Ethical Leadership extends to the job market, too
It’s been eons since I searched the wants ads looking for a job, and one thing I’ve noticed is that “times, they are a changin’.”
Hell, “want ads” as I knew them have long since been replaced by giant Internet machines like Monster.com 
or Craigslist. And that’s one of the reasons why revenues of your local newspaper are awash in red ink; their business is moving to online competitors.
Still, the nature of the “want ad” game hasn’t changed: Prospective employees create resumes that put the best spin on their talents (and then some); Employers spiffy up their credentials, hoping you’ll overlook the half-empty parking lot and the blank stares on your staff when they come to interview. Companies with poor cultures and struggling to grow rarely, if ever, follow the “truth in advertising” rules. And for good reason. If they did then few would apply.
Click on this ad, for example. Here’s a company that has steadily been downsizing and outsourcing its loyal employees and yet has the nerve (dare I say, “gall”?) to boast that “… our people come first. That’s not just talk. It’s something you’ll notice the minute you walk in the door.”
Setting a Great Example
Of course, the really good companies to work for seldom run “want ads;” they don’t have to. The gospel of their corporate climate, pay and working conditions is spread far and wide by present employees – to their family, friends, and networking pals. They create the kind of branding that says, “This is as terrific place to work.”
And that’s how it should be. No corny, misleading want ads, just good works.
Your business success or your career flourishes by the laws of attraction, of being good at what you do and allowing the world to witness it.
As I wrote in CHEAT TO WIN, I am absolutely convinced that in today’s highly competitive world-filled with well-educated employees and savvy consumers-the secret to achieving lasting success is a conscious, conscientious effort to cheat on traditional rules of leverage and conflicting interests and replace them with the concept of parallel interests.
Regardless of whom you are dealing with, whether the subject is personal or professional, we should approach every business relationship with the objective to “get in parallel.” Whether it is managing a company, division, job interview, promotion, pay raise, or acquisition, our chances of winning are virtually assured when we ensure that the other party wins when we do. By using the benchmark of “Is this in parallel?” we will develop a natural inclination to cheat on outmoded business rules and our stars will always be aligned.
The bottom line in business: Get your act together. Live right. Live ethically. You’ll not only succeed, you’ll never again have to run a want ad, especially one that so blatantly violates the “truth in advertising” rules.
