“DO AS I SAY AND NOT AS I DO”
“Do as I say and not as I do” the consequences of unethical behaviors outside the office
and the impact it has inside the workplace.
Seth Hickerson
Virginia Commonwealth University
ELDP 715 Assignment3
Position Paper
I
“DO AS I SAY AND NOT AS I DO”
II
There are two sides to every story and there are usually two sides to every person. It is
what these two sides consist of and reflect that truly matter. Leaders are continually faced with
challenges and decisions that may have significant impacts, good or bad, on not only them but
also their companies, employees and families.
I wholeheartedly disagree with the premise that behaviors outside of the workplace are of
little consequence as long as a leader demonstrates ethical behavior on the job. I honestly don’t
feel that a leader can truly separate them from work if they have unethical behaviors that they are
trying to hide or not bring to the workplace. Rather, I feel a leader’s behavior, if unethical,
outside the workplace will have a significantly negative impact on their job and organizations
eventually. The inability to truly separate unethical behavior or improper morals and values
from work has been proven time and time again and routinely shows the true nature of a leader.
There are several instances that I will refer to in this paper that provide further evidence
of the inability of leaders to separate unethical or immoral behaviors from personal life to work.
I will also discuss a few individuals in prominent leadership roles that could perhaps be viewed
as having the ability to separate personal ethics from work. However, typically this is but merely
a public perception of a leader and not necessarily reflective of the actual employees within that
organization.
First I want to discuss ethics and values as they pertain to leadership. Ethics have
nothing to do with being nice per se. Ethics is motivation based on ideas of right or wrong. The
"right conduct" has nothing to do with being friendly. It is very possible to be an ethical tyrant
(Steve Jobs) or to perhaps be a nice person with no sense of personal or professional ethics
(Kenneth Lay).
I believe that some leaders try to frame their organizations in a matter that perhaps
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allows for supposed standard of “business ethics”. Business ethics can be defined as written and
unwritten codes of principles and values that govern decisions and actions within a company. In
the business world, the organization’s culture sets standards for determining the difference
between good and bad decision making and behavior.
In the most basic terms business ethics boils down to knowing the difference between
right and wrong and choosing to do what is right. The phrase “business ethics” can be used to
describe the actions of individuals within an organization, as well as the organization as a whole.
However, in the research I studied makes it readily apparent that even if there are codes or rules
in place that are meant to promote proper business and personal ethics, inevitably if the leader is
truly unethical then the real nature of that leader will eventually seep through and impact the
organizations negatively. Sometimes this takes place in a very direct manner and other times it
happens behind the scenes.
To demonstrate my first example of how this inability to separate personal and business
ethics proves consequential I will discuss the happenings at Enron. In the case of Enron, despite
an ethical statement of values and a lengthy company code of ethics, senior leadership’s actions
encouraged unethical behavior at all levels. The leaders developed a 67 page “ethics and core
values” manual that they distributed and shared to their employees. Although the manual was
developed to encourage appropriate behavior the leaders often times did not follow the protocol
themselves.
When drafting or promoting statements of core values, leaders ought to first consider
whether the culture of the organization will or should support such statements. Perhaps Enron
might not have collapsed as dramatically as it did if it didn’t put so much “effort” into trying to
frame the organization in a culture that it would never be.
“DO AS I SAY AND NOT AS I DO”
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Research shows that organizational culture is a primary driver in employee behavior and
that leaders shape this behavior (Lozano-Whitten, 2010). Despite Enron’s statement of its core
ethical values, senior leadership actions created a culture of greed that encouraged unethical
behavior at all levels. People typically do not look to written codes for clues about how to
behave, rather they look to others. And in Enron’s case, as it is with most organizations, the
highest ranking leaders were the others and they were driving the company into the ground with
the unethical behavior they were preaching but not practicing.
Secondly, with such a connected world leaders today are not as easily able to separate
their private lives and values from work. With the influx and ubiquity of social media leaders
today are more accessible and accountable than ever. And it seems that even leaders with
seemingly spotless records can act impulsively and drop their guard for a split second which can
result in termination and lawsuits. This is evident in numerous instances recounting scenarios of
employees being terminated for inappropriate behaviors online. One example is the case of a
High School math and Science supervisor in Cohasset, MA that was terminated for postings on
her Facebook page. On her Facebook page, the teacher called the residents of Cohasset "arrogant
and snobby," and said that she is "so not looking forward to another year at Cohasset schools."
One student questioned the educators ethics by stating “It’s not smart, but if you are in a
professional position, maybe you shouldn’t be putting what you really feel about your job or
whatever on Facebook” said student Terry MacCormack. Although this teacher is probably and
upstanding and ethical person her decision to post something deemed indecent in a public space
caused her significant problems and termination from her position.
The last and most prominent example of the consequences that are felt in an organization
due to unethical behavior and morals outside the organization is evident in the recent allegations
“DO AS I SAY AND NOT AS I DO”
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against Penn State’s Jerry Sandusky and 2 other high ranking officials. Sandusky was perceived
as an impeccable leader and philanthropist throughout the state of Pennsylvania and the national
sporting community. However, in a 40-count indictment, Sandusky is accused of targeting eight
boys over a period of 15 years - both before and after his retirement in 1999. The charges range
from inappropriate touching to statutory rape. It may seem as though his unethical behaviors
might have been propagated by his “2 mile program” which many are now feeling he could have
used as a medium to commit these crimes. Penn State University has been perceived as a flag
bearer of upstanding moral characters, ethical behaviors and rule following. However, the most
recent controversy steadfastly reaffirms my position that leaders cannot truly separate unethical
personal behaviors from work. And the negative consequences are piling up for several leaders
at this Institution.
Some might argue that leaders do have the ability to separate their personal ethics and
morals from their organizational policies and protocol. One example of this would be J. Edgar
Hoover. Hoover was instrumental in the development of the FBI and many consider him the
father of modern law enforcement (Cooper, 2011). However, when you mention his name most
citizens young or old also always seem to have a sense that he was a man that had his demons or
unethical behaviors outside the office. They might also argue that he was able to keep them I
check and separate from work. Hoover had many issues that society, especially in his era,
accused him of such as believing he was homosexual and a cross dresser. However, this
supposed behavior did not directly affect his job as director of the FBI. He seemed to be able to
carry out his daily duties and move the bureau forward even with the assumptions that he was
“immoral”. That being said I still feel that his tenure was tainted because many people viewed
him in a manner that was inappropriate and might have discredited a lot of the good he did. So
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ultimately although he seemed to be able to separate his personal and work life the reality is that
his name and reputation will be forever tarnished in many people’s eyes due to their assumptions
about his ethics and morals.
Another example of a leader that had varying ethical and moral beliefs was Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs was a true pioneer and a leader that is regarded highly in our society, and rightfully
so. His contribution to our world changed the way we think, educate and communicate globally.
He was a true visionary and leader in his field. That being said he also had his “quirks” in and
out of the office. Most everyday citizens and particularly Apple users might believe that Steve
walked on water. However, those closest to him and especially those that worked alongside and
for him have a different outlook and perspective of Mr. Jobs. Steve Jobs had many varying
personas that were reflective of his values and ethics such as a “Tyrant, Egomaniac, Toll
Collector and a Miser” as noted in (Roush, 2011). These qualities might have been instrumental
in ultimately moving his company forward, however to say they were of no consequence to
several of his employees would be misleading due to the difficulties they had working with him.
In conclusion, I am in steadfast disagreement with the premise that behaviors outside of
the workplace are of little consequence as long as a leader demonstrates ethical behavior on the
job. This is reaffirmed simply because people are who they are. Maybe there are a handful of
leaders out there in the workforce that are capable of concealing and separating their personal
lives and ethics from their workplace and never have a consequential effect on their careers.
However, those in leadership positions that are responsible for establishing cultures, framing
organizations, setting policies and leading by example are always under the microscope. These
leaders are looked to by their employees and our society to be the role models that promote
proper business and personal ethics. And if those leaders are truly unethical or immoral at the
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core, then inevitably in some way, shape or form this indecency will transcend in to the
workplace and be of significant consequence. Perhaps a starting point to remedy this situation is
to offer training to senior leaders about the importance of true ethics, morals and behaviors and
how they can impact the organization. Organizations should also have protocol in place for staff
reporting to senior leadership that allows for opportunities to discuss, review, and make changes
to policies that may seem to be inappropriate or violated. Penn State University is a dramatic
example that highlights the consequences of “Passing the Buck” and I’m sure it will be a
tremendous learning experience for all leaders on the importance of understanding and
recognizing unethical behavior and the repercussions associated with leader’s inabilities to
separate their personal ethics from work.
“DO AS I SAY AND NOT AS I DO”
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References
Cooper, E. (2011). The real J. Edgar Hoover. American Thinker,
LastLozano-Whitten, C. (2010). Enron “lays” an egg: Perceptions of personality in a case of.
US-China Law Review, 7(1),
Roush, W. (2011, October 7). Saint Steve? not exactly. apple and the power of the dark side.
Xconomy.