Bargaining in bad faith

Having spent over a decade as a labour negotiator for management, I can say with some authority, those who suggest Canada should have been more open to compromise earlier, don’t know what they are talking about. 

Canada’s leadership knew early in the negotiations that they were dealing with someone who is unwilling to compromise. As this Star article describes, his ‘Art of the Deal’ is always one sided - his side. Canada should refuse to have any further discussions unless the other side is prepared to bargain in good faith.

Either Gross Negligence or Lies

Having written extensively about the Catholic Church and the Pope’s inadequacies in dealing with the ever-growing scandal of sexual misconduct and coverups, this allegation confirms for me the deep rot in the church’s hierarchy, where the priests are more important than the flock. 

Similar to many organizations such as the United Nations, Ohio State, New York University, the Government of Canada, CBS,Texas Instruments, Tesla, and plenty of others, coverups by high level executives is the norm rather the exception. When these various organizations feign ignorance, only one of two things can be true. They actually did not know about the problem, in which case they exhibit gross negligence and ineptitude, or they were lying.   

The old boys’ club is alive and strong at VW

The U.S. monitor’s report that VW “still has work to do to protect potential whistle blowers” is too narrow in scope for what VW needs to do. It is obvious that the board and senior executives do not have the will to make the changes required. The fact they are still standing by a senior executive who is in jail validates this. What they need to do is create conditions necessary to engage all to find sustainable solutions. The conditions I advocate are:

1. Trust

2. Diversity and inclusion

3. A sense of purpose

4. A sense of efficacy 

5. Freedom of expression

Creating these conditions will make protections for whistleblowers a moot point because when these conditions are in place everyone will feel comfortable and safe in putting their hand up to say - “This is not right, and WE need to change it.” 

Mary Barra, a woman, created these conditions at General Motors after the ignition switch scandal. I assert that unless VW sheds it’s ‘old boys' club’ mentality, it will be impossible for them to create these conditions, and they will fall.

The true character of people

I’ve been writing a series of articles for Moneyinc entitled A Boomer’s Guide to Millenials: the ABC’s of Leadership, which highlight an A to Z array of various leadership qualities, which will become a book retitled ‘Profiles of Character’. Last week before Senator McCain passed away, I wrote ‘U is for Unifier’. Unifier is arguably the most important characteristic, because a unifier must embody all of the other characteristics identified in this series of articles.

When I compare the characteristics from A through U, John McCain scores high as opposed to the current occupant of the White House who scores incredibly low on all of these traits. Trump’s diminutive response to McCain’s death validates the low score. 

This morning on CNN, John Sununu criticized CNN and other media outlets for highlighting Trump’s reaction. CNN quite rightly pushed back stating that they were merely reporting on what actually happened and that they didn’t make up that news. 

This reminds me of when Bette Davis received word of Joan Crawford's heart attack and subsequent death in 1977, she allegedly said, "My mother taught me never say bad things about the dead, only good. Joan Crawford – dead - good.”

It may be inappropriate for me to add levity to this solemn occasion, but in essence that’s how Trump reacted because that’s what’s sadly in his mind. McCain crossed him, and like everyone else who crosses the man, he wants them gone. And indeed, if the allegations related to his mafia connections are true, he wants his opposition dead.

If McCain were to have had to react to the death of Trump, he would have responded with grace, class and dignity much in the same way that he responded to the woman, referred to in this Washington Post article. The bedrock quality of John McCain’s character, captured in a single moment during his 2008 campaign run, when he took the microphone from a woman spouting false statements about his opponent, Barack Obama. Her remarks revealed an unsettling core of right-wing conservatives that served as a warning shot for Trump’s populist rise. 

The measure of a man can often be found in how he behaves under adversity. John McCain was steadfast in his quest to always do what he felt was the right thing to do for the greater good. Selfishness was not in his wheelhouse, and he inspired others to develop positive leadership qualities through example as they faced their own challenges. The tributes that have poured in about his incredible service to the people of the United States bear testament to the great legacy he has left behind – one where thinking of others was his first priority, and by his humility and innate sense of what was right for the country, never putting personal gain ahead of human decency.

So tragic is Trump’s character in sharp contrast to McCain’s that today, as a nation mourns, this Washington Post article reveals how the White House – the people’s house – could not bring itself to issue an appropriate message honoring Senator McCain as a widely acclaimed national hero.  Another article from the Post suggests that Trumps delayed reaction to the passing of McCain was calculated to appeal to his core who dislike McCain. 

As we look back over the Senator’s decades of service, we cannot help but hope that the current occupant of the oval office reflects on how he will be remembered and perhaps take a page or two from McCain’s playbook.

A bizarre reprimand

As related in this New York Times article, an Ohio State University report and other documents portrayed Zach Smith as a troubled assistant coach accused of domestic violence who was protected by Urban Meyer, a powerful coach.

However, for some bizarre reason, the penalty the Ohio State University’s trustees imposed on Mr. Meyer (a three-game suspension) is less than a slap on the wrist. The head coach was either grossly negligent in missing obvious signs, or he was, at the very least, dishonest in covering for the assistant coach. This penalty does not fit ‘the crime’. If he worked for me he would have been fired. The University has sent a terrible message to students here. 

Equally troubling is the ongoing saga of Michigan State University where the former gymnastics coach, Kathie Klages, lied about whether she knew that Lawrence G. Nassar had abused numerous young women, prosecutors said. Yesterday, she was formally charged.

As with the Ohio State story, the troubles at Michigan State and other similar situations are almost always open secrets. 

A Boomer’s Guide for Millennials. The ABC’s of Leadership: “U” is for Unifier

“...ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. Moreover, even when the destructive efforts of their work become patently clear, and they are asked to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental standards of mortality, relatively few people have the resources needed to resist authority” - Stanley Milgram “Perils of Obedience”

Unifier is the most important characteristic, as a unifier must embody all of the other characteristics identified in this series of articles. These characteristics help give people “the resources needed to resist authority”.

“It should be possible to rewire the Exodus template, to see America as a single purpose trekking through a landscape of broken institutions. What’s needed is an act of imagination, someone who can tell us what our goal is, and offer an ideal vision of what the country and world should be.”

These powerful words by David Brooks on ‘The Unifying American Story’ offers a historic solution to the great divide we are experiencing in every aspect of our lives - where we live, where we learn, where we work, where we worship, and where we play; in all sectors, and across all geography.

The great divide in our institutions is largely due to a society where our institutions continue to be ‘old boy’s clubs’, where the wealthy elite wield a disproportionate amount of power and control; relationships and interdependencies are not fostered; corruption greed, harassment, abuse and coverups has become the norm ; and “truth isn’t truth” and “alternate facts” prevail.

I believe that we can all be that “someone” in unifying and fixing those “broken institutions”, which provides the foundation for that “ideal vision” of that “single purpose” of a united America and a united world.

Mahatma Gandhi put it so well when he declared, “It is possible for a single individual to defy the whole might of an unjust empire to save his honour, his religion, his soul, and lay the foundation for that empire’s fall or its regeneration”.

On the premise that to fix the whole we must fix the parts, many can be those single individuals.

People can be categorized in four distinct groups - those who divide, those who unify, those who enable, and those who are bystanders.

Those who divide use the “landscape of broken institutions” as a clarion call to those many who have suffered mightily at the hands of “broken institutions.” The divide’s motivation is to gain power and control; and rather than address the suffering, they exploit those who suffer. Dividers usually have ill intent, without honour.

Those who unite understand how those who have suffered mightily feel, and more importantly, with greater specificity, understand why these people feel the way they do. The unifier’s motivation is to address the suffering to fix the “broken institutions”. Unifiers are usually honourable with good intent.

When enablers assist the divider, they become dividers. The intent of many is honourable because they view the divider as a saviour from the oppression of the “broken institutions”. Also, many enable to garner favour with the dictator in order to advance their personal position, status and wealth. 

When enablers assist the unifier, they become unifiers, usually honourable with good intent. What usually motivates them is the ethic of reciprocity – “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Those who are bystanders are usually apathetic and/or pacifists, unable or unwilling to take a position one way or the other. It is only when they are impacted positively or negatively that they will make a choice. The choice they make is usually motivated by self-preservation or self-interest. It must be recognized that many bystanders do not become the witnesses, resistors and defenders; because they are afraid, it would be wrong to label them cowards, because the retaliation they could face is real and usually harsh.

People must be called on to become unifiers rather than feed the dividers.

Martin Niemoller puts these choices in stark terms: “First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the trade unionist, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.”

In becoming a unifier, we should be guided by Giuseppe Mazzini (1805 -1872) a writer and politician, who is now referred to as the soul of Italy. Throughout his life, Mazzini founded and supported revolutionary groups who sought to free Italy of foreign powers and groups, and to unite the different states. He also helped frame the ideas and was an early leader for a united Europe. These words reflect his soul - “The republic, as I at least understand it, means association, of which liberty is only an element, a necessary antecedent. It means association, a new philosophy of life, a divine ideal that shall move the world, the only means of regeneration vouchsafed to the human race.”

This formed the basis of a republican spirit following Cicero’s belief that “The health of the people should be the supreme law.” Mazzini also captured the essence of association, in that the republican spirit is “tied to the common good” where there is cooperation and interdependence, which is that “divine ideal”.

This republican spirit has been lost. We no longer have the health of the people as the supreme law, and interests tied to the common good.

The common element of broken institutions is the disregard for Cicero’s “The health of the people should be the supreme law.” These institutions have become cultures of greed, abuse, coercion, exportation, harassment, intimidation, threats and coverups. Because of this, the health of people, particularly mental and emotional health, has deteriorated to epidemic proportions.

Unless we reverse the downward spiral that we are in, America and other nations will meet the same fate described in the ‘Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire’. To do this, each of us has a responsibility to become that “someone” who can tell us what our goal is and offer an ideal vision of what the country and world should be. 

We must start by assessing the institutions we can influence and understand the fundamental conditions in place “to lay the foundation for that empire’s fall or it’s regeneration.”

I draw on my fairly extensive experience in integrating cultures, and fixing broken ones, to advance the conditions that should be understood.

. Trust - if trust does not exist, nothing else matters.

. Diversity and Inclusion - institutions must reflect the composition of the communities in which they serve. All stakeholders must be able to contribute to their full potential and ability, unrestricted of any bias against them.

. A Sense of Purpose - all stakeholders need to understand the why of what they are called on to do.

. A Sense of Efficacy - as important to understand why we do what we do, to challenge the way we do it gives people a level of meaningfulness and contribution beyond just following direction or dictate.

. Freedom of Expression - everyone’s voice must be heard.

What I have found is if these conditions are not in place, the institution is broken. It also identifies what needs focus.

What I have also found is the immense value of advancing emotional intelligence as a core skill to influence change. Understanding how you and those you are responsible feel, and even more importantly understanding why you and they feel the way you do, not only will help you manage your and their emotions to better cope; it will identify the stress factors in your environment. Collectively addressing these stress factors in a collaborative way will not only fix the broken institution, it addresses Cicero’s principle “The health of the people should be the supreme law”

There’s No Expiry Date on Holding Predators Accountable

The exposure of the late Dr. Richard Strauss, of Ohio State University wrestling team notoriety, is one of the most egregious examples of male sexual abuse to be brought into the spotlight since the #MeToo movement began. 

I can relate to how they feel because I too experienced the feelings sexual harassment leaves you with. My case involved rebuffing advances from an older woman whom I thought was a trusted colleague. Despite the reversal of the usual roles normally at play, the feelings of disgust and intrusion remain the same. After calling her out, she went to great lengths to attempt to discredit me, enlisting the help of the Workplace Bullying Institute; have me blacklisted; sabotage speaking engagements at universities; sent letters to everyone in my email address book – all of this in retaliation for me rejecting her advances. 

I received plenty of advice about going easy on her because she was a woman who does a lot of good in terms of bullying, and that pushing this could ruin her career. However, there needs to be accountability for everyone’s actions regardless of the circumstances in anyone’s life. 

I know the toll of keeping this injustice buried. We need to be reminded to think about people like the Ohio State adults who continue living with scars from wounds inflicted decades ago. I don’t have the same scars as far as the advancements, but deep ones as far as having my reputation discredited, which is my only currency. 

Other men have suffered at the hands of women, too. Recently, this New York Times article revealed how a world-renowned female professor of at New York University was found responsible for sexually harassing a male former graduate student, Nimrod Reitman.

We may want to try to sweep this under the mat or bury it, but it’s impossible to bury it out of one’s mind. What we really need is not to be found in revenge or vindication, but in finding some degree of closure to a horrible experience. At Ohio State, Jordan labels them all liars, when he’s in fact a bully continuing to try as evil predators to turn the victims into villains. This is yet another text book example of the dynamic of bullying. It is not easy to grasp the magnitude of this problem, especially without first-hand experience; however, we need to get to the bottom of this. 

It’s time to stop treating victims like villains. The Catholic Church, which has covered up sexual abuse for centuries, has recently taken steps to correct past injustices and to prevent future ones. The most recent discovery of hundreds of priests in Pennsylvania having sexually abused over a thousand boys and girls for decades, couched as a forgivable sin instead of a crime, points to how deeply into our society this behaviour penetrates.

Predators whether in the past or present, must be exposed and held accountable. If the current situation weren’t as bad as it is, we might be able to forget about the past, but until such time when the villains step forward and attempt to right their wrongs, these past allegations need to be exposed. 

As was recently reported, a waitress returned $1000 she’d stolen years ago along with a handwritten note of apology. The guilt she’d been carrying for years was immediately lifted. It’s never too late to make amends. 

For people who have been victimized, receiving an apology goes a long way. Influencers – coaches, teachers, etc. would be much better off if people would take responsibility and apologize. Is that risky? Yes, but it’s much better than being exposed.According to Mike Krzyzewski, Duke University basketball coach and author of the book, ‘Leading with the Heart’, “When a leader makes a mistake and doesn’t admit it, he is seen as arrogant and untrustworthy. And ‘untrustworthy’ is the last thing a leader wants to be.”

A number of years ago, in my role as being an ambassador for MSF (doctors without borders), I went to the Republic of the Congo. One of the most remarkable experiences was talking to mothers of young sons who had been forced to become rebels – ultimately killers. Families who had relatives killed by these young killers were faced with the difficult decision of whether to welcome these kids back into their families. Most did, and in doing so had to forgive, because if they did not, their society would not survive – no one would be left.

Morally Bankrupt

The grand jury report about the most recent scourge within the Catholic Church is the government’s broadest look yet in the United States at child sexual abuse in the church.

I have been writing about sexual abuse within the Catholic Church for years and been very critical of Pope Francis. This horrendous discovery reveals a massive coverup – the largest to date. 

The position the church has taken to date is a defensive one, only reacting to when crimes became exposed, rather than doing an extensive investigation to determine how deep and wide the problem truly is. This irresponsible behavior will go down as the biggest coverup in history. As the #MeToo movement has evolved, “Oh, we weren’t aware of that” just doesn’t cut it anymore. If they weren’t aware, they certainly should have been. 

This revelation only deals with incidents that occurred in Pennsylvania. Now there is a North America wide investigation. My bet is that it is as bad, if not worse, in other states. Why doesn’t the Church come clean with what they know? What specifically did they do; and why could they not uncover what the prosecutors did? 

People committed suicide because of what they went through. That’s murder. There are responsibilities and consequences for such crimes. This can and should finish the Catholic Church off. They church have lost all moral authority. They should sell off all of their vast assets, make financial restitution to the thousands of victims, and fold their tent. 

There’s No Expiry Date on Holding Predators Accountable

The exposure of the late Dr. Richard Strauss, of Ohio State University wrestling team notoriety, is one of the most egregious examples of male sexual abuse to be brought into the spotlight since the #MeToo movement began. 

I can relate to how they feel because I too experienced the feelings sexual harassment leaves you with. My case involved rebuffing advances from an older woman whom I thought was a trusted colleague. Despite the reversal of the usual roles normally at play, the feelings of disgust and intrusion remain the same. After calling her out, she went to great lengths to attempt to discredit me; have me blacklisted; sabotage speaking engagements at universities; sent letters to everyone in my email address book – all of this in retaliation for me rejecting her advances. 

I received plenty of advice about going easy on her because she was a woman who does a lot of good in terms of bullying, and that pushing this could ruin her career. However, there needs to be accountability for everyone’s actions regardless of the circumstances in anyone’s life. 

I know the toll of keeping this injustice buried. We need to be reminded to think about people like the Ohio State adults who continue living with scars from wounds inflicted decades ago. I don’t have the same scars as far as the advancements, but deep ones as far as having my reputation discredited, which is my only currency.  

We may want to try to sweep this under the mat or bury it, but it’s impossible to bury it out of one’s mind. What we really need is not to be found in revenge or vindication, but in finding some degree of closure to a horrible experience. At Ohio State, Jordan labels them all liars, when he’s in fact a bully continuing to try as evil predators to turn the victims into villains. This is yet another text book example of the dynamic of bullying. It is not easy to grasp the magnitude of this problem, especially without first-hand experience; however, we need to get to the bottom of this. 

It’s time to stop treating victims like villains. The Catholic Church, which has covered up sexual abuse for centuries, has recently taken steps to correct past injustices and to prevent future ones. Predators whether in the past or present, must be exposed and held accountable. If the current situation weren’t as bad as it is, we might be able to forget about the past, but until such time when the villains step forward and attempt to right their wrongs, these past allegations need to be exposed. 

As was recently reported, a waitress returned $1000 she’d stolen years ago along with a handwritten note of apology. The guilt she’d been carrying for years was immediately lifted. It’s never too late to make amends. 

For people who have been victimized, receiving an apology goes a long way. Influencers – coaches, teachers, etc. would be much better off if people would take responsibility and apologize. Is that risky? Yes, but it’s much better than being exposed.According to Mike Krzyzewski, Duke University basketball coach and author of the book, ‘Leading with the Heart’, “When a leader makes a mistake and doesn’t admit it, he is seen as arrogant and untrustworthy. And ‘untrustworthy’ is the last thing a leader wants to be.”

A number of years ago, in my role as being an ambassador for MSF (doctors without borders), I went to the Republic of the Congo. One of the most remarkable experiences was talking to mothers of young sons who had been forced to become rebels – ultimately killers. Families who had relatives killed by these young killers were faced with the difficult decision of whether to welcome these kids back into their families. Most did, and in doing so had to forgive, because if they did not, their society would not survive – no one would be left.

How a culture of fear cost Canadian taxpayers $2.2 Billion

In a scathing report, Canada’s Auditor General stated “....the federal government’s creation of an obedient public service fearful of making mistakes, taking risks and conveying “hard truths” has caused failures, such as the Phoenix debacle.” 

Note the use of “such as”, which suggests there are other Phoenixes in government. Based on extensive research done for my book, ‘From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire’, I can assert that the majority of North American workers work in a culture of fear.