Saturday, October 10, 1998

Don't base values on cliches

By Tom Schaefer

Knight Ridder Newspapers

Why we shouldn't base values on cliches and other self-serving slogans ...

BOSS: Fred, I've called you in my office because we need to talk about some disturbing matters.

FRED: Well, you know me, boss. If there's anything I can do to help, you can count on me.

BOSS: I'm not so sure. There are a number of concerns that have been brought to my attention. And they're all about you.

FRED: About me?

BOSS: That's right. According to our records, you've left work early 25 days in the past six weeks. What's going on?

FRED: "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."

BOSS: But you're supposed to be here till 5 o'clock every day, and you're leaving at 3. If you were getting all your work done, that would be one thing. But the fact is, you're at the bottom of sales. The chart line that registers your productivity is nearing the Earth's core.

FRED: Boss, you can't imagine the pressures I'm under. I've got two house payments, my kid needs to see an orthodontist, and the dog has mange. And then there's Sharon: She's stealing all the good clients. May I suggest that you try to "put yourself in my shoes"?

BOSS: Pressures are one thing, but how do you explain lying and falsifying company statements? I've checked, and only three of the clients you claimed on your expense account actually ate lunch with you. We're talking 40 lunches in the past two months.

FRED: And you've NEVER done anything like that when you were on the sales team? I'm reminded of the saying: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

BOSS: Excuse me? This is NOT about me. And I assure you I did not take advantage of business lunches. It's you who's violating the company's trust. And let me get to an even more disturbing issue. Alice in marketing says you've made several sexually explicit remarks to her, even after she told you to stop. This is serious stuff, Fred. What do you have to say for yourself?

FRED: "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

BOSS: Others on the sales staff have told me about your unwanted advances toward Alice.

FRED: "These are the forgeries of jealousy."

BOSS: Good grief, man, Alice tape-recorded everything you said!

FRED: Oh. All right. I might have used bad judgment in a FEW instances. But remember: "To err is human, to forgive divine."

BOSS: True. But forgiveness means a willingness to admit mistakes and to accept appropriate punishment. So far I haven't heard you say you've done anything wrong. All you're telling me is that there are extenuating circumstances and others do the same thing. You refuse to accept any personal responsibility for your actions.

FRED: OK. I did some inappropriate things. But I promise I'll redouble my efforts here at work, give 110 percent. Can we move on, "forgive and forget"?

BOSS: But, Fred, you've violated the trust of this company; you've broken rules, hurt other people, tried to conceal your behavior, and now you want me to act as though none of this affects the overall health of the company or sets a bad example for others?

FRED: Let me remind you of a principle I always try to live by: "Judge not, lest you be judged."

BOSS: You don't get it, do you? You really don't think you should be punished for your behavior, do you?

FRED: Hey, I said I'm sorry. What more do you expect of me?

BOSS: You tell me: "What is left when honor is lost?"

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(Tom Schaefer writes about religion and ethics for the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle. Write to him at the Wichita Eagle, P.O. Box 820, Wichita, KS 67201, or send e-mail to tschaefer(at)wichitaeagle.com )