Buffett’s note is important because it’s really about the majority of us: neither saints nor criminals but well-meaning leaders who sometimes fail to consult their moral compass while speeding ahead in a landscape full of tripwires and pitfalls. For that majority, moral leadership is not simply a question of acting in good or bad faith. It is about navigating the vast space in between.
Susceptibility
Don’t fool yourself – We are all susceptible to cheating and lying! As Warren Buffett (the “Oracle of Omaha”) suggests, there are certain personality types that are more likely to cheat and lie to achieve their goals (purposes). Nevertheless, as Buffett notes, all of us are susceptible. One of us [KW] worked on a project with a well-known energy company developing methods to reduce unethical behavior of employees (specifically, employees, including senior leaders, stealing corporate secrets for their own use. This concept and type of consulting work is generally referred to as “insider risks or insider threats” consulting). The high-level insights from my work in this area shows the following:
* Anyone and everyone is a potential cheat – given the right circumstances.
* The definition of cheating (in a specific company) is often vague, and this vagueness can greatly magnify the opportunity to cheat and spiral out of control.
* Corporate systems, rules and processes can either foster unethical behavior or inhibit it (as describe in my eBook “The House of Culture”).
* Training programs on corporate ethics (on their own and in isolation) are largely ineffective (Why ethics training doesn’t work – NH Business Review (nhbr.com)
* A deep understanding of what drives an individual’s behavior (see my article in the Library of Professional Coaching – Why Do People Behave the Way They Do? | Library of Professional Coaching) is important for mitigation methods to be most effective).
* It is important (and possible) to reduce the incidence of high-risk taking personalities that work for the organization.
