Business Ethics are Cool

When I was in business school at the University of Chicago, Enron hadn’t collapsed yet. Jeff Skilling, Enron’s former CFO (and Harvard MBA), was accorded god-like status by most MBA students and a job offer from Enron was a guarantee of success and riches. Today I read an Associated Press article that says Skilling is supposed to report to a minimum security prison in Minnesota to begin his 24 year sentence. Wow, how times change.

I recall sitting in one of my graduate marketing courses at the U of C and thinking that we, future graduates of one of the top MBA programs in the country, were so lucky because we had access to such a great education which would most likely lead us to a great career. But I often felt like wealth was the only barometer of success recognized in our graduate school world.
I recall a few in-class discussions that had me shaking my head and wondering what some folks were thinking. In particular I recall a discussion about whether or not it was OK to lie to a potential employer about your current or past income in order to secure a higher salary offer. The whole conversation just seemed crazy to me: if you lie you may get caught and the downside of getting caught in a lie is often much worse than the possibility of taking a lower salary if you tell the truth. I actually wound up in a big argument with some guy in my class about this topic. He claimed that an employer couldn’t find out if you had lied about past compensation so, therefore, it was stupid not to inflate your past salary because that would naturally inflate your potential offer. I told him that (a) potential employers can find out your past salary (many ask for your W-2) and (b) you just shouldn’t take the chance because it isn’t ethical or smart. Just like Jeff Skilling discovered when Enron collapsed. And Andrew Fastow. And Ken Lay. And many others.
Money is important but it’s not worth ruining your life or anyone else’s over. Remember that ethics are cool and not some quaint and outdated concept that only “squares” adhere to.
Liz Handlin, Ultimate Resumes LLC, © copyright 2006
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