I know….I said that I was only going to do one blog post because I am not a writer. However, a couple of things have happened at the office recently that have made me wonder how sometimes it just feels like the “Good Guys” finish last. Growing up, my parents instilled a high value on telling the truth and always doing what’s right. As a matter of fact, I never got into trouble because my parents taught me that there are always consequences. This is why I always follow the rules and respect boundaries.
You may remember from my previous blog, integrity is very important to me and therefore it is important for me to work with hiring managers that share this same value. That said, it has been a frustrating month for our That’s Good HR temporary staffing group for a couple of reasons. We have had a couple examples of situations where we handled our accounting, administrative or HR search with honesty and integrity but have lost the business to a competitor that doesn’t have those same values. Short cutting the process of quality service delivery just to give the appearance of efficiency works for some, but I have a hard time stomaching it. It seems to have become increasingly prevalent as 2011 progresses, almost as if there is a sense of desperation to hit sales quotas at any cost. This has me wondering…are we part of a very small minority of staffing companies who will sacrifice being “cheap and fast” in order to do things “right” and act with integrity. I mean, I thought that Good Guys always finish first. Am I just naïve?
Then, just as I was sitting here lamenting the injustice of it all for our business, I heard the news about Officer David Moore. As many of you have heard by now, Officer Moore passed away as a result of his injuries incurred during a “routine” traffic stop in Indianapolis. From everything I have heard and read about Officer Moore, he seemed like the quintessential “good guy”. Overall, Police Officers are the good guys and this officer had to pay the ultimate price for being a good guy. For those that know me well, you know that I have several very special people close to me that are Police Officers in this city. Just as I was feeling down about losing out as the good guy, Officer Moore’s story puts it all into perspective.
I did do some research on this topic to see if I was alone in my quandary over this question and I did find some believers out there that Good Guys don’t finish last. My favorite quote came from a post by AndrewJDumont.com and here is what he had to say on the topic.
"Call me old fashioned, but I believe in the business of doing good. I believe that those who finish first are the ones who place integrity at the base of everything they do. Look at the way you conduct business or simply live your life, for that matter – are you positioning yourself to finish first in the long-run?”
So, while it hurts that not all staffing agencies follow all of the rules of integrity and ethical business practices, it’s the reality of the world we live in. However, that isn’t going to change my passion for this business or my passion to handle each situation as my parents have instilled in me, with honesty and integrity. The fear of the “Bad Guys” didn’t change how Officer Moore lived his life and it isn’t going to change how I live mine.
