Ethics and leadership - a personal event to recall

While being a student's leader during graduation, I discovered a racket that conducted free blood donation camps and then illegally sold the units collected. On the one hand, I found them saving lives and on the other hand, a cancerous culture of bribing, fraud and illegal trafficking of medical blood-units was thriving. Ethics was getting murdered, though lives were being saved selectively (by those who had money). I decided to campaign against this racket. At times I got life-threats and even faced the ire of needy patients (who could give anything for a few units of life-saving blood). Taking support from the ADM (Additional District Magistrate), plus the Rourkela chapter of the Red-Cross Society and fellow students, we could counter hordes of unofficial agents who illegally traded blood-units.

The integrity of a professional reflects in his daily work. Although this was just one incident of many that I have faced, the nature of lessons learned are applicable everywhere. Today, I have conducted numerous camps for eye-care, met numerous influential people who trade favor with values and once, I have had to decide between hiring a meritorious candidate vis-a-vis a less apt one but relative of my boss.

In life, we will continue facing similar ethics (or the lack of it!). But when we look at the bigger picture, we always can understand the right direction to go, even if it is seemingly difficult or temporarily unpopular. I believe that if we are determined and courageous to go ahead with the better path, any hurdle (be it government machinery, public misunderstanding or personal loss) can be constructively overcome.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Corp Morality!

Did you read the text of the MBA oath being taken some months back (and even now..)? Something similar to the oath being taken by medical professionals.. Well, there is this surge of morality even in boardrooms and courts. (There was this judge getting down from the bench deciding the Ambani's case - because his daughter was legal advisor for another Ambani firm.) How much of it is cosmetic or real is something that varies from case to case - but the way it is being put forth in media is something appreciable. With Tata Tea doing a campaign on anti-corruption drives, and with Google being branded as the best place on earth to work ('Don't be evil!' is their motto) - life looks cleaner? Corporates forgot profit maximization? Corporate good or an illusion of public relation? One company recently donated a day's salary of all its employees to the Karnataka Government for relief work in floods - but no individual employee got the associated tax benefits from the company. Reason - the company was building a good relation with the labor ministry of the state and got incentives at the company level - with its employees' salary money - and no employee is directly involved! What do you say - good? Bad? Depends? Of course, this is a positive environment being built (or rebuilt?) and it will have its associated issues of implementation - but better few than none and better late than never! I am sure that the impact made in B-school blackboards and corporate boardrooms is going to be big. Recession corrections or just another passing fad?

Powered by ScribeFire.