Bend But Don’t Break

At what age do we finally decide that the world isn’t just black and white?  If we haven’t come to that conclusion by the time we get our first real job, we will shortly thereafter.  By the time we have that real job, our value system has been established.  What is acceptable and what isn’t?  It won’t be long and we’re going to receive that first challenge to the nice little model we’ve set up.

Is getting our sales numbers up to achieve financial objectives a worthy goal no matter how we did it?  Is misleading a customer an acceptable method to avoid a warranty issue?  What about something like taking office supplies home to the family?  Shall we cover for a friend at work no matter what the circumstances?  Companies have policies, procedures, and many have codes of conduct to address potential legal and compliance issues that may be faced.  The majority of these policies, procedures, and codes of conduct rely upon us, as employees, to police ourselves.

Each of us needs to have our own internal code of conduct with boundaries that we are not willing to cross.  In an ideal situation, these boundaries fit nicely inside the company’s policies, procedures, and codes of conduct.  Our internal codes will not be the same for everyone, but hopefully the fit will still be a good one.  If you’re working for an employer and your boundaries exceed their parameters, or if on the other hand your boundaries are exceeded greatly by the company’s parameters, will you be happy working in that environment?  One gives you too little freedom and the other too much.  Are you capable of bending but not breaking?  If we find our boundaries bending and being reshaped, how much can they stand before breaking?  In some cases there are individuals whose boundaries can bend and bend and bend and……  Where are your boundaries?  Are they in danger of breaking?

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