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Flyin' the Frenzied Skies of Business Ethics
Not a whole lotta time to think about business principles and
ethics when flying Air Moldova from Chisinau to Frankfurt. The
constant creaking sounds make it hard to focus on developing one
idea over seven hundred words. Most of one's concentration goes
to simply keeping the Soviet-built, Yakovlev Yak-42 up in the
air. So as I gnaw on my lamb kabob (for breakfast!), and the
plane gnaws on my nerves, allow me the luxury of jotting down a
kabob of skewered thoughts. With knuckles whiter than Colorado
snow, gripping one of their cognac-laced coffees, here goes:
Actions speak louder than words -
It was a relatively small newspaper story a few years ago. The
CEO of Level 3 Communications, Jim Crowe, "surprised his
shareholders" by announcing ahead of time his plans to sell some
of his stock and why (he wanted to repay his start-up debts).
Crowe doesn't require his company officers to do the same, they
need only "comply with the law." But Crowe decided to go
further. Why? "At the end, I'm the Chief Executive officer, so
the buck sort of stops here." Harry Truman would be proud. I
know I am.
Looking for an honest (wo)man -
Which reminds me, if you know of someone who's demonstrated
unusual honesty in your company or organization, I'd like to
hear about them. Simply e-mail the details to
Diogenes@corp-psych-mgmt.com. The most interesting three
people--after securing their permission--will be profiled in
this column in the coming months. "Scuzati-ma, miss, uh,
domnisoara? Could I have another one of those coffees, va rog?
Multumesc."
You gotta walk your talk -
It's surprising how many organizations say they have a
functional purpose or mission, but actually don't. It may be
written down somewhere, but it's only there, it's not in the
hearts and minds of the folks in the organization. Many mission
statements even gild the lily with reminders to act ethically
and in the best interests of the customer. But often it's only a
CYA move, not really lived.
As the saying goes, when you're up to your, uh, neck in
alligators, it's hard to remember your goal was to drain the
swamp. And so as crises arise, many companies use band-aid
approaches to solve their problems. But that's when they should
refer to their mission statement. It's the ball to keep your eye
on and will guide you through many a morass. Not just talked, it
must be walked every day.
"Domnisoara? Could I have another one of those...? Uh, what's
THAT noise? Oh.... You know, what? Nu coffee, just the cognac,
va rog. Multumesc. Da, da, the breakfast was delicious."
Yakety-yak -
I kid Air Moldova, but it's really a safe and friendly airline.
The Yak-42 was specifically built for primitive airports without
runways, to operate in such severe climates as northern Siberia,
so it's a hardy airframe. Moldova itself is often mistaken for a
fictional place in the "Dynasty" TV show years back. Nestled
between Romania and the Ukraine, it's actually one of the NIS
(Newly Independent States) countries, formerly part of the
Soviet Union. It's trying hard to institute Western business
principles, despite difficult economic times and political
unrest on the eastern border. In need of modern medical
equipment and supplies, if you know of any to be donated, please
contact me. I'll do my best to see they get it. Multumesc.
For more information:
http://www.corp-psych-mgmt.com/government-consulting.htm
About the author:
Marshall Colt, Ph.D. is managing principal of Corporate
Psychological Management, LLC (http://www.corp-psych-mgmt.com/).
Dr. Colt is a widely-respected, fellowship-trained, applied
behavioral scientist and award-winning consultant. Elected a
Fellow in the Alliance of Professional Consultants, he is an
expert in leadership development and organizational improvement.