adminShelter Chieza Change Management
I have consistently expressed my dislike for managers that make a habit of running down their organisations by engaging in unethical practices.
Weekly there have been headlines of individuals that are heading struggling organisations that have been caught engaging in unethical behaviour.
The recent being the FIFA bribery scandal that has sucked in its president Sepp Blatter, who was a well respected figure in the football world.
Of course, he is human, but when you reach a certain level in leadership, you must strive to be ethical. The bribery charges being levelled against him are serious because they impact negatively on the integrity of FIFA.
The same charges are being levelled against soccer bosses at ZIFA. It would be naive for them take these corruption issues lightly.
While charges against Sepp Blatter have not yet been proven they have a serious long-term impact on his standing in society. Already there are indications that sponsors are waiting for the outcome of the allegations to decide on their future engagements with the soccer governing body.
Companies like MacDonalds, Coca-Cola, Visa, Budweiser, Adidas have all issued statements that emphasise the need for FIFA to puts its house in order and address the corruption allegation quickly. There is no company that wants to pour money into an organisation that has dishonest administrators at its helm.
According to the UK’s Daily Mail, FIFA stands to lose millions if long-established sponsors withdraw.
Top-tier “partners” such as Adidas and Visa pay up to £28 million a year to FIFA. World Cup sponsors pay up to £16 million a year for the privilege.
FIFA brings in £1 billion from sponsorship over each four-year cycle. If only we could get leaders to be responsible, we may have fewer problems to do with management.
It does not matter at what level you are managing an entity, management is management and there is expectation that you uphold the integrity of the organisation through ethical practices.
Managers must have a high level of integrity. From observation, the lying, cheating, dishonest, unethical managers demotivate staff. But then again there will always be bad apples in organisations. Dishonest managers make terrible role models. They corrupt customers and reduce profits.
Integrity is about knowing the difference between right and wrong and putting that knowledge into practice.
I have over the years tried to adjust my character to achieve integrity. I have learnt the art of being assertive without having to complain or be aggressive.
As a personal habit, I avoid white lies. They may seem harmless, but tiny lies gather strength over time.
Learn to take responsibility for your actions. If you make a mistake, own up to it immediately and do whatever it takes to right the situation.
Remember that in times of fear, disaster and chaos, the temptation is even greater to make a wrong choice.
Use these opportunities to demonstrate your true character. Being of humble character has helped me stay on the straight and narrow.
Behavioural scientists have emphasised the need to assess individual integrity before off them a job.
The right thing to do may not always be easy. Start by having personal integrity. Thereafter, you will be able to conform to your company‘s culture. But it has emerged that some managers still lie when their integrity is questioned. Avoid asking them direct questions.
Rather ask their close acquaintance. I have come across some questionnaires with awkward questions, like “Do you think you are a liar?”. Liars don’t want to be told they lie, be crafty in your questions, such as how often do you omit or mistake receipting in a day.
Shelter Chieza is a Management Consultant. She can be contacted at [email protected]
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