We're back to the subject of ethics, more specifically, business ethics.
But unlike ethical dilemmas we've discussed in the past - when people are confronted with bizarre, freak circumstances they had never planned for, and then face agonizing choices regarding how to react - I'm now talking about cases where people willfully and proactively steer events in a certain direction.
Take the case of the owner of a $32 million business whose daring entry into entrepreneurship was recounted in a leading business magazine.
Just over a decade ago, Kathy Taggares was itching to ditch her employer, frozen-food maker Chef Ready Foods, to start her own business.
She decided to approach Marriott International about buying one of its salad dressing factories. Not that she was overly optimistic("As a young single woman, I'd already had so many doors slammed in my face"), but what was there to lose?
But surprisingly, her overtures met with a particularly warm reception. Marriott even offered to help her finance the $5 million purchase over several years.
It seemed almost too good to be true. Actually, it was.
Slowly it dawned on Kathy that the Marriott people believed she was representing her employer, Chef Ready, as a solo entrepreneur. Had they realized that she was, in reality, representing herself, there was no way they would have taken her so seriously.
If she had owned up to the truth, the game would been up, for sure. Yet another door would have been slammed in her face. So what did Kathy do now? Simple.
"They never directly asked me," she confesses, "so I let them believe what they wanted to believe."
Sure, they found out at the end - and they weren't at all charmed by the deception - but by then, the deal had all but gone through. Twelve years and one more acquisition later, Kathy Taggeres' company, K.T's Kitchens, now employs 350 people.
Effective communication? Having painted herself into a rather tight corner, our would-be entrepreneur yet managed to come up trumps by simply NOT communicating, and doing it very effectively at that.
It remains to answer our question: Was it straight?
Well, now, can we accuse Kathy Taggares of lying? No, it seems she didn't - at least, not with words. "I just left some of the blanks empty", as she expresses it. But do you have to SAY something in order to lie?
Personally, I don't think so. I'd go along with Robert Louis Stevenson's definition of honesty: "not just to state the true facts, but to convey a true impression." If so, no objective person can sincerely deny that Taggeres lied.
That being the case, we're forced to ask ourselves another pertinent question: Is it ever legitimate to lie in business?
Omitting cases of outright fraud where the law clearly says it's not, the author of the article I cited (Jeremy Useem: "Should You Lie?") writes that his magazine "put that question to dozens of entrepreneurs and ethicists. And while the answers that came back are neither black nor white, one thing is clear: Those who say that lying has no place in business aren't telling the truth."
Mark well what is being said here, and let it sink in. Sure, we weren't born yesterday. We know too much about the sharks that abound in the business world. Who is there amongst us who has not been bitten by them?
But that's not what our author is saying here. He's saying that, in the eyes of the great masses of business people out there -including some of the most respectable among them - lies and deception have a LEGITIMATE place in the world of business.
This does not necessarily mean that some respectable entrepreneurs condone cheating and deceiving as a general practice. (Hopefully, they don't, and probably, they wouldn't remain "respectable" too long if they did.) What it does mean it means many of them believe there's a time and place for everything. In other words, an occasional subtle deception,if not outright lie,is in order and appropriate when circumstances demand it.
And to prove the point, the essay in Fortune Small Business presents a whole host of real life examples. Business person after business person is depicted as bending the truth in the most ingenious ways - whether through speech, deeds, or untimely silence - to mislead potential or existing clients, suppliers or investors.
Why do they do it? Sometimes, they feel they have no choice.
One professor of business education says company founders often mislead people because they find themselves in an "expectations trap": No one will do business with them until they appear successful, yet they can't be successful until people do business with them.
One way to escape this "Catch 22" is to create the impression that they're bigger and more established than they are. Some might achieve this by playing office background noise in their home office or bringing in all their relatives to pose as staff members when a client comes to visit.
Others don't hesitate to puff up their capabilities (Sure, we've built an aircraft hangar before,") or to describe their vision of their company's future as if it were happening already.
Other academics point out that people tend to live with two independent sets of ethical standards - one for their personal lives (what you might call "religious ethics"), and one for their business or professional lives. In our culture, moreover, it might seem natural to model the latter set on the prevailing ethics of the world of sport, where shady practices are often seen as acceptable provided you don't break the Eleventh Commandment: "Thou Shalt Not Get Caught" (by the referee or umpire, that is).
For my part, I'm not impressed. Not at all.
Well, what do YOU say? Drop me a note and let me know!
Azriel Winnett is creator of Hodu.com - Your Communication Skills Portal. This popular free website helps you improve your communication and relationship skills in your business or professional life, in the family unit and on the social scene. New articles added almost daily.
Wouldn't it be great to have a year where your... Read More
Want a simple, low-cost way to boost your sales? Just... Read More
Deciding whether a particular marketing program is profitable to your... Read More
Alright you've got yourself a nice website with a great... Read More
Do you own a small business? Do you wish to... Read More
As a massage therapist, your income is usually limited by... Read More
Anyone who runs their own business can tell you how... Read More
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCEThe Oscars will be handed out soon, and... Read More
In my e-book "Articles That Sell", I've shared the secret... Read More
The fight for your customer's attention at a tradeshow has... Read More
Unless your company has absolutely no competition now or in... Read More
With more and more companies wanting to integrate their products... Read More
Whether it is for is a real estate listing, a... Read More
If yours is a small business and you have big... Read More
Your local Chamber of Commerce.Now before you stop reading, I... Read More
Ouch . . . sounds pretty drastic I know, but... Read More
The secret to increasing sales doesn't lie in choosing just... Read More
Cause marketing is a relationship between a for-profit and a... Read More
First in a series of three articlesRegardless of your law... Read More
Most of us are used to the concepts of risk... Read More
Simple low-cost postcards have become a valuable business tool for... Read More
A brochure can be a great promotional tool, whether it... Read More
So, you´ve been around for a while, and maybe even... Read More
How Toyota Captured the #1 Market Share . . .... Read More
Make a vow to keep up your marketing schedule in... Read More
The movie, "Field of Dreams" opens with a farmer standing... Read More
How many times has someone you've called said, "Why don't... Read More
You couldn't help but be captivated by the unbelievably cute... Read More
Sponsorship is the fastest growing form of marketing in the... Read More
Oh come on! FREE is free. Zero, zip, nada, zilch.... Read More
If you've got a mailbox, you're no doubt aware of... Read More
You know those bad habits we get. Like raiding the... Read More
Expanding your subscriber list, whether it be for your ezine,... Read More
Even the world's best marketing strategy won't work for you... Read More
Being inconsistent when it comes to marketing your business can... Read More
You probably already have in your possession one of the... Read More
Marketing is a broad business subject that encompasses a range... Read More
Most business people want to see improvements in sales and... Read More
In direct mail, the offer is the incentive or reward... Read More
Sometimes, experiencing bleak sales is a matter of failing to... Read More
It's a startling fact: almost all entrepreneurs aren't marketing their... Read More
Many businesses today overlook the importance of business cards as... Read More
Use these powerful yet simple tips from the national best-seller,... Read More
What we now call "marketing" began long before the name... Read More
"Make money for taking surveys"," Cash for your opinion", "Make... Read More
The lowly postcard?it's more than just a "having fun, wish... Read More
The advantages of using direct mail to promote your home-based... Read More
The basic lead generation process is pretty much the same... Read More
In a crowded marketplace of ideas, it is important for... Read More
Many service professionals tell me that they are uncomfortable with... Read More
Without new business, your restaurant won't be able to grow.... Read More
Are you getting referrals from you customers? If not, you... Read More
The secret to increasing sales doesn't lie in choosing just... Read More
Buying your promotional products and corporate apparel online provides five... Read More
Part #26) Food safety is becoming paramount.What this means to... Read More
"Brochure" is French, and it comes from brocher, meaning to... Read More
Do sales come from your ezine regularly? How many well-written... Read More
How to Tie a Tie and How To Kiss -... Read More
"Kevin, are you saying I need to go to Networking... Read More
I am doing what you do, sitting at my computer,... Read More
No matter if you're publishing your first book or producing... Read More
The greatest asset to your business is your Customer, specifically,... Read More
Are your direct mail response rates lower than you expect?... Read More
In Part 1, I discussed how traditional marketing is no... Read More
Easy Direct Marketing Methods for Insurance AgenciesThis Month: Strategies for... Read More
The goal of successful marketing is to create long lasting... Read More
Marketing |