Shades of Grey

Have you ever been across the table with a person who seems to be well put together, courteous, probably even religious in his own right but after you part ways, you just have this feeling that there was something missing?

Or, in my case, that no matter how you tried, you were not quite able to put a finger on the person’s stand when it comes to Ethics & Integrity or just doing the right thing?

Don’t get me wrong. I am not a holier-than-thou-type-of-person. In fact, I am a black is black and white is white type.

Over a decade ago, meeting up with a colleague over breakfast in order to catch up and as a matter of fact purposely tackle Ethics and Integrity in executive recruitment, I thought was one clear example of my opening ask. While we did share similar experiences in the conduct of search projects, especially funny moments, there remained in the air a sense of guardedness on the part of my colleague. It was if my enquiries about the person’s hard stance as regards unethical practices in the local search industry made the person uncomfortable. There I was, all passionate about how, as pioneers, we must respond to a call of action to address malpractices by more actively advocating Ethics & Integrity in our dealings with our respective clientele. On my part, I was even all out for holding public fora – pro bono, mind you – to be able to lay it out there and declare that our industry abides by a Code of Ethics. That as search professionals, we will not be summarily dismissed as lacking in Ethics and Integrity. Unfortunately, as early as ten years ago, the industry was rife with malpractices due to new firms opening up by the dozens without proper training, Code of Ethics and basic decency.

I admit I had a bit of difficulty stirring up in my colleague a similar degree of fervor regarding the topic at hand. It seemed the person was content on being left alone and not participate in any collaboration for the general good. Our otherwise lovely breakfast was somehow fogged by a level of disinterest in coming together to declare that universally, there was only one and the same definition of Ethics and Integrity. I sought agreement on what Ethics and Integrity truly means. I did not get any.

The truth was my colleague seemed reluctant to my suggestions because I was viewed as “too rigid” when it came to my position on Ethics and Integrity.

A wake up call. That would be about as accurate a description of my breakfast encounter. I realized then that there are people who would prefer not to call a spade, a spade because it is the right thing to do.

My colleague elected to be grey. And remain comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty, possibly because the person would rather be open to new ideas if it benefits the business. Not rigidly ethical but not totally unethical either. Just grey. It does not work for me as a search professional.

During these times where there is so much disinformation and historical revisionism, I am reminded of one of St. Augustine’s teachings: “Right is right if no one is doing it. Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.”