New Management

 Employee 1: Another staff meeting. How long do you think this one will last?

Employee 2: Probably longer than normal. The Board Chair is coming to tell us about the new CEO.

Employee 1: They finally made a hire? It feels like it's been over a year.

Board Chair: Hello everyone, and thanks for being here. I have an exciting announcement. We have hired our company's next CEO who will help lead us into the future of our business. I think you'll find he has a lot of great ideas. I'm proud to announce that Mr. Ego will be our new CEO!

Employee 2: Wasn't he a former CEO of our company?

Board Chair: Why yes, yes he was, right before our outgoing CEO.

Employee 2: I thought he got fired.

Board Chair: Technically yes, but the Board was split on that decision. We thought our last CEO was going to be a better fit, but we decided we were wrong and want to go back to Mr. Ego.

Employee 1: But wasn't our turnover rate under Mr. Ego atrocious? It felt like we had a new Supervisor in our department every other week.

Board Chair: It was actually about every 2 months, not 2 weeks, but that wasn't really Mr. Ego's fault. He has some great ideas for our company, but just didn't have staff around him who believed in those ideas. We also had quite a few employees at the time who were just stabbing him in the back.

Employee 2: Maybe if he wasn't making fun of them on his Twitter account tall the time hey would've been less likely to do that.

Board Chair: They deserved what they got. It doesn't matter that they served this company for longer than Mr. Ego has even been in this industry. He's smarter than they were. Also, it's X now, not Twitter.

Employee 1: I seem to remember that our company had a bad reputation under him. None of our suppliers or business partners were really eager to work with us. He was always threatening to increase our prices on them or not pay their invoices. He also called our marketing firm a "s***hole business."

Board Chair: Watch the language! But to your point, he was just doing what needed to be done. It doesn't matter what our history with our partners is or how those long-standing business connections benefit our community. What matters is making money. So if we need to cut those relationships off and find new ones, then we will.

I'm telling you. Just trust us. His ideas to deemphasize safety protocols, charge our customers more, fire our cleaning crews, and bring back our old manufacturing equipment will all be things that save this company money and boost our profits.

Employee 2: Wait, he's going to fire our cleaning crew?

Board Chair: Yes. They're an unnecessary expense and just walking garbage anyways. But, I'm sure some of you all can pick up the slack.

Employee 1: No one here is going to work for free, and even if we did we don't have enough bodies to cover their cleaning jobs and ours!

Employee 2:  Didn't Mr. Ego recently get convicted of a crime?

Board Chair: Technically...

Employee 1: Yeah, I think he was convicted of 34 different crimes.

Board Chair: Guys, that does not matter. It's just slander from our outgoing CEO who is unhappy he's leaving.

Employee 1: But he was convicted by a jury, just like any other citizen, right? Those felonies are in the public record, not just slander.

Board Chair: The whole system was rigged for his case. The judge, prosecutor, and jury were all conspiring against him because they also hate our company.

Employee 2: Wait, isn't this the same guy who was caught on tape bragging that he could do whatever he wants to women and that he can grab them by the...

Board Chair: Don't finish that sentence.

Employee 1: Oh yeah. I remember, he was constantly belittling people around here. He even told my neighbor's wife that she "is no longer a 10."

Employee 2: Yep, and cussing out employees and making up insulting nicknames for people who annoyed him, just like a 2nd grader. Are we sure we ant this guy?

Board Chair: Oh grow up. We're not hiring Mr. Rogers or a Sunday School teacher for the job. We need someone who has good ideas and will make this company money. Who cares if he treats other people like crap?

Employee 2: What about his tendency to lie?

Board Chair: What do you mean?

Employee 2: He claimed the CEO before him was undocumented, which wasn't true. He said our employee health plan was created by him, when it was another CEO that got the Board to approve it. He even went around town for the past 4 years claiming he was the real CEO of our company even after he got fired.

Board Chair: It doesn't matter is he bends the truth a little bit. He's going to make this company great again.

Employee 1: Is he going to be more humble this time around? I've never heard him say sorry or apologize to anyone for any of the mean things he said or did when he was leading our company...or after for that matter.

Board Chair: Why should he apologize? He's the CEO. He's the smartest person in the room. If you need someone to apologize after they hurt your feelings, you must be a little weakling. But this company can't show weakness. Only strength.

Employee 1: That doesn't seem right to me...

Board Chair: Don't worry. This time is going to be better. This time, we're filling our Board and the administrative office only with people who will say yes to Mr. Ego. That way, he can do whatever he wants and truly lead us to greatness.

Employee 2: Isn't that called "groupthink?"

Employee 1: Actually, it sounds like a mafia.

Employee 2: Either way, isn't diversity of opinion better? That way we can be more creative and on the cutting edge of our industry?

Board Chair: Nonsense. Oh, and since you mentioned diversity, we are cutting our DEI division when Mr. Ego starts. We're not looking white enough around the offices these days.

Employee 1: Excuse me?!

Board Chair: I'm sorry, did I say "white?" I meant "classy." We can't have visitors to our business thinking we're being invaded by vermin. You know, a lot of your fellow employees are dangerous criminals.

Employee 2: I don't know what you're talking about. All the people in my department are friendly.

Employee 1: What about the incident last week when Mr. Ego pretended to give a blowjob to a microphone at a community event?

Employee 2: Or when he called our current department head a "s*** supervisor"?

Employee 1: Or when he spread unfounded rumors about our company the last 4 years and about our current CEO? I've even seem him get some of my neighbors down the street from me to fly flags saying "F***" our current CEO!

Employee 2: He's also refused to pay contractors who remodeled his home.

Employee 1: And I'm afraid to tell him the truth sometimes if it makes him look bad. He's such a  hothead. You never know when he's going to explode! 

Employee 2: Oh, and he was written up twice by the Board last time around for misusing his power and position and potentially harming the company!

Board Chair: For the last time, it does not matter!! All that matters is his policies and ideas for this company. If he can make us money, it does not matter what he does around the office or in his personal time!

Employee 1: But, there is a point where he could do something that you'd fire him for, right? I mean, at some point a person can be so bad they are unqualified for the job, right?

Board Chair: Of course. You can't be a criminal.

Employee 2: But he is a criminal...

Board Chair: I mean a "bad" criminal. He can't do something extremely evil or bad.

Employee 1: So if he murders someone, you'd fire him?

Board Chair: ....

Employee 1: Well?

Board Chair: I mean, it would depend if he's still making the company money or not. As long as the murder doesn't negatively impact the bottom line...

Employee 1: You can't be serious?!

Employee 2: Ok, I think I understand. There just weren't any other applicants for the job, right? We've got to fill the job and he was the only one who applied.

Board Chair: Actually, we had about 9 other feasible candidates for the job.

Employee 2: And they were worse human beings, right?

Board Chair: No, actually a number of them were very well respected in our community.

Employee 1: But none of the other had experience?

Board Chair: A few didn't have experience, but some actually have more experience than Mr. Ego in our industry.

Employee 1: Of course. I see where this is going. It all comes down to Mr. Ego's ideas. He was the only one with ideas you liked?

Board Chair: Actually no. Most of the other candidates had the same or very similar ideas. They were just less vulgar in their interviews. At the end of the day, we need a bully who can push through these great ideas.

Employee 2: Lert me get this straight. We had other viable candidates with the same great ideas, more experience, and a better public reputation, but you still chose Mr. Ego?

Board Chair: Correct.

Employee 2: So, we're going to have a habitual liar, a bully, a sexual harasser, a convicted felon, who insults us and cusses at us when we mess up or don't bow down to him as our next CEO?

Board Chair: That seems a little harsh. He's given donations to charities, so deep down he's really a good person. Besides, who are you to judge? You've done bad things in your life. No one is perfect.

Employee 1: True, but it just seems like Mr. Ego isn't really trying to be a good person. It seems like he's angry, greedy, vulgar, and crude and proud of it. And for the record, I've never been accused of sexually abusing anyone.

Board Chair: You just don't get it. Those are old ways of thinking. These are challenging times. This company is facing the most important issues ever in its history. Yes, it would be nice to have someone who acts kinder and more politely, but those are luxuries. We need a fighter. We need a policy-maker. We need someone powerful to fix our company. We need Mr. Ego. He's the only one who can do it.

Employee 2: But what if his behaviors create lawsuits for us? Or what if the company reputation is damaged in the region? What if he harasses an employee and creates an HR disaster? What if enough employees get fed up with his words and strike? What if his ideas aren't that great and hurt our company because no one is left to offer a different idea?

Board Chair: Those all seem like overblown concerns. Besides, if something like that happens, we'll just come up with a good cover story and make lemons out of lemonade.

Employee 1: So, servant leadership and moral leadership don't matter?

Board Chair: Well, I wouldn't say that. It's just that it matters less...much less. Do you see now?

Employee 1: Yes, I do see. And you know what else, I quit.

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Of course, this conversation is ridiculous. In no other business would this kind of resume or behaviors get you a job (or get you a job and see good results). Experts on leadership know that character matters. Truth matters. Morality and how you treat people around you matter, including how you treat those with differing opinions. Yet, these days, it seems like we can easily make an exception to this common sense when it comes to the most powerful CEO position in the world. And for many of us, we are simply ready to quit.

It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, Because a throne is established on righteousness. Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And one who speaks right is loved.

Proverbs 16:12-13

When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.

Proverbs 28:2