees fairly and care about career growth of others. They challenge the status quo and boldly introduce new ideas. They share their business expertise outside work to make their communities better. I’ve worked with a few of these heroes over the years. I wish there were more. Be a White Collar Hero. Do what’s right every day, and make a difference.