Ultimate Accountability
By Mrs. Betty Wu
Today men of integrity are clearly in the minority among our nation’s executives. Confidence in corporate America is at an all time low, with mistrust of the financial sector growing steadily. Power and finance have created a world of flexible ethics, easily influenced and adjustable, giving way to unchecked human greed. Recent headlines tell of improper trading among mutual funds managers. Eliot Spitzer, the New York State Attorney General, calls the mutual fund industry a cesspool, a term defined in the dictionary as a place of filth or immorality.
Are we in a moral decline? We never stop reading of financial and corporate mischief. Michael Josephson whose Institute of Ethics works with schools and businesses promoting ethical behavior believes we are in the midst of a new cheating epidemic. Phrases such as dubious integrity, overstated profits, inflated revenue, etc. frequently appear in articles concerning corporate misbehavior.
Charles Colson, former aide to the late President Richard Nixon and founder of Prison Fellowship Ministry, states that capitalism can only flourish within a background of economic freedom, political freedom and moral restraint. He compares this to a three legged stool. If one leg is weak, eventually the stool will collapse. Capitalism doesn’t work when moral restraint is absent. Our free enterprise system is based on trust and suffers when corporations violate that trust.
This moral decline goes beyond the financial and corporate worlds, embracing sports, literary and political areas as well. No matter what a person has accomplished, his character will determine what people will associate with his name. O.J. Simpson may have been regarded as an outstanding athlete but today his name is coupled with marital abuse and suspected homicide. President Clinton’s accomplishments have been overshadowed by the embarrassing events in the White House. Kobe Bryant is a gifted basketball player but his image has been sullied by recent headlines. We are all just one step, one action, one decision away from doing something that could ruin our character.
Bill George, former CEO of Medtronics, writes in his book AUTHENIC LEADERSHIP that greed has distracted business leaders from the goal of building enduring organizations that benefit society and make an enormous difference in the world. Instead of working toward long term lasting goals, they have been seduced by instant gratification.
How shameful is the scandal that Pat Tornollo, former president of the United Teachers of Dade stands accused of misappropriating three and a half million dollars from the union treasury for his own personal pleasure. Having absolute power and being accountable to no one can readily breed a sense of invincibility. This is a prime example of absolute power corrupting.
As Christians we realize that God holds us accountable for our actions. His daily presence in our lives exerts a restraining influence on our conduct. Unlike those who consider themselves accountable to no one, we hold ourselves accountable to God’s Word. Second Corinthians tells us that as God’s children we were bought with a price and we are to glorify God and not man.