October 29th, 2007
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If you posed this question to a fourth grader, what do you suppose their answer would be? If a person were invited to speak to your class today and you saw them walking down the hall, how would you know that they are somebody!? Better still, if you asked that same question to a high school student or to someone you work with, what do you think his or her response would be?
This question, seemingly so simple, deals with our notion of self and self-worth. From an early age most seem to have an innate desire to be valued, to have self-worth, which is often measured by value others place on us. From an early age most people are taught that their value is defined by how they look, what they have, how they behave. This is reinforced by television, radio, and other external sources. Children learn these lessons early, often from their parents. Many studies have shown that children who are praised and taught their internal value (or spiritual value) have higher self-esteem than those children who are told they will never amount to anything or are taught that value is defined by materialism. Its obvious to most rational adults that we can create a direct connection to what we teach and value. What we teach and value can, however, be double-edged swords.
Lets go back to our original question and see what the children said. In several classes the question above was posed and the top answers were: (1) you would know they were somebody by the car they drove; (2) you would know they were somebody by the clothes they wore; (3) you would know they were somebody by the shoes on their feet and (4) lastly by their watch. Note that all of the evidence that a person was somebody centered on material trappings. Very seldom did one of the students respond; you would know somebody by how they treated another.
Unfortunately, the students had, by the fourth grade, been conditioned to determine human value by material possessions. The notion of self and self-value was being established by surroundings, not internal spiritual worth. We found that the older the students got, the more they were connecting value and acceptance with material trappings. This creates a foundation for what appears today to be an ethical conundrum. We see ethic breeches all around, in fact, reported in abundance. People making the wrong choices suffering negative consequences and yet, recent studies show that teens would act unethically to get ahead.
The initial responses written in this article were made by fourth graders in North Carolina back in 1996. On this day they were addressed by three people, who by all accounts, were defined as nobody. These children were addressed by inmates from Federal Prison. Each inmate shared their personal story in hopes that some impression might be made early to sway the opinion of the child and give support to making positive choices.
Perhaps, if we can help others see the consequences of the choices we made, they wont make the same mistakes, stated one inmate named Ted. While the inmates called them mistakes, society called them crimes and all were ethic breeches. There was a passion in their hearts to reach out and provide truth about unethical choices.
The messages were powerful and, make no mistake, the children especially at that age took it all in. Exposed to a hard dose of reality in the fourth grade, these children today would be in college. One can only hope that the effort to touch these lives early had some influence. It is true that once taught, it is in the brain and at some point the truth they heard that day will be a reminder to them as they make ethical choices everyday. Certainly, as the CEO of Deloitte said, Supporting education and dialogue about ethical decision-making is an important way we can encourage kids. Hes right!
On a crisp October day in 1995, Chuck Gallagher took 23 physical steps opened a door and began a new experience that was life-changing. This series of articles explores that experience and the success that followed while involving the reader in ways that could be life-altering for them. Gallagher captures the heart of the audience in an honest way that deals with human emotion. For information on Chucks keynotes and workshops go to www.chuckgallagher.com or for a free ezine on Ethical Choices contact Chuck at chuck@chuckgallagher.com.
The Choices Foundation, is a non-profit organization that has a mission to provide just those services. High school and University students are targeted to hear presentations about ethics and their consequences either negative or positive.
To Blame or Not To BlameA man can fall many times, but he isnt a failure until he begins to blame somebody else. (John Burroughs)Fire her, she set me up! John yelled quite loudly. He was incredibly angry and for good reason. However, he was really angry at the wrong person. What he was really saying was […]
Written by info on October 29th, 2007 with comments disabled.
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Last month in Part 1, I discussed several of the reasons that have lead the residential real estate mortgage industry to the crisis it faces; at its core in my view, is the whole notion of originators being commissioned sales type closer personalities, a relatively recent concept.
As we work our way through todays industry wide mess, out the other side should emerge a wiser group of survivors, hopefully YOU will be one of them.
The benefits of replacing LOs and AEs big fat commissions, and instead offer a more traditional salary + modest bonus structure, will result in a great number of improvements to the new organizations that make it.
Considering all that went wrong these past several years since big fat commissions were common, history wont repeat itself with the absence of such available excessive personal gain as has been commonplace, plus the positives will be numerous. On the plus side we have:
A). The effect of better management control over its employees, since as W-2 salaried people, owner/operators and managers will be more careful on who they hire and how much theyll invest in training and how closely theyll supervise their activities. Not so many loose cannons poking around in the unsupervised darkness.
B). With this payroll structure, those LOs & AEs wont be so quick to close every applicant on a STATED Wage Earner 100% Option Arm with a 4 point YSP; this difference will surely result in overall better quality originations in the long run.
C). These better trained and now salaried employees, will work towards creating an improved credibility environment for themselves and their employers, and move away from the big fat commission concept of putting their own selfish interests ahead of the customers.
D). There will be far fewer thinly capitalized organizations, as this payroll structure will provide for a larger remaining checkbook balance for employers after payday. With that they can/will have better furniture, fixtures and equipment for their employees, better employee benefits and significant cash available to advertise their products.
E). This model also insures that new owner operators will begin their operations with a significant financial investment. Therefore their outlook will be to establish and maintain at the core, a more ethical and solid company than many of the fly-by-night operators we can see today on both the wholesale and retail sides.
This list Im sure you can add to as well as I can. What I describe here isnt a pipe-dream its what I saw with my own two eyes, my first 30 years in this industry; its how my first employer operated, and how I operated for several decades also.
Returning to this way of operations naturally is not the solution to all our problems, but it will mitigate future ones a great deal; as well as help restore the former luster we all had as home loan providers.
If on the other hand, you’re left standing after this cleansing is over, and you are in a position within your own organization to make these payroll changes and you don’t, then you can expect to not receive the benefits A thru E above (and others), but instead you’ll be part of the problem next time.
Article by industry veteran Peter Samuel Cugno, Chairman & CEO of Secret! University, the educational division of Americas Money Center, Inc. Questions or comments may be directed to Peter 310-833-4068 or online at: http://www.americasmoneycenter.com
To Blame or Not To BlameA man can fall many times, but he isnt a failure until he begins to blame somebody else. (John Burroughs)Fire her, she set me up! John yelled quite loudly. He was incredibly angry and for good reason. However, he was really angry at the wrong person. What he was really saying was […]
Written by info on October 29th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on ethics.
Look around. Today, more than ever before, it has become fashionable to cheat. One could say, and come away without too much criticism, that everyone expects it. The funny thing is the person who expects it, or observes it, or knows someone who does it, never seems to admit doing it themselves. Ironically, they actually believe they are not infected. As noted, this is a national pastime.
Why is this? Why do husbands cheat on their wives and wives cheat on their husbands? Does not the vow to love, honor, cherish, and “obey”, (some leave out the “obey” part now), mean anything. Well, it appears the times indeed are changing.
In America at least, spousal cheating, encouraged by theater, movies, partytime, and yes, peer pressure, is at epidemic proportions. Does anyone feel guilty? Absolutely, just before it is time to maybe do it again. Kids today, as a result, have groups of parents i.e. first there is the real father and mother, then there is 1st father and 1st mother, and 2nd father and 2nd mother, and so on and so forth, not to mention step brothers and step sisters galore. When we talk about extended families today, we are certainly not talking of the family of 50 years ago that included aunts, uncles, and cousins right down to twice removed. Now, there is no way to keep up.
Then there is the work environment. Parents who cheat at home, cheat on the job. They lie and steal to get ahead. Oh, it is not the felonious type of stealing, although that is always possible, it is the subtle kind — stealing someone’s ideas, words, concepts, suggestions, as well as time from the company on the phone, at lunch, leaving early on weekends, calling in sick when one is not sick, and taking paper, pens, pencils, paperclips and anything not to heavy to carry. If one is in construction, they take bricks, boards, mortar and tools. Cheating on the job has taken on national epidemic proportions. Wal-Mart with their 360-degree cameras strung from the ceilings from every store watch the employees as much as they watch the shoppers.
And what about the churches and among clerics, the courts and legal profession, our schools and among the educators, the health field and medical professionals, government at all levels and among the legislators? What do we find? Cheating permeates every level of our society.
And what about the kids? Where do they fit into this?
Over 70% of them admit to cheating before they graduate from high school. By the time they finish college, 80% are willing to admit they have done it in some way.
When college business students are asked what is the most corrupt field to go into, over 90% suggest it is business. Yet, they willingly choose it as their field of specialization because that is “where the money is.”
What about the tiny tots? At what age does a child learn to cheat? Studies now show that 3 out of 4 know how to do it by the time they are 5. And where do they learn it? Why, the parents, of course.
So the old adage, “do as I say, not as I do”, really does have a beginning and a significance because it seems most have done it and really do fear their offspring or their charges will do it too. Why? Simply, because it is wrong. We all know it. We all feel it, and we all do not want our youngsters or our charges to do it. We really do want them to be better than us. The internal gut wrenching feelings get us every time. And if we don’t feel anything? Well then we are psychopaths, socially detached from society and any responsibility for good.
In today’s world the word “ethical” has taken on a new meaning of “squeaky clean” and “please look at me or my organization for we are ethical practitioners.” Do the new awareness responses mean much when you really know the facts? Lawrence Kholberg’s theory of ethical development may be hard pressed to determine why as human beings we seem to be stuck in moving forward. It seems the further we go in greater prosperity and technology development the be-hinder we get in moral development. Is it an illusion?
Actions speak louder than words. To be ethical, one must act ethically. One has to lead and show by doing and not accept society’s drifters who proclaim when observing ethical breeches that “they’re just kids” or “everybody does it” or “it was only a fling”, or “I had no choice”. Unless somebody is holding a gun to one’s head, everybody, no matter how small or how old, has a choice. They may not like what the potential outcome may be but they had a choice to do the right thing.
Is it tough? What do you think?
Fred DiUlus is an e-Education pioneer, the CEO of Global Academy Online, Inc., (http://www.GlobalAcademyOnline.com), the first president of William Tucker University, author of The Ethics Doc (http://theethicsdoc.blogspot.com), Homer’s Hot Tip (http://www.homers-hot-tip.blogspot.com), and a frequent public speaker and writer on ethics, entrepreneurship, e-Learning, and acquiring success.
To Blame or Not To BlameA man can fall many times, but he isnt a failure until he begins to blame somebody else. (John Burroughs)Fire her, she set me up! John yelled quite loudly. He was incredibly angry and for good reason. However, he was really angry at the wrong person. What he was really saying was […]
Written by info on October 29th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on ethics.