You've Got to Be Kidding!: How to Keep Your Job Without Losing Your Integrity

Myth 3: “What Others Do Is None of My Concern”

Reality: What others do is—and should be—of your great concern. You work for an organization that pays you a salary, and you work in a profession with standards. You cannot afford to make the hollow statements: “It’s none of my business” or “It’s not my job.”

I presented a workshop to a group of employees at Kraus-Anderson Construction in Minneapolis. There were over 100 guys (plus a few gals), all in various positions of responsibility for this well-respected Midwestern construction company. In fact, I deemed the company a “handshake firm” (i.e., their word is their bond) because they have a legacy of honorable dealings that dates back several generations.

I offered this potential scenario to the group: Let’s say you were out for dinner one evening and saw an employee of your firm at the bar acting “way out of line.” You don’t know the guy, but he is wearing a sweatshirt with a company logo, and there’s a company car parked outside. What do you do? I gave them three options: (1) join him so you can keep an eye on him; (2) try to get him out of there; or (3) do nothing because it’s none of your business.

The room erupted; then, a most interesting thing occurred. By happenstance, I called on several 20-something guys in the front row with their hands up who opted for number 3—to do nothing! Since their responses surprised me, I then began purposely calling on the silver-haired attendees in the room. They all chose option 2—to get the ...