When Do We Take Responsibility?

After the financial crisis in 2008, a series of laws were passed that forced companies to disclose more information to investors.  These laws were designed to make executives more accountable to the stakeholders of a company.  

But how much responsibility can an executive have over an organization?  Imagine for a moment that you are the head of a multinational corporation with operations across the globe.  You have over 100,000 employees that work underneath you when you consider all the various divisions and subsidiaries.  How can you possibly be accountable for every problem that occurs on your watch?

Every CEO will say the buck stops with them.  How realistic is this perspective in a huge company?  Any reasonable human being will expect a CEO to experience problems because no one is perfect.  What I am curious to know is that after mistakes are made, how much responsibility really falls on the CEO’s shoulders?  

-Does taking action convince stakeholders that the problems within an organization have been adequately addressed?

-If a CEO does not know about problems, should the stakeholders hold that CEO responsible for the mess?

-If a CEO did not know, should we consider that an act of negligence in most cases?

-When is a CEO personally responsible for the failures of a company?

The point of this blog post is to get you to think about your own performance.  I invite you to reflect on when you are personally responsibly for part of the problem.  Furthermore, I want to expose the value of being informed in all situations.  

These issues matter when we elect to engage the process of leadership.  Considering these issues now rather than later will be of benefit to you when you are working in a management position.  

Julian Assange's Take On Mark Zuckerberg

It's the time of year when I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day.  Unfortunately, I am not able to write as frequently as I'd hoped.  Here is an amusing and clever quote from Wikileaks founder Julian Assange...

"What is the difference between Mark Zuckerberg and me?  I give private information on corporations to you for free, and I'm a villian.

Zuckerberg gives your private information to corporations for money and he's man of the year."

Is It Ethical To Celebrate bin Laden's Death?

“Is It OK To Cheer Bin Laden’s Death?” was the headline on USA Today a few days ago as I glanced at the newspaper dispenser on campus.  Granted, Bin Laden was unquestionably an evil man, the direct cause of suffering and pain.  However, can you see Jesus celebrating the death of another human being?  How about Mohammad or Buddha?

I find it abhorrent that we can celebrate death, even if we killed our number one enemy.  Although he was tragically misguided, bin Laden was fighting for his convictions and way of life.  He witnessed American and Israeli military operations that killed his relatives without a second thought.  

“What if we responded in reverent prayer and quiet introspection instead of patriotic frenzy?”, wondered Christian ethicist Diana Bass.  “That would be truly American exceptionalism.”

I can understand the natural human inclination to express relief and joy over the death of such a wicked enemy intent on murdering Americans.  But did we really endure and uphold righteousness by killing?  The concept seems backwards to me.

From a strategist’s point of view, this death has demoralized Al-Qaeda, but the terrorist cell is far from dead.  My Pakistani acquaintances have told me that bin Laden was quickly losing control of the loosely affiliated Al-Qaeda.  Terrorism is very much alive despite bin Laden’s death.  Sadly, it will be used again to kill innocent people.  

When I heard the news of bin Laden’s death, I tried to place myself in the shoes of those who found themselves in New York City on September 11, 2001.  Panic, chaos, confusion, and people jumping out of burning buildings.  I was in fifth grade at the time, and the events seemed too tragic to ever occur on American soil.  In addition to the physical injuries and deaths, America was injured.  I am grateful bin Laden, the man responsible for that atrocity, is dead, but I will not celebrate the death of another human being.

Current Event Photos

A man sits in front of his uncle's home in Vicksburg, Miss.  Heavy rains have left the ground saturated and rivers swollen and have caused widespread flooding.

A man walks by a closed bank in Athens, Greece.  A peaceful protest by tens of thousands of Greeks against austerity measures turned violent when hundreds of youths hurled water bottles at police.  The police responded with tear gas and pepper spray.

Pedestrians run for cover as two fuel tankers collide in Lagos, Nigeria.  

Palestinian farmers harvest wheat on a farm near the West Bank.  

Toyota President Akio Toyoda attends a news conference on Tokyo.  Toyota reported a 77% drop in profits for its recent quarter and said uncertainty made it impossible to issue a forecast for the current fiscal year.  

Newt Gingrich announced his intention to seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

Advice For Final Exams

If you are college student, you have recently finished finals or will be taking them soon.  The end is so close, yet so much of your grade is yet to be determined.  After busting your backside all semester, you see light at the end of the tunnel.  

Regardless of what your major is, you must muster up the discipline to finish strong.  Here are some tips to keep you motivated and working hard!

1. Identify The Issues

Admit to yourself there is work to be done and the only way to get that information in your brain is to sit down and study.  At the same time, take this reality as a opportunity to challenge yourself.  If you view finals as a chance to succeed, you will increase your likelihood of success.

2. Choose Your Battles Wisely

Don’t only study hard.  Study smart.  You probably need to do well in classes related to your major.  Therefore, if you are faced with a choice to study your major or Western Civilization, make the wise decision.  In addition, focusing on one thing at a time will make you more productive and efficient.

3. Rest

Believe it or not, sleep will help you more than cramming.

4. Stay Relaxed

It’s easy to be overwhelmed with the sheer amount of work this time of year.  If you keep a strong sense of inner peace, you will experience less stress and frustration.  

Self control and discipline are two of your best friends come finals time.  If you can find ways to harness your concentration for a couple hours at a time, chances are you will be happy with the results.  

Taco Bell Sues...Then Is Sued?

About three months ago, I read an article in the Wall St. Journal that reported upon what exactly is in Taco Bell’s beef.  Shortly after in January, Alabama-based law firm Beasley Allen filed a lawsuit against Taco Bell.  As you might know, Taco Bell is a subsidiary owned by Yum Brands.

The complaint filed by Beasley Allen claimed that Taco Bell’s products supposedly containing “seasoned ground beef” actually contain “taco meet filling”  The complaint then went on to say, “Taco meet filling is not beef.  In fact, it does not meet the minimum standards set by the United States Department of Agriculture to be labeled or advertised as ‘beef‘, seasoned or otherwise.”

As you might expect, the media and news outlets exploded, and customers decided to avoid Taco Bell products.  It got so bad that Taco Bell ended up taking out full-page ads denying the allegations in Beasley Allen’s complaint and it protested that its beef food items contained 88% beef and 12% spices.  

On April 18, Beasley Allen dismissed the suit.  Three days ago, Yum! Brands filed a 10-Q that indicated the three months of customer suspicion has negatively impacted the company more than analysts projected.  One account argued that the matter would be contained and cause only a “negative, short-term impact”.  Yum! ended up spending $3.5 million to defend itself against the lawsuit.  A new SEC filing indicates that Yum might be in for more serious losses:

“Taco Bell’s operating profits were significantly impacted in the quarter by the publicity associated with a lawsuit filed in late January 2011 alleging a violation of consumer protection statutes and deceptive business practices by Taco Bell through its advertising that the beef served in its products is ‘seasoned beef’.  Such claims were false and the lawsuit was voluntarily withdrawn on April 18, 2011.  Nonetheless, Taco Bell experienced a significant reversal in sales trends immediately following the filing of the lawsuit.”

Taco Bell has stated it may sue Beasley Allen over the incident.  After Taco Bell quantifies its losses, this case should get interesting.  Taco Bell must decide whether it’s going to try to recover the losses and the cost of its emergency advertising campaign.

A Clever College Exam Story

Writer’s Note: the following story is fictional.

I had spent hours preparing for this exam and I wasn’t going to let a bureaucratic professor prevent me from getting the grade I desired.  No one ever aced this course, and I was going to do it even if it meant I would sacrifice sleep and leisure time.  At precisely 10:50, the professor told everyone to stop writing.  

“Anyone who continues to write will receive an F on his or her exam.  You know the rules.  Please bring your exams to the front.  I am very serious about this.”

I had to write a conclusion to my masterpiece to fully encapsulate it into perfection.  This wasn’t the ACT or an AP exam.  This was an essay in the toughest college course ever and I wanted it to be perfect and polished.  There were 500 students in this course, and if I wanted to get an A in this class, I needed to perform above and beyond the call of duty.  However, in order to manage a class of this size, the rules were very strict.  One student received a zero because he continued to write five minutes after the professor gave the warning.  That student subsequently was forced to drop the class.  

Like clockwork, all the students rose from their seats and traipsed down the aisles to hand in their exams.  When my pencil came to a stop at 10:58, I was the only student left in the auditorium.  The professor was piling up all the blue books in neat stack.  

I approached him, quickly trying to think of a way to coax him into showing me some mercy.  

“Here’s my exam, have a good day!,” I said.

“No! I cannot accept this.  You know the rules by now.  Pencils down at 10:50 or you get an automatic F,” the professor replied.

“Really?  Are you really going to do that to me?  Please take my blue book”, I responded desperately.

“Nope, I’m sorry.”  

Right then, an idea hit me.  “Sir, do you know who I am?”

He looked at me with an arrogant smirk.  “No, I don’t.  And frankly, I couldn’t care less.”

“Are you’re sure you don’t know who I am?”

This time, he looked back at me with a bit of tremble in his eyes.  My plan was working.  By now, he was probably concerned I was the dean’s son.

“No, I don’t.  For the second time, I don’t know who you are!”, he said rudely.  

“Great!”, I said with a cheerful tone and I quickly shoved my blue book into the middle of his stack, straightened out the stack to make my essay indistinguishable, and jolted out the door.