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January 30, 2008
Firing Executives for Their Ethical Lapses
Late last week, MSNBC reported on the twisted tale of David Colby, a former health insurance CFO who was fired for misconduct of a “non-business nature." Turns out, that misconduct is alleged to have included the mistreatment of several women, whom he was purported to be having affairs with and making false promises to.
This is a tricky topic. On the one hand, how employees behave in their private lives should be their own business. But on the other hand, it's foolish to say that employees who misbehave on their own time aren't a a poor reflection of their company. They are. This is especially true for organizational leaders, who often have a high public profile and an obligation to set a good example for their employees, especially when it comes to demonstrating sound ethics.
After all, it stands to follow that someone who lies, cheats and steals around his or her family and personal friends isn't exactly the kind of person you want leading your company.
Update: Listen to a brief discussion I had with Monster Leadership Expert
Here some Monster resources on leadership and ethics in business:
- "How Leaders Can Be Ethical Role Models"
- "Business Ethics Quiz"
- "Deal with an Unethical Boss"
- Monster's New Leadership Message Board
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Posted by Bryan on January 30, 2008 at 10:33 AM in Current Events , The Daily Grind | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
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Comments
This is indeed a tricky subject. Of course a company wants an executive management to be leaders that inspire and people that their employees and surrounding community can look up to... And often there are business related reasons for this as well. For example, if a CEO of a company has an outstanding reputation this could influence a 3rd party to choose to enter into a contract (all else being equal) with this CEO's company rather than choose a competitor with a CEO with a poor reputation.
However, there are also two reasons why this is very dangerous.
1. A reputation is often too influenced by here-say. There is a reason why certain evidence is not admitted into a court of law. Sour grapes can lead to a rather murky vision of a picture and in some cases a maliciously constructed vision. Completely theoretical, but what if in another similar kind of situation the executive's wife had been the initial adulterer and in the ugliness of the aftermath the husband found to be the blame in the court of common gossip. There are reasons there are specific rules about what is and is not admissible in a court of law.
2. Privacy. In an age with cameras on every other city street corner, wire-tapping and email searching without court approval..does corp. America want to propagate an environment where corp. management's personal lives are overly scrutinized, judgments often made with imperfect facts, and personnel perhaps even spied upon? At some point, you have to just trust an employee's performance and ethics as they go about their business at work. Sure work is a different dynamic than one's personal life...but if I was a betting man and who isn't this fine wknd? ... 9 times out of 10 a person with compromised character will show their true colors in the office place as well. It is here that the real mistake is often made as power and internal politics can shroud the truth to a the larger corp. community but often times it is seen but not voiced by the day to day colleagues @ work.
Anyway, it is really difficult to be perfect (just ask the Patriots if they do go ahead and win on Sunday) and perhaps people should be mindful of this and realize everybody has some skeletons in their closet before rushing to judgment on executives who are already under a microscope. If the corp. culture were less tolerant of un-ethical acts in an enviorment they know best..then perhaps less problems like the one listed above would occur in the first place..
Posted by: Nate | Feb 1, 2008 6:21:13 PM
Does anyone seriously get a job through Monster! I find it's like a bad joke. It has gotten me nowhere! Thanks
Posted by: Tracy | Apr 3, 2008 8:49:10 PM
