The 7 Deadly Sins of Leadership: Sin #6 – The Soft Bribe
December 16, 2014
“Though the bribe be small, yet the fault is great” – Edward Coke
I am a big fan of author Lee Childs. In one of his more recent novels Lee tells a story of a female military officer. She was a rising star in the Army and seemed to be on a fast track to having a command. She approached her commanding officer and requested a positive reference in support of her potential promotion. The colonel suggested that if she desired an endorsement for her promotion, she needed to meet him in his office. Outside of uniform. The inference contained a carnal and lewd implication. The female officer reported him to the chain of command and shortly thereafter, he was dishonorably discharged. In this fictional story, the environment was corrupted by a boss using improper favors as a means for subordinates to obtain a favored status.
Any environment, be it the home, the office or the capitol, that operates on what I call a “soft bribe policy” is a corrupting environment. It erodes morale, corrupts loyalty and weakens the overall integrity of the institution.
I confess that I am certainly not a fan of the present day “political correctness squad”. I am however a fan of fairness, earned bonuses, promotions and uniform justice in the context of policy enforcement!
A soft bribe is not necessarily a financial payout. It can be many things including the stroking of an ego or socially befriending a boss for gain. Additionally, covering up of violations or looking the other way when policies or safety/ethical matters are deliberately ignored. A soft bribe is behavior that gains favor and advantages that are not available to another worker. They are not based on work ethic, production, attitude or faithfulness. A soft bribe are actions or words that a competent person of moral and social integrity would never do or say in order to gain a personal favor or advancement. Honest people want to earn their way and they want to compete on a level playing field.
If an employee believes that his hard work and integrity matter, it will show in his attitude. That same attitude enhances the perceived climate of the work place. If his hard work and honesty are not recognized, and a peer with a lesser character is promoted, that man can feel betrayed. A foolish boss can dismiss those feelings as simply the collateral damage of getting the job done. Those feelings are a cancer in the work place, and that cancer can kill.
Leaders are going to have favorites but qualified persons who happen to be better-liked should not be overlooked for fear of what others may say, as long as the same standards are applied evenly across the board!
Scandals that are left unchecked or undisciplined injure the workplace. The same is true when employees are allowed advantages not lawfully available to honest peers. A scandal occurs and that scandal is a deadly sin for leaders. The answer is relatively simple. State your purpose, establish clear and simple policies, insist that everyone follow the policies and set the example. Then enforce fairly using generous doses of training, patience, example and reward.
