Doing "whatever it takes" to meet goals

Are you prepared to do "whatever it takes" to meet goals?

This sounds like the sort of thing that the ambitious, loyal, executive or manger or employee would be EXPECTED to say in today's fast moving, highly competitive world.

Sounds good: "I do whatever it takes to achieve my goals".

The sort of go-getting approach that will put you on the fast road to career or business success.

Or jail.

In a 2007 Oversight Systems Report on Corporate Fraud, 81% of respondents identified pressure to "do whatever it takes" to meet goals as the primary reason for corporate fraud.

In my interactions with clients I have found time and again that they are their own worst enemies when it comes to fraud prevention.

The pressure to perform imposed by shareholders, owners and other stakeholders is huge.

Fact is that a lot of these pressures are self imposed by way of unrealistic budget and forecasts by executives that then have to be met.

The pressure to meet these unrealistic goals is passed down the line to some poor mug who will be willing "do whatever it takes" to meet the performance expectations.

This is normally accompanied by the old executive "blind eye".

"Please don't tell me what you are doing to make the quarterlies look good"

Price fixing, manipulation of figures, false invoicing, whatever it is, in the process of "doing whatever it takes" to achieve our goals.

No one can be surprised when old Joe, under huge pressure from his BOSS, morally confused to start with, does the wrong thing.

We are causing our own problems.

The demon in this picture is the corporate culture that promotes or allows the "do whatever it takes" approach to business.

When a corporate culture of this type combines with our inherent moral confusion can we wonder that fraud and other corporate malfeasance results?

And isn't it just another manifestation of our broader "go gettum", hard charging, culture?

Win at any cost.

Well the cost of "doing whatever it takes" is to high.

Loss of self respect, integrity,reputation and maybe even your freedom.

Don't "do whatever it takes" NO goal is worth it. 

Do the RIGHT thing.

Keep your integrity, self respect and reputation intact.