What Was He Thinking? (May/June 2002 Issue)

This week I am haunted by the story of a small-town Ohio banker who allegedly embezzled $40 million over a period of years from the bank where he was Executive Vice President. Oakwood is farm town of 700 people. Mark Miller, the VP, knew everyone single person in the town. He began each day walking through the town’s bar and grill to say hello to the regulars. They knew and liked each other.

What went through Miller’s mindwhen he awoke each morning and prepared to continue swindling his neighbors? "Oh, I’m so clever"? "I deserve this because of all my hard work"? "My mother always told me I was smarter than everyone"? "I’ll give it all back in my next life"?

How does a man like this look at his neighbors/friends with a straight face and open heart? For that matter, how does anyone live with themselves when they know they are cheating other people?

In the carnage left by Miller’s exploits, the school district lost a million dollars it badly needed. The county-owned hospital lost a million dollars. The village of Oakwood lost all its $350,000 savings. What was Miller thinking? "I want to destroy the school, the hospital, and the village"? Is this a lust for power that overrides all human needs?

I just can’t comprehend it. I used to think these crimes happened mostly in large organizations where people steal anonymously. The perpetrators don’t know whom they’re stealing from, so it’s easier to do, without having to be aware of who they’re hurting. But Oakwood is a small town and Miller knew all the people. He might as well have stolen money from their pockets as they cashed their paychecks.

Personally, I’m in favor of bringing back the stocks. You know, those things where a criminal sits with his arms and legs poking through, in the town square, so that all the decent citizens can pass by and make fun of him. People need to pay a human price for grossly inhuman acts.

But that won’t stop the thieves. They all think they’re the ones who won’t get caught. And "getting away with it" is presumed to be a sign that you’re really smart. Is that it? The goal is to show how smart you are, and integrity is beside the point?

The more a person sees others cheating, the more he/she may conclude you may have to do that to keep up. That’s a dangerous line to cross. Once you act as though cheating/lying/stealing is a requirement for career advancement, It’s difficult to go back to Integrityville.

I like money better when it’s honestly earned. It smells better. It feels better. It even looks better. When a person earn a buck dishonestly, it probably slides to the ground and leaves a nasty puddle.

"Creative" financial practices have made stealing almost seem like it’s a mental exercise. "I’m just moving some numbers around. Let’s see if I can win the game of manipulation." Sure, and the company goes bankrupt while you fire up your Jaguar.

White-collar criminals look and act so . . . . respectable. There’s the story about murder in a three-piece suit. A man kills someone but he’s dressed very professionally. The police arrive and ask the suit: "Did you see anyone suspicious looking?"

Stealing, when conducted in fancy offices, may hardly even feel like stealing. Have we come to the place where if you dress right, talk friendly, and whip out your cell phone with panache, you can get away with anything?

White collar crime is becoming a career that normally law-abiding citizens are considering. In this era of moral relativism, some think: "If I can get away with it, I deserve it." That statement should outrage us all. But, consider how we sometimes turn white collar thieves into celebrities. What are young careerists supposed to think of that?
Do we know right from wrong any more? Or does white collar crime confuse us when we see board room swindlers serving on PTA’s and city councils and they are regarded as civic leaders? I used to joke that labor market chaos might turn some clients to lives of crime. It’s happening and it’s no longer funny.

I don’t think it’s possible to fudge about honesty. If you don’t have your integrity, you don’t have anything. Many people today, young and old, are thinking it may be OK to fudge. Just a little? Only when really necessary? Please. Get away from there. It will make you sick.

When a swindler/cheat is exposed in the newspaper, it has a ripple effect. Others are tempted to do it themselves. Right now lots of people are not calling their career counselors. Instead they are planning one kind of scam or another. We all get burned by these scams. When you hear people talk about plans to cheat, do everyone a favor. Discourage them. Embarrass them. Laugh at them. Tell them that Honesty Rules, thieves wind up in the clink, and you won’t invite them to your barbecue if they steal even a nickel. Cheating needs to be perceived as not coo-ool.

We don’t tend to bring up the subject of integrity in career counseling. Why not? It’s in the streets. Bring it into the counseling. Don’t take integrity for granted. Your clients are getting confused messages from what they read in the papers. Help them be on the right side of the line.

Howard Figler, Ph.D., is the author of The Complete Job Search Handbook and The Career Counsleor's Handbook [1999, with Richard N. Bolles]. He can be reached at: hefigler@pacbell.net