Casting a reality check on real-world conundrums
Guilt by Association
To suspect one
is guilty is not proof
enough of wrongdoing.
If one suspects and it
goes against one’s moral
code, then the speaker
has an obligation to ask
the probing questions to
either prove or disprove
the suspicion. Only
then can one make the
decision.
?
—Frank Bucaro, CSP, CPAE
Bartlett, Ill.
Based on your
personal ethics, you
may not accept the
booking. On the other
hand, if you believe
in your content and
your ability to advise
and influence an
organization, your
consultation, coaching
and presentation
could make a positive
contribution to its
decisions going
forward.
Innocent until
proven guilty is my gut
instinct. I would agree
to hold the date and
begin my pre-program
assessment to make
sure I am a good fit
for this engagement.
If I discovered any
questionable business
practices, I would ask
for an explanation. If I
felt the engagement
would compromise
my integrity, I would
respectfully decline.
An organization that you suspect is guilty
of questionable (albeit not illegal) business
practices wants to book you for a full-fee
speaking engagement. You could really use
the money. Do you accept the booking?
—John Crudele, CSP
Savage, Minn.
1. Do your due diligence. Research the organization via
the internet, ask NSA colleagues (a good reason to belong to
NSA), and contact a sampling of their clients. Often, rumors are
unfounded.
2. If you discover illegal activities, then stay away. Sometimes,
suppliers and partners become associated with illegal activities
by the press or the law.
3. If the organization’s activities are unethical, then you have to
look in the mirror. There are many activities that some people
consider unethical, but others don’t. Remember, ethics is a code
of behavior which is acceptable to a culture, organization or
individual.
—Merit Gest
Aurora, Colo.
—Joseph Sherren, CSP, Ho F
Cape Traverse, PEI, Canada
What Would You Do? is a regular column
that presents a real-life dilemma faced
by professional speakers. NSA members
are encouraged to submit a dilemma
for possible discussion in this column.
Please submit dilemmas to ethics@nsa-speaker.org. NSA reserves the right to
edit submissions for length and style. All
dilemmas will be anonymously attributed. Opinions expressed are those of the
individual respondents, not NSA.
I could not work for any organization that conflicts with
my major beliefs. I know I will not be able to do my best and
I will question whether I helped them do something that I
would not agree with. And trust me, there have been many
days when I really needed the money.”
There are a number
of questions I would have
to answer: What are the
questionable practices?
Are those practices
occurring in the portion
of the organization where
I am presenting? Will I be
asked to speak about the
importance of integrity
in business? Do the
questionable practices
conflict with my personal
values? Is the organization
asking me to support
its practices? At the end
of the day, we need to
decide if a client is a good
fit for our message and
our values.
CPAE
Addison, Texas
