SELLING YOUR SOUL

If you dance with the devil, do you really expect him not to lead?

I was reminded of this phrase (which I believe my cousin coined), when listening to the daily media barrage of political and corporate scandals. I don't believe that any of these folk went out and decided a path towards highly questionable and potentially criminal behaviour. 

As is often the case with unethical behaviour, one step into the grey, leads to the next, until the slippery slope has you diving head first into the quagmire of corruption.

If you dance with the devil, do you really expect him not to lead?

I have faced many situations within my career, where I could have taken this off-ramp. When you have had the positions which I have occupied, there will be pressure from on-high to possibly give business to a "friend", a "favourite" or the like, and I've refused. This refusal did in one instance cost me my job, but I was good with that. Because you can always get another job, but you can't get another reputation.

And I've seen others, who began that journey. A favour here, a "tweak" there, awarding business not to the best company, but because a) they've gotten pressure to do so; or b) they allowed themselves to become too close to their suppliers -- accepting boondoggles of various kinds. Some of these folk have been caught and others have actually done quite well in their corporations,  getting accolades and bonuses.

If you dance with the devil, do you really expect him not to lead?

If you are an ethical supplier, even if a large client or potential client asks you to do something unethical, do you say "Ok, just this once" or are your courageous and decide that no amount of revenue is worth it. Lots of pressure to do so, but will you?

I would say unfortunately in the corporate game of life, the former is probably the case more often than the latter.

But you know, that "just this time" or "Ok, don't tell anyone" or "If I don't somebody else will" or whatever phrase you can think of to somehow justify your behaviour, means you have sold your soul.

Because once you've traversed into that murky realm and don't get caught, or the heavens don't open and a lightning bolt is sent to smite you, you might rationalize that it was OK. The problem is by this time you've sold your soul and then it becomes routine to do "whatever it takes" and there you go, down the rabbit-hole.

How? Well, your boss, your client, your co-worker, whomever now owns you. They could easily let slip that you did this questionable thing. They definitely wouldn't let it be known that they were complicit, it would all totally rest on your shoulders. And if you are in the public eye? Once the media gets their hook into you, well, they just don't let go. 

If you dance with the devil, do you really expect him not to lead?

And for those who I see being "successful" who I know have traversed the river to the unethical land? Well, I do believe that what goes around, comes around. I've seen it happen too often not to.

So when faced with an ethical issue, either professionally or personally, think twice. The devil is always open to collecting more souls!

UNETHICAL BY PROXY

If you build that foundation, both the moral and the ethical foundation, as well as the business foundation, and the experience foundation, then the building won't crumble...Henry Kravis

There is unrelenting, increasing pressure on corporations to cut costs. The problem with trying to meet metrics, which are sometimes unrealistic, it  causes the people within that corporation to cut corners, to turn a blind eye, just to ensure that their boss showers them with accolades and possibly a salary increase.

But what happens when you accept a price reduction but it is because the supplier is doing something not quite on the up-and-up? You may suspect this, you may know it, or perhaps not. Regardless, you have now become unethical by proxy and the potential damage to your reputation and that of your corporation are at risk.

When reviewing the response to an RFP, most evaluators will have lots of questions when there is an obvious low-ball offer. But we often don't question when there is only a few percent point differential and as such happily go ahead and award the business. Then we can joyfully put our savings into the spreadsheet, believing that we have done a good days work. 

Yet this is not where your due diligence should end. There are some industries where there are very low margins (particularly when the client is a large corporation), things like couriers, distribution, contract labour etc., where even a few percent difference from the "pack" should give pause. 

Is there something that this lower provider does not include in their pricing that will cost you more in the long run? Or are they doing something behind the scenes that may not be illegal, but falls squarely in the unethical arena? 

In procurement, it is our role to ensure ethical behaviour by all, our internal clients and our suppliers. We cannot end up saying "well, it was them, not us." This doesn't fly and the accolades you got today, could quickly turn into jeers tomorrow. And worse yet if you've been advised that there is some funny business going on, or that you suspect it. 

By proxy you are as culpable as the culprit -- you are an enabler or as they say in criminal court you are an accessory. 

So be careful about just being metric and not ethics oriented, because otherwise your carefully constructed pyramid of savings will crumble in an instant, along with your reputation.