“Love makes the world go ’round,” according to the famous saying. But, in reality, it’s trust that makes the world go round, trust that is at the center of so many points of human interaction. Currency. We use the dollar because we trust the US government stands behind it. Without that trust, we’d be stuck in a barter system with a much lower standard of living. Our currency used to be backed by gold. We trusted our government enough that it removed the gold standard, opening opportunities for even more commerce. The dollar is the world’s trade currency because there is more trust in the US central banks than others. Business partnerships. Sure, contracts, long and short, codify the agreement. But ultimately, contracts are built on trust. Each party trusts that the other will try to fulfill its commitments or, there would be…
Leadership is a responsibility, not a right to do wrong.
Men. If you are paid multiple millions of dollars a year, you should be able to control your dick. Period. This blog is not a morality tale, at least with regards to personal sexual or marital morality. Instead, it is a tale about a CEO who was indifferent to the potential risks that his sexual and emotional behavior posed to others. I am writing to express anger at leaders who think they are above the law, be it the real law or a workplace code-of-conduct. Former McDonald’s CEO Stephen Easterbrook left his role after the company’s Board of Directors learned of Easterbrook’s consensual relationship with a staff member. In exchange for leaving, he is getting six months of severance and favorable treatment on options. Easterbrook is divorced. We do not know the marital status or reporting relationship of the staff member. Those facts…
Getting the right thing right
My check—in at the Marriott (now Marriott Bonvoy) went quickly. The women at the desk were friendly and the lobby, as for all Marriott hotels, attractive. I had ten minutes to find the elevator, locate my room, change quickly, and meet my board colleague to discuss the management team’s proposed 2020 plan. Simple. Nevertheless, I was ten minutes late. Opening the door to my assigned room, I was surprised to see breath mints on the first cabinet top I encountered, my go—to place to keep my keys in any hotel. “Nice add, Marriott,” I thought at first. Then I saw a coat draped over a chair, an open suitcase on the floor, and a bathroom that looked, shall we say, used? The room’s guest (the appropriate one, not me with an identical key) was gone. Lucky for her, I am not a thief. Lucky…