Some time ago I was given the nickname Columbo by a very successful CEO. When I think of Columbo I think of Peter Falk with his cigarette and trench coat. I have neither. I do have a keen eye though. And mistakes jump out at me immediately. Now I do make mistakes. My husband loves the opportunity to make fun of me when I do make a mistake because he thinks I think I am perfect. I have never seen myself as perfect. What I do see in myself is a desire to do thinks right and to do the right thing. And like Columbo (Peter) I do not judge first and ask questions later. Only after gathering all the facts and looking at every detail do I seek to rectify what is not correct.
I've spent most of my career as a management accountant, helping entrepreneurs grow successful businesses. Two such business owners started in the basement and each sold their business for close to $100 million. In addition to working for entrepreneurs I worked a short time straight out of college for the federal government and also worked for a telecommunications company that filed bankruptcy.
Since my blogs will be dedicated to right and wrong in the workplace, I'll start with my experience at the government agency and telecom company. I was 19 when I started at a government agency in the DC suburbs. It was my first full time job which I took very seriously. The benefits went way beyond health insurance and paid vacations. It was going to enable me to live on my own! Each day I worked hard, following the rules while others worked the system. After several months one of the higher ups in the agency suggested I apply for a position opening up. The position was not only more money, but more responsibility which excited me. Starting as a clerk was a necessary starting point but I needed to be challenged and grow. And someone else believed I was capable of this position. Well, I did not get the job. It was awarded based on seniority. There was another clerk there with several years of seniority over me. Several years in the same clerical position. Does that bring forth an image of capability? Once I was notified the position went to someone else, I went to work somewhere else where I could be challenged and rewarded for my contribution in the workplace. Working in the federal government is nothing like working in a real business. Real business requires a bottom line, and successful businesses need to get the best out of their employees to make that bottom line.
Now the telecom job was later in my career. I had a degree and 20+ years of experience. I knew the company had issues. There was a layoff several months before I applied, and their stock was below a dollar. During the interview I asked the CFO if they were stable. "Sure, we're great" was the response. About two weeks into the job, "suits" started appearing every day. No one knew who they were, but it was obvious to me, the newbie. They were the bankers attorneys and auditors. And so the bankruptcy process began. If I had been that CFO, the first thing I would have done would have been to apologize to me and try to gain my respect and trust back. How do you think I felt after being lied to. I wasn't even a shareholder who was losing their life savings, and I was devastated. And the thing that was most upsetting was watching the actions of top management while employees and shareholders lost everything. Part of the bankruptcy process involved re-evaluating every one's jobs and fair market wages. How can raises be given to top management when the company is not going to pay their bills. VP's were in the lunch room bragging about their new cars while others in there were crushed by the total loss of their savings which had been in the form of stock in the company. It wasn't even until the stock got to pennies that it was announced to the employees that the sale of shares was halted...only shortly before Wall Street delisted them. Greed is not good.
I hope I am not coming off as being against the government or big business. That is not true. I believe in business, commerce, whatever you want to call it. It makes the world go round driving our economy and our lives. But we need to get back to a culture that believes in doing the right thing, doing it right the first time, and righting the wrongs before we create a culture where greed is so good that we do the wrong things.
Until next time,
Columbo
