Integrity, ethics, transparency?some of the most used and abused words in the corporate world. Every organisation tries to fit these somewhere in their vision, mission, values but these are often the first to be sacrificed at the altar of ?practicality? and ?business sense?.
There are times when I despair as I pick up the paper and read of the Ramalinga Rajus, Rajat Guptas, Reebok?s Subhinder Singh and Vishnu Bhagat etc. Whether the charges are proven true or false, whether the cheaters are these or someone else in the system, the fraud and the cheating continues! While the junior levels are often punished for even a small white lie, the leaders get away with famous words, like the US senator who dismissed the conduct of the war in Iraq with ?Mistakes were made and lies were told?. Where are the leaders whom we can look up to? Where are the leaders who were truly held accountable? Where are our role models?
While these will hog the news for a few days, there are a million more scams waiting to be created, leaders to be caught or implicated to save some other, equally senior people. It is time to question what is creating these. Why are some people in senior positions who already have access to lavish lifestyles resorting to cheating, fraud and unethical practices? What drives the greed? How much is enough? Or even more important?Where are we heading? What is creating this madness?
The easy answer to what is creating this situation is ?greed? and ?vanity?. But even as I say that, I realise we missed a few steps along the way because the greed and vanity also have a catalyst. The source we must discover before we can hope to understand what is happening and how essential it is to reverse this trend. The people that participate in or benefit from these scams or less than honest practices are but human and every action we take as human being is to fulfil a need. They say there is need and then there is greed. And I say that greed is also an unhealthy manifestation of some need. But what could be this need?
The answer has surprised me but not too much for history has ample evidence that patterns of destruction emerge not from individuals but from societies. One of our primary human needs is the need for ?importance?, or ?esteem? as Maslow describes it. And this has been a powerful tool for societies for it is this need that allows societies to shape and create its leaders. What society admires and gives significance to, is what its members start to build in an attempt to fulfil their need for esteem and admiration.
So, what is it that we admire the most today? What is it that garners the most attention, adoration, respect and media coverage? The answers unfortunately seem to be material success and political power. Once someone reaches the riches from the rags or whichever point in between they started from, they become a source of inspiration and admiration. They are bestowed a halo without questioning if they deserve it or not.
They become leaders by virtue of their success and/or monetary value or by political power gained by piggy backing on a public interest issue and not by virtue of their integrity or personal values which are taken for granted. So, they emerge from a system that adores them for their success and riches, which makes them greedy for more. Then we follow this up by believing them capable of doing no wrong, or at least, forgiving them their minor transgressions very willingly. Is it any wonder then that a few amongst the group we have put up on the pedestal get addicted to the worship, get addicted to their own self-concept? That they succumb to vanity, sometimes apparent and sometimes veiled under the modesty that all their leadership lessons have advised them to display.
They are also a product of the conveniently chameleonic corporate values of the capitalist regime. When hiring a CxO with brilliant performance and admirable track record, often the other aspects are ignored unless of course there was a major transgression or it reached the public ears. In fact, minor issues may be joked about and dismissed as a ?practical business necessity? with whispered words ?I don?t need a saint, I need someone who can deliver? followed by a boisterous ?of course we need someone with a very impeccable record? and again a whispered ?but we shouldn?t split hairs about every small thing?. The bigger the company, the more noise it may be making internationally about integrity and ethics, but on the ground, it?s about how successful you are and how brilliant your career graph seems!! About whether you got caught or not!!
As we get lovingly swept into the arms of this whirlwind of materialism and individualism, it is for us to remember that we create our leaders by what we give importance to. While admiring success is by no means wrong but societies have grown and recovered from catastrophes when their leaders also needed a high standard of personal integrity to gain social acceptance. When only material wealth and its display was not enough to open all doors.
For history is witness to the outcomes of vanity and greed?from the sinking of the Titanic and major wars to Lehman Bros, the examples are endless. We have seen how vanity and greed can make humans ignore important warning signs before it is too late. It is after corporations crumble and tsunamis wreck that we notice the signs we should have paid attention to.
It is time the winners of the national bravery awards got as much visibility as the winners of Indian Idol. It is time to question our leaders and make them more answerable. It is time to substitute mass adoration with discerning respect and I say this for each of the leaders we are raving about today. Yes, they have done great things but we must support them on their journey to greatness by making them answerable for more. So they can stay steady on their path to greatness. What do you say friends? For you decide who you shall admire and follow ? and you shape the leaders of tomorrow. I await your thoughts and opinions.
The author is a Transformation Expert, Executive Coach, Trainer, Change Management Consultant and also CEO of a small business group. shweta@shwetahanda.com