Make it impossible to un-learn

My friends at Vega Factor teach motivation and performance using unforgettable stories, like the one of bounties for dead snakes in Delhi.

And my friends at Broadcat teach compliance with visual aids that cannot be unseen, like the poster that reads “Found gum on the ground? Don’t put it in your mouth. Found a USB on the ground? Don’t put it in your computer.”

What ethics or compliance problem are you facing today? What could you do or say about it that would be memorable and instantly change you employees’ perspective?

Election day

The current pandemic has demonstrated that most people do not have to be at the office to get the job done.

Which means that most employers could easily let their employees leave work for an hour or two to vote on election day.

In fact, a more perfect democracy would make election day a paid national holiday, a stand-down day for freedom and justice.

Until our “elected officials” choose to create a better election system, employers should do all they can to preserve their employees’ right to vote.

Self-preservation

People are asking if Biden’s administration will prosecute Trump after he leaves the office.

Answers include:

This is for the Department of Justice to decide and Biden will not interfere
It would be very unusual (in fact, it’s never been done before)
It might not be good for democracy
It could distract from the real work that needs to be done
It’s better to make sure that whatever Trump did cannot be done again
A new president should look forward, not backward
It’s a political time bomb
It could divide the country

Yes. All valid points.

But one basic, more personal reason seems to be missing: whoever first allows prosecution against his predecessor opens himself up to such prosecution.

A classic conflict of interest. Like the employee who riled against managers’ inflated bonuses until he became a manager, and then those bonuses were just fine and actually deserved.

Turn your attention

There is someone you know at work who could be voted “less likely to succeed.”

Not because of their lack of talent, skills, intelligence or hard work but because of the circumstances they grew up and still find themselves in.

Now is your chance to make a real difference in the world.

Rules and culture

The laws of a country either protect or prohibit certain activities. One country might protect specific activities (e.g. free speech, peaceful assembly, freedom of religion) while another country prohibits them. As a result, the two countries will have different cultures.

The same is true of companies. One might promote trust, respect and integrity while another does not. It’s easy to see how cultures will differ. In all cases, the cultures result from the “laws” in place – the written and unwritten policies.

If you want a different culture, simply change the rules.

Magic

The recent tropical storm Isaias left me without power for more than 3 days. It just came back at 2 AM this morning.

During the last 24 hours, I often thought of how my parents lived 3 weeks without power after an ice storm in 1997. For 40 miles in any direction, businesses were closed. No ATMs, no gas stations, no restaurants. No hot water, no heat. In the middle of winter.

I recall my dad telling me that after the power was restored, it felt like magic when he flipped a switch and a light went on. He felt gratitude every time. It was almost as if electricity had just been invented.

Imagine a world where we lose our ability to make ethical decisions for 3 weeks. Or even just 3 days. A relatively short period where everyone cheats, lies and steals. A time when you can’t trust anyone. You can’t trust your family members, or your neighbors, or your boss, or the press, or the government. Then imagine trust is suddenly restored and when you ask a question you can trust the answer.

It would be like magic.

This is my 700th post. Coincidentally, I also wrote about magic on my 600th post. You can find all my milestone posts here.

On meritocracy

According to this Forbes article, organizations with the highest level of employee engagement have a culture that mimic the greater marketplace: in these organizations, the best ideas win, no matter the status of the employee coming up with the idea.

In these organizations, employees are encouraged to speak up and diverse opinions are welcome. The venture is a form of adventure (pun intended). A sense of play permeates the workday. Failure is expected and embraced as a learning opportunity.

When employees work is an organization where they feel safe, seen, and heard, they are highly unlikely to engage in wrongdoing. Creating such a culture appears to be a win for both the business and the compliance communities.

No one has the right to infect other people

In most places on the planet, you can’t drink and drive.

The rule doesn’t exist to protect the driver, although it does that too. The rule exists to protect the life and property of other people. A drunk driver is very likely to get into an accident, to damage property, to hurt people, or to kill them. We simply won’t allow it.

I wasn’t around when the “drive sober” laws were put in place but I don’t believe that people took to the streets to protest against them. I don’t think anyone barked like an enraged dog at their elected official to maintain their “right” to drive drunk. If that did happen, please send me a link.

Today, the world watches as a minority of egocentric and selfish citizens insist on not wearing face masks and on defying physical distancing rules, thus prolonging the very pandemic giving rise to their madness. Each day that they ignore common sense, they risk hurting and killing more people.

In recent years, about 10,000 people/year have died from drunk driving in the United States. The drivers are considered criminals and sent to jail. Year-to-date, nearly 150,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States. Just yesterday, over 47,000 people became infected. All potential killers.

And some of them are marching in the streets, yelling “My body, my choice”, without masks, spreading the virus.

We need more ethical leaders.

A better tomorrow

“Culture is how we really do things around here” is the same as

“Culture is the outcome of your processes” is the same as

“Culture is the outcome of what you did yesterday and the day before.”

Thus, if we don’t change anything today, tomorrow won’t be any better.

COVID and corruption

Journalists and lawmakers are starting to investigate how certain public contracts related to COVID-19 have been awarded.

We should expect many more investigations of this kind all over the world. When billions of dollars converge on one event, whether it be the Olympics or a pandemic, there is bound to be corruption, self-dealing, and other improprieties.

With the Olympics or the World Cup, we understand the importance of augmenting corruption controls years before the event takes place. The minute the host city is announced, we can start reinforcing the compliance program and the ethical culture of our local operations before the first bid is due. With COVID-19, governments have not had time to do this. They’ve all had to rely on ordinary controls.

But here’s one thing we can prepare for: the reopening. Once the machine revs up again, and millions of customers are urging millions of companies to release goods that depend on millions of suppliers, the pressure will be on. And with pressure comes not only wrongdoing but a diminished capacity to fight wrongdoing.

On the other side of the reopening coin is the need to “ease” compliance. My friend Richard Bistrong wrote an excellent piece about it on the FCPA Blog, which I recommend you read with this one as an interesting balancing act.