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Five Lessons The Olympics Can Teach You About The Corporate World

July 31, 2012 by 1 Comment
Five Lessons From The Olympics for Your Worklife

Olympic Rings on Tower Bridge by Jon Curnow via Flickr cc

The Corporation: The Real American Idol Chapter 3 Part 2

Jordyn Wieber, after training for most of her life, and getting the fourth best score in the overall gymnastics competition, is not able to compete in the final.  I can hardly stand it.  I am a huge sports fan, and I am fascinated by the psychological aspects of the game – who can outperform under pressure, and who will choke?  So when I heard that Wieber was out, I watched the replay waiting for the choke that never came.

She made a few mistakes, but she was good.  And now she is out, because the rules say that no country can have more than two competitors in the final.  There has been a lot said about coaching and scoring decisions that may have cost her, but her coach, John Geddert, said it best.

She has trained her entire life for this day and to have it turn out anything less than she deserves is going to be devastating. She has waited her entire career for this. She is happy for her teammates and disappointed that she doesn’t get (to) move on.”

Wieber’s failure to advance has lessons for those of us navigating a career in the corporate world.

Lesson 1: There are only so many spots at the top

Weiber’s performance was great – fourth overall, but the rules allow only two from a given country.  The same holds true in the corporate world.  There are fewer and fewer positions at higher levels in the company, especially in management.  And being good is not enough.

Lesson 2: No everyone who is worthy gets to move up

There were 98 women who qualified to compete in gymnastics in London, most of whom knew ahead of time that they had little chance to make the final 24, much less compete for a medal.  But these women were the best in their respective countries, and trained hard to get where they were.  Jordyn Wieber was not the only girl who scored well enough to make the final round but was prevented because two teammates scored better.    Three others also missed the finals because they were third in their country:  Anastasia Grishina (RUS, 12th place); Jennifer Pinches (GBR, 21st place); Yao Jinnan (CHN, 22nd place).  These four women need to abide by an arbitrary set of rules.

Lesson 3: The Rules are not designed with you in mind

The olympic organizers put together a set of rules that they thought would give the best overall event. And while Americans in particular will miss Weiber, the event will go on.  But the consequences for Weiber are potentially huge, perhaps millions of dollars in lost endorsements over the next few years.  Tim Daggett said it was inconceivable that Weiber would not be in the finals, especially when she made no major errors.  In my career, it was inconceivable to some people that I would be laid off, given everything I had accomplished at the company,  But I was.  (I didn’t really mind, and had a new job within weeks, but that is a story for another day.)

Lesson 4: Sometimes small things outside your control can make a big difference

Was Wieber underscored on the floor and beam as some have suggested?  Did the coaches put her at a disadvantage by not having her go last?  Maybe, probably.  If she hadn’t made a few small mistakes, it wouldn’t have made a difference.  But this time maybe it did.  Unfortunately, that is the way things go sometimes.  Sometimes at work, a minor mistake comes at exactly the wrong time.  The corporate world can be  a “what have you don’t for me lately” place.  After years of hard work, if the mistake happens just when that rare window of opportunity opens, it can cost.

Lesson 5: Sacrifice is a certainty, victory is a rarity.

For those who choose to work extreme hours, sacrifice of family time is a certainty.   For an Olympic athlete, the sacrifice brings the opportunity for greatness. But there can be only one Olympic champion.  As I wrote earlier, the experience of being there is a victory for most.  (And with 150,000 condoms distributed in the Olympic Village, being there seems to be plenty of rewards for showing up.)

When I first started working at Affymetrix, everyone kept congratulating me for being hired, as if it was privilege to be there.  And given how hot the company was at the time, I can understand where that was coming from.  It was perceived as an opportunity for greatness.  By business standards, I certainly won the Gold a few years later when my product had a monster year.  I got big accolades  and a very big bonus.  I had sacrificed big, and won big.  But unlike the Olympics, the competition did not end.  There were more goals, more numbers to make, and a perceived need for more sacrifice.

There was a great little segment on the broadcast tonight about Missy Franklin, seventeen year old swimmer whose family did not move or hire a famous coach.  She even stayed on her high school swim team.  Sacrifice?  I’m sure there was plenty.  But it was within boundaries her family set, and not according to standards suggested by other people.

The outcome?  She won the Gold in the 100 backstroke.

You might also like Discover How I Avoided Burnout, the first post in my blog book Busting Your Corporate Idol: How To Reconnect With Values and Regain Control Of Your Life.

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Three Aspects Of Corporations That Will Surprise You

July 30, 2012 by 2 Comments

The Corporation: The Real American Idol. Chapter 3 Part 1

Is a thunderstorm evil?  You might think it is if you don’t understand how it works.  The noise, the lighting, the destructive power can be frightening and dangerous.  Is a thunderstorm good?  You might think so, given the life-giving rain.  When faced with the unknown, the mind naturally creates a story to explain what is happening.  And when we don’t have all of the information, our imagination fills in the blanks. Of course a thunderstorm is neither good nor evil, it just is.

And so it goes with corporations, they are neither good nor evil.   A corporation can do “good” things like donating money to flood victims, or “bad” things like polluting a river.  But good and bad are labels added by people, and are not drivers of the company decisions.  For example, the oil company Texaco donated money for 63 years to allow radio broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera (a good thing), but the sponsorship started to help repair its reputation that damaged by its support for Nazi Germany (a bad thing)[1].

So what is a corporation?

In the words of Chief Justice Marshall of the United States Supreme court, “a corporation is an artificial being, invisible, intangible, and existing only in contemplation of the law.[2]”  It is striking to me how this definition of the corporation resembles following definition of a pagan idol.

Reverend Carlton Wynne of the Westminster Theological Seminary writes that idols in the Bible have personhood, are thought to have power, and have the ability to both accept sacrifices and bless supplicants[3].  Corporations meet all three of these criteria, except of course that corporations actually do have power.  And as for the third criteria, employees regularly make sacrifices for the company, and receive bonuses, promotions, and recognition as rewards.

Of course the primary definition of idolatry that I gave has to do with the adoption of a relative value system.  Do you think this definition fits corporations as well?

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[1] Corporate Social Strategy: Stakeholder Engagement and Competitive Advantage

By Bryan W. Husted, David Bruce Allen Cambridge University Press (2010)  p 141-142.  Google eBook.

[2] Dartmouth College v. Woodward, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporation Retrieved July 29, 2012

[3]   Is Idolatry the New Sin? By Carlton Wynne Reformation 21.org  November 2009.  http://www.reformation21.org/articles/is-idolatry-the-new-sin.php Retrieved most recently July 29, 2012

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How London Bested the Beijing Opening Ceremonies

July 28, 2012 by 1 Comment
2012 Olympics Opening Ceremonies

London Olympics Opening Ceremonies OMG The Tree by Shimelle via Flickr CC

The Beijing opening ceremonies were one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen.  I remember seeing thousands of drummers working in synchrony, a field of men performing Tai Chi, and a wave of Chinese characters moving up and down, to remind the world that China invented typesetting.  What amazed me was that each character was human powered, and the up and down movements had to be perfectly choreographed to give the rippling patterns.  When I realized that London was set to follow Beijing, I thought “There is no way they can match or beat this.”

I was both right and wrong, and the difference highlights the differences between the two countries.

When it comes to majesty and spectacle, Beijing won hands down.  For me, the 2008 Opening Ceremony was a coming out party for China.  ”We are here world – look at our rich culture and history, and see what we can accomplish.”  To have so many people working together in such artistry and synchrony was amazing to see.  But I grew uncomfortable when I learned that the 900 men under the typesetting segment had to wear diapers, because they had to stay under their props for six hours.  What was the human cost of that greatness?

China’s approach was very much in line with what we have seen in the subsequent four years.  It can move a large number of people to act together to produce great things.  Check out this video about the manufacturing of  iPads by Foxconn.  The vast majority of the work done by each individual is repetitive and boring.  But the end result is something spectacular.

A Different Focus

Danny Boyle, the oscar-winning director of Slum Dog Millionaire and the director of the London Opening Ceremony took an entirely different tack – it wasn’t about technology, and synchrony,  it was about people.  The first part of the program highlighted the transition in England’s history from an agrarian existance to the industrial revolution. Giant smokestacks rose out of the ground, and workers emerged from a hole in the ground to roll up and carry off the grass sod that covered the field.  Each smokestack in the show let off smog, and the Boyle’s magic managed to include the sulfer stink of the pollution.

The London games reminded the world that the UK has been through the pain of industrialization, and has dealt with the impact on socicety.  There were workers with picket signs as part of the show, advocating women’s sufferage among other causes.  As host Matt Lauer put it ” for all the prosperity from industrial revolution, there was also great hardship.”

The ceremony seemed to be saying “Industrial Revolution?  Been there, done that.  Now lets move on to our legacy of children’s literature, The National Health Service, and the uniquely British comic sensibility.”   I was also struck by the cultural and ethnic diversity of the performers.

From the land to factories and back to the land

Today, China is the country undergoing the transition from an agrarian to an industrial existence.  At the opening of the 2008 games in Beijing, Tijeniman Square was filled with smog for a few days until  the government-mandated shutdown of factories allowed the air to clear for the games.  At the turn of the 20th Century, the London Fog was the result of smog an industrial waste.  Now, much of that industry is gone from London, and in fact the industrial reminants on the economically depressed East End were replaced with the Olympic park.  And after the games, this region will be home to a new public park   filled with trails, wetlands, and open space.

In China and the UK, I see two countries at opposite ends of the industrialization cycle.  And the opening ceremonies?  I loved them both, but I have to give the edge to the one that put people first.

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Idolatry Then & Now Conclusion

July 25, 2012 by 2 Comments

Chapter 2: Idolatry Then & Now Part 15 (conclusion)

In Chapter 1, My Corporate Idolatry, I shared the story of the day I recognized that idolatry lives on in the 21st century.  The realization started with skepticism.  I initially though “isn’t idolatry statue worship, and didn’t that go away thousands of years ago?”  Idolatry is much more, and in this final installment of Chapter 2  how often Idolatry has periodicly come to dominate the very institutions that arose to combat it.

According to the book of Jeremiah, God ordered the destruction of the First Temple (aka Solomon’s Temple) because the Israelites had fallen into idolatry.  In the following passage, from Jeremiah Chapter 7, notice the behaviors associated with idolatry.

4 Don’t trust the lies that some people say. They say, “This is the Temple of the LORD.”  [The commentary explains that many people in Jerusalem thought the Lord would always protect the city no matter what, so it didn’t matter how evil they were.]   5 If you change your lives and do good things, I will let you live in this place. You must be fair to each other. 6 You must be fair to strangers. You must help widows and orphans. Don’t kill innocent people! And don’t follow other gods, because they will only ruin your lives.  8 “‘But you are trusting lies that are worthless. 9 Will you steal and murder? Will you commit adultery? Will you falsely accuse other people? Will you worship the false god Baal and follow other gods that you have not known? 10 If you commit these sins, do you think that you can stand before me in this house … and say, “We are safe,” just so you can do all these terrible things?”

The lesson for me is that any institution can fall into idolatry.  And Jeremiah 10:31 explains why. “The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way.”  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%205&version=NIV  In other words, the priestly hierarchy and leaders are preaching a different set of values than what God teaches.  (Which we summarized by the Golden Rule earlier in the chapter.)  Chapter 5 further elaborates:

5:26 For wicked men are found in My people; they lie in wait as a trap bites; they station an ambush, they catch people.

5:27 As a cage is full, so are their houses full of deceit; therefore, they have become great and they have become rich.

This dynamic seems to happen over and over again throughout history.  In my opinion, the rise of Christianity ~500 years was in part a reaction against the corruption/idolatry of the Second Temple.  And 1,500 years after that, Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation as a reaction against the corruption/idolatry of the Catholic Hierarchy.  And in his widely popular YouTube Video Why I Hate Religion and But Love Jesus, poet Jefferson Bethke advocates a direct connection to Jesus, bypassing religion because religions sometimes advocate views that he finds counter to Jesus’ central, people-first teachings.

What institutions influence your life?  Do they encourage people-first values?

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A Mistake You Can’t Afford To Make

July 24, 2012 by 2 Comments

Chapter 2: Idolatry Then & Now Part 14

There was a time when I thought my work in the genomics industry was going to revolutionize medicine.  The products I managed were going to help scientists find all the genetic predispositions for disease, and usher in an era of personalized medicine, where an individual would be prescribed the most appropriate medicine based on his or her genetic makeup.  My mistake, however, was thinking that anything the company asked me to do was in service of this laudable goal.  In other words, I had made an idol of my company, in that I let it be the mediator of my altruistic aims.

The Rambam, one of the great medieval Jewish philosophers, explained the origin of pagan idolatry as a similar error. “At first men believed in one God who governed the world through intermediary forces” like the stars and other heavenly bodies.  They worshipped the intermediaries as a way of bringing honor to the creator, and then made statues to give their worship a point of focus.  After a few generations, people forgot that the statues and heavenly bodies were only intermediates, and thus began to worship the idols outright. [i]  And the values associated with the statues began to drift and diverge from God’s values.

Intermediaries distort the original message.  This can be an innocuous process, like a child’s game of telephone, or may constitute deliberate manipulation by unscrupulous individuals.  Karen Armstrong, international expert on comparative religion and TED Prize winner gave the following example “Often when people talk about God, we attribute to Him the thoughts and feelings and opinions we have ourselves.  … It is often noticeable that the opinions of the deity coincide with those of the speaker.  This is a form of idolatry because what you are doing is worshipping a deity in your own image.”[ii]

Take a moment to reflect on your values, goals, and passions.  Now, reflect on how you are spending you time.  What is the biggest influence on how you spend you time?

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[i] Maimonides: Torah and Philosophic Quest  by David Hartman the Jewish Publication Society (1976) p 54-56

[ii] NPR Talk Of The Nation: Interview with Karen Armstrong January 10, 2011 about her book Twelve Steps To a Compassionate Life. Listen here.

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Do You Recognize These Ten Signs Of Corporate Idolatry?

July 23, 2012 by 4 Comments

Chapter 2: Idolatry Then & Now Part 13

Corporate idolatry is the adoption of a company-first value system instead of a people-first value system.  Here are ten warning signs that you may be practicing corporate idolatry.

  1. You find yourself doing “what is best for the company” instead of “what is best.” What is best for the company is not necessarily what is best for customers, employees or the public.  Further, what is best for the company is subjective, and need not adhere in any way to people-first values.
  2. You joke that you are “married to the company.”  Both Hosea and Ezekiel portray idolatry as the betrayal of a marriage relationship, where one partner (God) has supported and nurtured the other (the people of Israel) who betray the relationship by worshipping other gods.  And in Ezekiel, why does the spouse take on other lovers?  In Hosea, the wife betrays the relationship for money; in Ezekiel it is for the pleasure of having another lover. “For Ezekiel, the motifs of losing control and forgetting are central to the sin of idolatry.[i]”
  3. Persistent feedback from your spouse or partner that you are working too many hours. There can only be one top priority.  It can’t be both work and family.
  4. You are experiencing mental health and stress-related illnesses. Taking a company-first attitude means that personal health comes second or later.
  5. You work more than 60 hours per week and make a six-figure salary.  Productivity significantly decreases above 40 hours per week.  In my opinion, working 60 hours is beyond what is needed for survival and has become a habit or a hobby.
  6. You don’t care how you treat people at work.
  7. You are considered “successful” in your career, but are often feel unfulfilled in a way that you cannot define.  To go new age for a moment, this is your spiritual side talking to you.  True happiness comes from connections to other people, and for some, a spiritual connection to something larger than themselves.
  8. Someone says that you are “drinking the cool aid.”  This phrase comes from the terrible events of the Jonestown massacre, when people committed ritual suicide at the behest of their cult leader.  This type of intermediary worship is forbidden by the Second Commandment.
  9. Your boss skips key political meetings, asking you can handle them on your own.  This dynamic is another form of blind obedience.  In some cases, the boss may be setting you up to take the fall.  See Chapter 4 for more.
  10. Feeling indispensible to the company and above politics.  From the interviews I conducted, people who were caught up in a company-first attitude often felt that the company depended on them, which served as a rationalization for working longer hours and the sacrifice of family and personal time.

When I was caught up in corporate idolatry, my life featured eight things on this list. Remember that idolatry is a lifestyle, not an isolated mistake. I found a way to quickly change my life, and as you continue to read, so will you.

[i] Idolatry by Moshe Habertal and Avishai Margali.  Translated by Naomi Goldblum.  Harvard University Press.  (1992) p12-17.

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What No One Is Saying About Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s New CEO

July 19, 2012 by 5 Comments

Family by Nina Matthews Photography via Flickr CC

As is the custom on Friday, a break from Busting Your Corporate Idol.

Marissa Mayer is the new CEO of Yahoo.  She has an impressive track record at Google, and is eminently qualified to take over.  But there is a big brouhaha and a lot of hand-wringing over her pregnancy.  What really got people going was her comment to Fortune Magazine.

My maternity leave will be a few weeks long and I’ll work throughout it.

The debate has been blistering Melissa Hincha-Ownby at the Mother Nature Network summarized it this way.

This sent the mommyverse into a tailspin. Some mothers praised her determination and work ethic, others denounced her decision as selfish and mourned for the son who won’t spend much quality time with his mother while others think she’s going to be in for a rude awakening once her son is here and she won’t have time to work at all.

I am a big advocate of people-first values, and The Idolbuster has a number of posts about the personal cost of a 90 hour work week, which Mayer apparently worked at Google.

So what people should come first here?

Is it the new baby, and if so does that mean that women should never work with a newborn in the house?  The woman who cleans my house was pregnant one week, and back at work the next.  I was so shocked.  I assumed she would take the week off, but was back right away.  I expect she couldn’t afford to forgo a week of pay.

Is it the employees, investors, or customers of Yahoo who need Mayer’s expertise to turn the company around?  I read Yahoo news multiple times every day, and I want the company to succeed.  In my opinion Yahoo would be just fine if she truly unplugged, but I can understand why she would want to work through.

Is Marissa Mayer herself the person we should put first?  And if we want to, how would we go about it?  Should we save her from herself, and push her into taking a longer or shorter leave?  If I read another “she doesn’t know what she’s getting into” handwringing post, I’ll shoot myself.

Here is the simple truth: none of us know what is best for Mayer or her family.  But our course of action here is simple.  Mayer deserves the basic respect to make her own choices and tradeoffs without our punditry.  She is an adult, and gets to choose what is the most fulfilling path for her life.  The Golden Rule says “Treat others as you would like to be treated,” or “don’t treat others in ways you don’t like to be treated.” And I can’t imagine anyone would want a Facebook poll to be taken about their maternity leave.  It is no one else’s business what Marissa Mayer does in her family life.

And one more thing:  Am I the only one on the world who thinks maybe her husband will stay home with the newborn?  Her husband, Zachary Bogue, is a lawyer and Co-Managing Partner at Data Collective.  The very idea that he would take care of the newborn seems out of the question.

For my marketing friends: we need a phrase to describe the societal barriers that make it hard for men to take care of the family.  We need something that is analogous to The Glass Ceiling.  Somehow The Glass Remote doesn’t seem to cover it.

 

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How Do You Know What You Don’t See?

July 19, 2012 by 2 Comments

Chapter 2: Idolatry Then & Now Part 12

   We perceive the world as a movie, but the reality is millions of disparate data points that we weave together.  One unfortunate side effect of this skill is that we sometimes shoehorn facts into our preexisting perception of the world.  Ever seen this video?  It is a test of your power of observation. Watch and then read on. [Read more...]

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Why Idolatry? For the Sex Of Course

July 18, 2012 by 2 Comments

Chapter 2: Idolatry Then & Now Part 11 

 In the previous post, I discussed idolatry by error.  Here is one of my favorite stories that illustrates idolatry by error.

“During the 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt, a young Israelite solder went to the marketplace of a newly conquered tribe of idol worshipers. He regularly went to see a beautiful girl with dark eyes who sold cloth from a tent in the market center.  At first he went for the low price, but after a few days he was invited in to sit and drink wine.  Flush with wine and conquest, the soldier pulled her close and murmured in her ear.  She pulled out an image of the idol Pe’or from her bodice and said to him “If you want me to do your bidding, bow down to this.”

He flung her back, eyes burning. ‘I will never bow to your trinket!’

She answered ‘What do you care if you only expose yourself to it?’ Since he had to disrobe anyway, what harm? As it turns out, exposing oneself was a way to worship Pe’or.  His face burned with shame, but the sex was beyond fantastic.”  – adopted from Babylonian Talmud[i]  I like this story because it illustrates the allure of idolatry, the gradual way it can creep up on you, and the not uncommon discovery that one has already committed idolatry without even knowing it.  And while giving reverence to a statue may not seem like a big deal today, in biblical times it was punishable by death.  Seem harsh?  Yes, but those were harsh times.  But even then, the death penalty was reserved for the most serious crimes.  And I think idolatry carried such a harsh penalty because it is so alluring.

And what is the problem with idolatry today?  For the religious of course, idolatry remains a mortal sin.  For the non-religious, I think of it this way.  Modern psychology is clear that lasting happiness comes from connections to other people and not from possessions.  A lifestyle of idolatry puts people second, and elevates the importance of something else which results in weaker interpersonal relationships, which in turn means less happiness.  So, for a happier life, put people first.

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[i] adopted from the Babylonian Talmud Sifrei on Numbers, sec 131;  Idolatry by Moshe Habertal and Avishai Margali.  Translated by Naomi Goldblum.  Harvard University Press p 24-25.

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The Penn State Tragedy Illustrates Four Reasons Why People Practice Idolatry

July 17, 2012 by 3 Comments

Chapter 2: Idolatry Then & Now Part 10

In the last post, I said that Penn State University has a culture of idolatry because the value system of the culture prioritizes football over the safety of children.  Does this mean that I think everyone associated with the university are a bunch of idolators?  Not at all.  But everyone at PSU is potentially touched by it’s pervasive football-first value system.  Here are four reasons that people practice idolatry.

1. For personal advantage. Former coach Joe Paterno and former president Graham Spanier seemed to embrace the culture of idolatry, because it gave them perks, power, and wealth.  According to the Freeh report, these men  “exhibited a striking lack of empathy for Sandusky’s victims by failing to inquire as to their safety and well-being.” Further, they exposed one child to additional harm by alerting Sandusky[i].

2. Out of habit. Timothy Curley practiced idolatry out of blind obedience.  Curley is described as “a State College native with a long family history at Penn State.” Some at PSU referred to Curley “Paterno’s errand boy”, and still another characterized him as “loyal to a fault to university management and the chain of command, someone who followed instruction regardless of the consequences.[ii]”

3. Out of fear.  In the fall of 2000, a janitor saw Sandusky with a boy in the shower.  By all accounts, the man was devastated by what he had seen, but was afraid he would lose his job if he spoke up.  He said the following to investigators, “I know Paterno has so  much  power, [and] if he wanted to get rid of someone, I would have been gone… football runs this University, and the University would have closed ranks to protect the football program at all costs.[iii]”

4. By error.  On November 9, 2011 Joe Paterno was fired from Penn State, and thousands of students rioted, chanting “One more game.”  This constitutes is what philosophers call “Idolatry by Error.”  Idolatry by error is a behavior that persist due to cultural traditions whose foundation is based on incorrect information.  These kids were raised on the notion that Paterno was not only a great coach, but a great leader who taught his players how to be great men.  In other words, these kids thought that Paterno had been scapegoated, and that they were standing up against a great injustice.

Not everyone who works for Penn State buys in to the football-first value system, but not going along can come with a price.  For example, former VP of Student Affairs Vicky Triponey “butted heads with Paterno and his football supporters,[iv]”, and according to the Daily Beast, was fired for investigating players for sexual assaults.  Ironically, Triponey’s boss, former PSU president Graham Spanier, gave her poor performance reviews because she “wasn’t fitting in with the “Penn State way.[v]”   Kudos to Triponey for keeping her moral compass in the face of an alternate value system.

In the next post, we will discuss how the practice of idolatry often rests on self-deception and illusions.

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[i] Report of the Special Investigative Counsel  Regarding the Actions of The  Pennsylvania State University Related to  the Child Sexual Abuse Committed by  Gerald A. Sandusky.  Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan, LLP  July 12, 2012 p. 14

[ii] Freeh report p. 75

[iii] Freeh report p. 65

[iv] Sexism played role in Penn St. horror by Jason Whitlock.  Foxsports.com July 14, 2012 retrieved July 16, 2012

[v] Meet Penn State’s New Whistleblower, Vicky Triponey by Jessica Bennett , Jacob Bernstein. The Daily Beast Nov 23, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2012

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Penn State & Idolatry Part I

July 16, 2012 by 3 Comments

“I hope they write I made Penn State a better place, not just that I was a good football coach.” Modified Flickr CC image

Chapter 2: Idolatry Then & Now Part 9

This week we will be wrapping up the chapter on idolatry, by tying the traditional concepts to the modern day as a preference to the next chapter on corporate culture. 

In both 1998, and 2001, the top officials at Penn State University decided not to report assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky for child abuse, who in 2012 was convicted of 45 counts, including crimes that happened after 2001.

Why did this happen?  Because Penn State University propagated a culture of idolatry, a value system that put the interests of the institution, (its football program in particular) ahead of the welfare of people.

According to the report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh, Penn State had a “reverence for football program ingrained at all levels of the university.” This started from the top, with a “president who discouraged discussion and dissent,” and included the person who switched off CNN on the TV in the Penn State student center just before the Freeh Report was released.

Outside of Penn State, the reaction against Joe Paterno, the former coach who more than anyone else could have acted to stop Sandusky, has been swift.  Nike removed Paterno’s name from a child developmemt center on its Beaverton Oregon Campus.  Artist Michael Pilato painted over the halo over Joe Paterno’s head on the mural he painted in downtown State College PA.

 

2 pictures of PSU Graduation via Flickr CC

And now, the latest wrinkle says it all.  Should the 7 foot tall statue of Joe Paterno be taken down?  According to a recent article in the LA Times, university officials are unsure, and the community is divided.

Anyone care to guess what I think?

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Filed Under: Busting Your Corporate Idol, Chapter 2: Idolatry Then & Now, Featured Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Upset about Penn State? Then Prevent It From Happening Again!

July 13, 2012 by 8 Comments

Today’s guest post is from me.  We’ll get back to Busting Your Corporate Idol on Monday.

“The most saddening finding by the Special Investigative Counsel is the total and consistent disregard by the most senior leaders at Penn State for the safety and welfare of Sandusky’s child victims.” – The Freeh Report p 14

If you are interested in my thoughts on how the culture of Penn State enabled this tragedy, and is the embodiment of institutional idolatry, come back on Monday.  I realized that if that is all I had to say, I too, would be ignoring the victims of child abuse.  People come first, so let me share what I have learned about child predators.  Kudos to those news reports that have included experts on child abuse, who have taught me that this is no longer an issue of laws, it is an issue of awareness.

“The overwhelming majority of child sexual abuse victims are abused by someone they know and trust, someone most parents would never suspect.”

For those who prefer statistics, according to the American Psychological association, 60% of perpetrators are known the the parents, 30% are relatives of the child, and just 10% are strangers.  This particularly hits home for me.  I met a family friend’s husband at a wedding and later learned that he was sexually abusing their children.  His own children.  I met him and never in a million years would have guessed.  And she didn’t figure it out for years.

So wearing my business, problem solving hat, if 60% of the problem comes from known, trusted people, how to we as a society solve the problem?

I think a model system is the Safe Haven program, designed by the The American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO).  The Safe Haven program was designed to “prevent opportunities for abuse to occur while minimizing opportunities for volunteers to be misunderstood or falsely accused. The guidelines hold coaches responsible for all players, for maintaining supervision protocols, and maintaining appropriate adult/child boundaries.”

Here are the three rules I learned in Safe Haven training as a coach for my daughters’ soccer teams.

  1. A coach is never alone with a child, ever.
  2. A coach never touches a child, ever.
  3. For girls teams, at least one adult woman must be present at every practice.  And if no woman is available, the practice is canceled.  In San Carlos, where I live,  my town, this is taken very seriously.  Once  when I was an assistant coach, the head coach spent the first 15 minutes of practice calling moms until he found one to come to the field.
What is great about The Safe Haven is that everyone involved with the soccer league, the parents, coaches, referees, and kids are all trained on these rules.  The program works exactly as designed – the kids are safe, and the coaches are never in a position where they could be questioned or falsely accused.

What to do if you come across the unthinkable?

What would you do if you found out a close friend, coworker, or aquantance was molesting kids?  One mother involved with the Penn State tragedy confronted Jerry Sandusky when she though he had molested her son.  Don’t do it.  Monsters like him are master manipulators.  You would have a better chance of winning a chess match against world champion Viswanathan Anand of India than you would of learning the truth yourself.  None of us are prepared for such things.  Call for professional help immediately.
Your company may have a policy to inform HR,  your boss, or local security.  Some good people at Penn State followed that procedure, and Sandusky continued to hurt kids for years.  In my opinion, if you see something obvious, just call the police on the spot, and call the chain of command later.  After all the national scrutiny on the failings at Penn State, this is one time to ask for forgiveness later for not following procedure.
You do not need to have proof to call in the professionals like the police or a doctor.  It is not your call whether someone should be prosecuted or investigated.  Present what you know and let the professionals work it out.
Another option is to call the Childhelp.org hotline .  1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).  After reviewing a number of websites, this one seems to be the best.  From Childhelp.org:
 ”A qualified crisis counselor will answer and assist you, if you:
  • Have questions about the signs of child abuse.
  • Need to find out how to report known or suspected abuse.
  • Have questions about the reporting process and what you might expect through the process.
  • Want a referral to an agency, counseling or other services near where you live.
  • Need help and want to talk to a counselor.
  • Are in physical or emotional crisis and need support and encouragement
  • Connect you to the best possible resources in your area.
In summary, 90% of child abuse is by people known to the child.  We can do our part to dramatically cut down on child buse by doing the following two things.
1. Set rules for your kids that prevent them from being alone with adults.  Pedaphiles often groom kids by offering special favors or attention. For more information on the danger signs, see http://www.childhelp.org/pages/blow-the-whistle-on-child-abuse
2. Make sure that you, and everyone you know, knows what to do if they see something. Call 1-800-4-A-Child.  We don’t need a witch hunt, but we do need to make sure to bring in a professional if we have reason to believe children are being hurt.  Pedophiles can remain undetected for years, and  hurt multiple children.  And abused kids are much more likely to become abusers themselves.
As uncomfortable as the topic may be, please pass this information on.  It is a concrete step we all can take to make sure that something like this can never happen again.
Filed Under: Community, Featured, Values Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Idolatry, Duality, and Free Will

July 12, 2012 by 2 Comments

Judaism teaches that God created man with two competing impulses, the good impulse and the evil impulse.  But this translation from the Hebrew is imperfect, as explained by Jeffrey Spitzer, Chairman of the Department of Rabbinic Literature at the Gann Academy.  “[The evil impulse] is not a demonic force that pushes a person to do evil, but rather a drive toward pleasure or property or security, which if left unlimited, can lead to evil (cf. Genesis Rabbah 9:7). When properly controlled by the [good impulse, the evil impulse] leads to many socially desirable results, including marriage, business, and community.[i]”

This description of the struggle between the good and evil impulses are very consistent with current theories about the brain and human psychology today.  Our base drives and instincts derive from the more primitive parts of the brain (the so-called Reptilian Brain) whereas our social, cooperative, and compassionate traits come from the more evolved regions of the brain like the frontal cortex.  And often the different regions of the brain are in conflict.  (For a detailed discussion, check out Paul Gilbert’s Compassionate Mind Foundation here).

Here are two additional descriptions of the evil impulse from the Talmud that I find illuminating, especially with respect to idolatry.

“The first impulse to evil is as thin as a spider’s gossamer, but in the end it is as think as a cart rope.[ii]”

“Such is the nature of the impulse to evil: One day it bids a man ‘Do this’; the next day “do that”; until finally it says to him Go worship idols.  And he goes and worships them.[iii]”

What do these teach us?  The first teaches that once we begin to compromise our values, we begin to compromise them more frequently, and to a larger degree.  The new values become ingrained, and a habit.  (Which by the way, is entirely consistent with contemporary neurobiology research showing that repeated actions reinforce certain neural pathways.)

The second teaches that idolatry is not a single act.  It is a pattern that develops over time.  And both point to a view of idolatry as something that arises from basic human nature.  If we give in to the base drives, and lose sight of people-first values, we begin to practice idolatry. If this is true, we would expect the battle against idolatry to be an ongoing one, and we would see idolatry recurring again and again throughout history.  Which in fact we do.

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[i] The Birth of the Good Inclination by Jeffrey Spitzer. From myjewishlearning.com.   Retrieved July 11, 2012.

[ii] Book of Legends, Sefer Ha-Aggadah Legends from the Talmud and Midrash. Edited by Hayim Bialik and Yehoshua Ravinitzky.  Translated by William Braude.  Schoken books 1992. p. 537:7

[iii] Book of Legends, Sefer Ha-Aggadah Legends from the Talmud and Midrash. Edited by Hayim Bialik and Yehoshua Ravinitzky.  Translated by William Braude.  Schoken books 1992. p. 537:8

 

Filed Under: Busting Your Corporate Idol, Chapter 2: Idolatry Then & Now, Featured Tagged With: ,

The Three Rules For People-First Values

July 11, 2012 by 2 Comments

Chapter 2: Idolatry Then & Now Part 7

Over the last two posts, I have been building towards a value system that can be described in three rules.  Here is a recap, and the third rule.

  1.   The Golden Rule, which is found in different forms in over a dozen religions and philosophies worldwide.  My synthesis: consider the impact on other people before taking an action, and then try not to be hurtful.
  2.   The Rule Of Self-Preservation, which says that you have a duty to protect yourself, because if you don’t, who will?
  3.   The Rule of Universality.  Rules I & II always apply, even when we choose not to follow them.

In summary: Put people first.  Always.

I admit it, on the surface it seems like a paradox, that the people-first value system requires that we both look out for the needs of others, and for the needs of ourselves?  But that is the nature of humanity, and in fact the universe.  Yin and Yang, selfishness and selflessness, mind and body, matter and energy are all ways of describing things that on paper may seem as opposites, but in reality manifest as a continuum.

Remember Hillel, the Rabbi who lived 2,000 years ago, who formulated the Jewish version of the Golden Rule?  As a reminder, he said “That which is hateful to you, don’t do to your fellow.  That is the whole of Torah [Jewish teachings].”  Hillel had another saying that bears on this discussion.  “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?  If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?”  Hillel was teaching that yes, The Golden Rule is preeminent.  And, we need to look out for ourselves too.  These rules always apply, even when we chose not to, or are unable to follow them.  Hillel teaches these as questions, because life is complicated, and everyone is different.  How we answer them is the challenge of living.

Throughout the book, when I refer to people-first values, I am referring to these three tenets.  Consider the needs of others but don’t be a doormat.  Always.

Next post – back to idolatry, the adoption of a value system that conflicts with people-first values.

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Filed Under: Featured

Tempering The Golden Rule With the Need For Self-Preservation

July 10, 2012 by 14 Comments

Chapter 2: Idolatry Then & Now Part 6

In the last post, I argued that The Golden Rule, which states that we should consider and incorporate the needs of other people before we take action, is a universal value.  But in my opinion, the Golden Rule is not sufficient as a guideline.  If we only consider the needs of other people, we risk losing sight of the needs of the most important person, oneself.  What is more, not everyone follows the Golden Rule, which can be a surprise to those who do.  “Simon,” a director at a mid-sized corporation in the Midwest, shared his experience with me.

“I was at a management offsite, a touchy feely thing.  I brought up the Golden Rule, [as a model for how to interact with others.] One guy said ‘that doesn’t work for me, because I don’t care how I am treated.’ He was almost sociopathic about it.  He would do what it took to get ahead. It wasn’t like he was even trying to hide it. That just amazed me that there were people out there like that.”   Simon discovered that he had been operating according to a different set of values than some of his coworkers.  Could the person he was referring to actually have been a sociopath?

A sociopath is someone who does not have a conscience, and according to Dr. Martha Stout, author of The Sociopath Next Door, up to 4% the population could fit the clinical definition of a sociopath.  And treating a sociopath “as you would like to be treated” is a recipe to be taken advantage of at best, and inviting disaster at worst.

Ok, maybe talking about sociopaths is a bit extreme, but I am trying to illustrate a point: while The Golden Rule is a universal value, it is not sufficient to cover every circumstance.  So I have another rule I live by – the “Don’t Be a Doormat Rule.”  I also call it the Rule of Self-Preservation.  Simply put, it says that you have a duty to look out for your own welfare, because if you don’t, who will?  In the next chapter, we will begin to examine corporations and company-first values.  And sometimes, putting the company first runs counter to the Rule of Self-Preservation.

What do you think of the Rule of Self-Preservation?  Here is a table of quotes that support the position.

Quotes that support The Rule of Self Preservation

Natural law includes our right to self-preservation and forbids humans from taking actions destructive to their own lives. Thomas HobbesLeviathan
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Declaration of Independence
Chi pensa per se, pensa per tre.Anyone who thinks for himself things for three. Italian proverb, similar to He who looks after himself will be able to look after his/her family.
Put on your [oxygen] mask before assisting others Airline safety instruction
If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun. Not at the head, where a fatal wound might result. But at some other body part, such as a leg.[i] The Dali Lama, answering a question about self defense.
“Pray for what you want, but work for the things you need.”“What is done for you – allow it to be done.
What you must do yourself – make sure you do it.”		 Essential Sufism http://www.katinkahesselink.net/sufi/quotes.html retrieved 3/21/2012
Keep five yards from a carriage, ten yards from a horse, and a hundred yards from an elephant; but the distance one should keep from a wicked man cannot be measured. Indian Proverb

[i] Bernton, Hal (15 May 2001). “Dalai Lama urges students to shape the world”. Archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 29 Feb 2012.

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