Work and business can be like the weather.
You can go for a few months without hiccups, the sea is tranquil, then all of a sudden a bout of stormy weather hits you.
Depending on the circumstances you might be able to survive it unscathed or be left with a chink in your armor.
Having hit a bit of rough seas in the past couple of months due to some work I did but have not been paid for yet made me think of the morals of business and money.
It can be tempting to rationalize our behavior when we pay late (it's a big company), when we leave a bad tip to a waiter (we had more drinks than food, we will tip on the food only), download movies and music for free (it hurts the big guys not the writer or musician) and any number of other situations.
How are our acts as individuals or businesses affecting others?
Browsing through The Economics of Integrity * by Anna Bernasek this week-end brought all these concerns to the fore.
As she notes in her byline 'wealth is built on trust'.
Beyond the financial aspects, trust is the grease for many of our daily interactions.
As Anna Bernasek highlights in her book you can see integrity at work in the steps involved in bringing a gallon of milk from the farm to your table.
Anywhere from 15 to 20 people form the human chain that brings the milk from farmer to you.
When milk is tainted, people don't get paid well or in a timely fashion, service is not delivered, faulty products cause problems, the result is Lost Trust.
Do the right thing for Monday Work Etiquette # 133
(* A word of thanks to Kathryn at Harper Studio for the review copy)
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