"Life" goes Real Life

Adfreak reports that Life, the classic board game from Hasbro, now has a new twist:

Players can use credit cards.

I'm waiting for them to add loan sharks.

Midways Time

On the Moneyed Midways, with its collection of posts from various business, finance, and management blog carnivals, is up at Political Calculations.

Famous Last Words

There are certain lines that signal impending doom. Common ones are:

Let's run it by Finance.

The CEO's spouse has a special interest in this topic and just wants to see the plan.

We tried something sorta like that seven years ago but the analyst is no longer with us.

The sales people made a few promises to seal the deal.

The lawyers just want to insert some language.

It's simply a "get acquainted" meeting and should last no longer than ten minutes.

As you may know, I'm a people person.

And then you have ten minutes to switch planes in Atlanta.

All of the documentation was on Gloria's computer.

The CEO read a fascinating management book the other day. It's written by a goat-herder in Tanzania.

It's a new rental car company but they gave us a smoking deal.

We put Ed in charge of the PowerPoint. He's prepared 50 slides.

This will be really simple. Trust me.

Bear with Me

I've been slow on responding to some of the comments for a good reason: My old computer, once a reliable tool, became an exercise in masochism. I'm switching to a new computer.

Things should soon be up to speed.

Quote of the Day

If the frontline people do count, you couldn't prove it by examining the reward systems in most organizations.

- Karl Albrecht and Ron Zemke

Good Ethics = Good Business?

Many people believe that good ethical behavior is good for business. I've seen that written in employee handbooks and on web sites.

And it always makes me uneasy.

Why?

I have several concerns. First, I've seen situations in which high ethical behavior loses contracts and promotions which rogues achieve. Will this be the case in the long run? Perhaps not, but many a weasel is able to carry the advantage long enough to make a career.

A second concern is the underlying message that good business is a reason for adopting good ethics. Does that mean that if it could be clearly demonstrated that poor ethics produced a solid advantage in the business world then decent behavior should be tossed aside?

My final concern is that people will assume that since good ethics equals good business, then good business equals good ethics. The hubris exhibited by far too many executive teams is a by-product of the self-satisfied belief of "We are such bright and caring people that if we decide something is right and proper, then it is right and proper."

Do I believe that high ethical behavior is desirable in the workplace? Absolutely, but because of its own virtue and not because of any competitive edge.

The Note Table

Neatorama has the details on the note table.

If you are a scribbler, admit it: You want one.

The Limits of Language

The terms and images that we apply to things are powerful because they in turn shape our actions.

What we call strengths are often weaknesses and what are called weaknesses can be strengths. The organization may be the picture of disorganization. The machinery of power doesn't resemble a machine and the people are far from easily replaceable parts.

We talk of business and advertising campaigns and evoke war, ingredients and evoke cooking, and experiments and evoke science; all in an effort to bring order to our thoughts.

And, of course, they frequently bring anything but clarity.

It is difficult to be immune to such self-deception but we can periodically review the assumptions hidden in our language. If we don't, we risk wandering down paths (another image!) that we don't wish to explore.

Quote of the Day

Things are only worth what one makes them worth.

- Moliere

Food for Thought: An HR Ethics Question

Lois has been interviewed for several promotional opportunities over the years. Each time, she has been turned down and told that although her qualifications are impressive, another candidate was selected. What Lois was not told was the truth: that she irritated the oral board members by talking too much and by appearing to be condescending. Lois has spent time and money on workshops and classes to improve her promotion potential but none of those efforts addressed her real problem. The Human Resources Department has told the oral board members not to say anything to any of the unsuccessful job applicants other than "Another well qualified person was selected." Lois continues to apply for promotion.

You served on the last oral board and know about Lois's past efforts.

Do you tell Lois the truth?

Should HR tell Lois the truth?