What ethical mistakes do you see leaders making? I have an odd view since I only hear from them when they have problems. What do you think?
Ethics Masters and Slaves
October 7, 2014 — MarkIn my book Make an Ethical Difference I use the following quote: The master knows the rules without suffering them; the slave suffers the rules without knowing them.”
The Biggest Ethical Mistake
October 5, 2014 — MarkI was recently asked to write something on the biggest ethical mistakes made by CEOs. There are a lot to choose from so this took some thinking.
And the winner is: Judging information you receive by the person who delivers it. I know of no ethical fiascoes, including Enron, that did not have clear warning signs. Somehow these signs were ignored – and not without reason. The information that enables a CEO to prevent an ethical crisis often comes from individuals who are afraid of taking any risks, whine about everything, and have a chip on their shoulder. I have just described one type of whistle blower. Really sharp CEOs ignore the source and act on the information, often at the objection of the top tier of their management. An ethical CEO is always asking, what if this information, although from a questionable source, is true? Would I gamble the future of the company on it not being true?
Lessons of the Secret Service Mess
October 2, 2014 — MarkHere in the DC Metro area, everyone is asking is how things could have gotten so bad at the Secret Service. Many employees of the Service must have known the vulnerabilities, so how could the folks at the top ignore this? My answer is that the bad news may never have reached the top. Several Service employees commented to the local media here that you simply did not raise issues or complaints. This is typical of line-of-command organizations, which turns out to be nearly all sizable organizations. In business, companies establish hotlines and compliance programs so that down line employees can short circuit the line of command. In fact, government often orders businesses to establish these mechanisms! But these mechanisms do not prosper in Federal agencies. Yes, employees can go to the Inspector General for their agency but these individuals are often closely bonded to the agency’s senior leadership. It is time for government to take some of the advice it freely gives to business and create genuinely safe channels through which employees can report concerns.
Medical Ethics
September 28, 2014 — MarkSeveral times each year, I give a seminar to roughly 50 doctors on medical ethics. What surprises me is that what medical ethics experts write about has little to do with the ethical issues doctors face on a day-to-day basis. Most medical ethics issues arise not because of new technologies or strange circumstances. They arise because we often surrender to the judgment of those closest to the situation to committees, such as the ubiquitous medical ethics committee. But there is no evidence at all that these committees make better decisions than the people directly affected. The question is often not what is the right thing to do but who should decide what is the right thing to do.
Book at O’Reilly
September 23, 2014 — MarkMy book Make an Ethical Difference is on sale at half price today at http://oreilly.com/. One day only.
Compliance Headhunters
September 21, 2014 — MarkWe are contacted by headhunters because we know a lot of compliance officers and we know whether they are available. However, it is extremely difficult to help these folks as they often have no idea what a compliance officer does. They are generally working from a job description written by someone in HR who also has little idea what a compliance officer does. The essence of the job of a compliance officer is the ability to influence others to do the right thing. This does not translate into a certain college degree or work history. When describing a compliance position to a headhunter, don’t forget to include BEHAVIORAL requirements and expectations. This will save the headhunter and job candidates a lot of time
Whistleblowers or Pirates?
September 13, 2014 — MarkEveryday brings new reports of whistleblowers receiving millions of dollars – even tens of millions of dollars – as a reward for being a whistleblower. This occurs primarily in healthcare, defense and financial services. It changes the equation from one in which the whistleblower risks their job to do the right thing to one in which the whistleblower risks their job in the hope of winning the lottery. The public image of the whistleblower has not caught up with this new reality in which the whistleblower is more of a pirate than a hero. The media have been particularly reluctant to give attention to this new, profit-seeking whistleblower. It is time that our perceptions begin to fit the facts.
Getting Fired
September 7, 2014 — MarkEver more frequently, I learn about compliance officers losing their jobs, mainly because they were doing them. A lot of organizations have a compliance officer because they know they are supposed to. But they would really be happier if the compliance officer cashed their paycheck and stayed out of the way. This is confirmed by the fact that the compliance officers being fired are not the dregs but often among the best in the business. Compliance officers are not always adept at organizational politics and tend not to be assertive on their own behalf. But this is a job where you have to get a contract for at least three years. You owe this to yourself and those who depend on you. I know that asking for a contract may seem extreme, but you don’t answer the phone where I work.
On Line Ethics Course
August 23, 2014 — MarkOne of the most popular topics in my writing and speaking is how to influence ethically. I am pleased that SoundviewPro, which is the same company that does Executive Book Summaries, has made available a full video-based course titled “Influence with Ethics.” The course consists of four separate classes each built around practical tools for being effective at influencing with ethics. You can preview the course at https://www.soundviewpro.com/online-courses/_/influence-with-ethics/. Be sure to let me know if the course helps you and how it can be improved.
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Mark Pastin 