The Three Hardest Words

Deb- I agree... it's rarely a one-person-only thing.  I think there's an amazing power to owning up. We seem to feel these days that offering some sort of contrition is a sign of weakness but I think people tend to appreciate a measure of humanity or contrition from the captains of industry and elected officials.

Paul- No doubt about it! There *is* an issue of vulnerability involved. That's why I threw something as disparate as love to apply to business and politics. I think they're related in one regard- the act of accepting responsibility seems to come from that same place... the zone that makes us ponder how we'll be perceived by those who hear our statement of feeling.

Mirela- There you go again... commenting with the articulation that is completely post-worthy. :-)

There are so many good things in there that I'm wanting to respond to each element. For instance- the question of ethics. On the first day of the ASU post graduate program my instructor said this, "Congratulations everyone. There's been a change to the program and you are no longer required to take an ethics class to receive an MBA." He then went on to express his displeasure with this, saying that it was possibly the most important 3 credit hours in the mix. This was the 80's and the movie Wall Street had played a couple years earlier to packed houses... it included another famous line, "Greed is good." I think I understand why they no longer valued the ethics class- it can end up being one of those personal morality classes that make educators so uncomfortable... after all, if people want religion there are plenty of other sources better suited to teach such principles. (I felt like I'd just witnessed a 5 minute lesson in Buck-Passing 101.) Now... onto another element: Parenting. It's amazing to me how we enter into it so easily. You have a child and now you're responsible for a host of things. By the time a child is raised we realize this: NOW I'm better suited to the responsibility of parenting. By then we have an adult on our hands... someone who needs us less- just when we're getting good at it. Funny how life works.

Kent- HA! That's why I included the line about hypocrisy... it's not like I took any responsibility in this post. As a real estate agent I try to disclose as much as possible. For instance- I point out where I think the opportunities are. I try to show as much supporting rationale as possible. I also try to make it known that there are no guarantees and any purchase has an element of risk. In our current crisis we made a critical collective mistake. Many people undervalued risk.

Carole- Thanks for coming by. If admired your posts from a distance... so many of them hit the nail square on the head. Any comments from you are always welcome here. I appreciate the compliment... I don't suppose I'm alone in this assessment. The current crisis is being felt broadly. There's not a single industry that I can think of that is not feeling the impact. At times such as these we feel it personally. It does us little good to have the power-brokers taking the weasel route. The sooner companies make changes to the fundamental principles that got them in trouble, the sooner the problem goes away. It's not like this is new. Markets always have a few boom and bust phases. I do think though that we're becoming more prone to denial... In the name of optimism we're prone to ignoring warning signs. It's nice when, as you say, people step up to the plate. They earn my respect, that's for sure.

Susie- Now that he has made his comments I'm hoping others will chime in in like manner.

Charlie- I think the thing which holds many back is the perceived cost. The cost of doing such a thing is cost of livelihood, or stock price, or legal settlement. Which is a complete shame.

Gail- Though I'm stopping short of endorsing one party over the other I do have to admit a measure of concern. There is a checks-and-balances aspect to politics. I prefer to have some debate on the hill. If the House, The Senate and the Chief Executive are all of one political philosophy, and the balance power in congress reaches the level of being veto-proof- the debate process may be shortened, limited or non-existent. We rarely have that situation but it appears to be a definite possibility in the coming year. If anything- such a condition does have one quality- it limits the blame shifting.

Paul- I was going to put a Tina Turner picture in there... the "what's love got to do with it" approach. I know- it's a stretch. :-)

Pamela-I wonder if what passes for public relations these days is the concept of limiting liability.

Mike- I agree... he didn't take a great deal of responsibility (hence the "youa culpa" line... but he came closer than most of the people who have gone before congress. Watching the various testimonies before the committees can be so cumbersome. I'm not a "yell at the tv" kind of guy but sheesh... it's getting hard to watch at times.

Cat- Some of the most successful companies in the world "get it". They practice customer relations and discover such things. People tend to relate to those who are less defensive with regard to service issues.

Jane- No apology needed (and, if you want... I'll accept one anyway). I'm sure that we're not alone in this thought. There are a few courtesies that seemed to be a part of our natural make-up. I'm hoping we don't lose some of those elements that appeal to our better nature.

Judy- That's so funny. Reminds me of the joke... if a man says something in a forest and there's no woman there to hear him, is he still wrong? It would be nice if there weren't such a penalty (perceived and actual) for "coming clean".

Joan- I've noticed it seems to be easier for high-profile people to apologize after the time of employment passes. Then we get to read about it in their book! :-)

Mirela- Isn't that cool? The comments have been very good... it has been quite a treat for me to read them.

Pam- Refreshing but odd. I would have to wonder if I'm dreaming.

Sandy- Very funny. REO properties are, as another movie would say, "like a box of chocolates." You never know what you're going to get (until you see them all).