Business Ethics – What It Means to Me

Its funny how certain current events can really shed light on who people truly are.

I’ve been meaning to write this post for some time, but I keep saving it as a draft, and then getting it back out, rewriting, saving. You get the picture. Its hard for me to write because I’m upset and angry at my fellow colleagues – my fellow PR folks – of how they responded during the Cecil, the lion ‘incident.’

As a member of a group of entrepreneurs in the PR field, you could imagine my dismay when one person posted in in our private Facebook group a simple “would you rather” question: Would you rather handle the PR for Bill Cosby or the lion killer?

The majority of people commented that they would chose Bill Cosby. Does this shock you? That these PR folks think it would be easier/less confusing/more on line with their beliefs to defend someone who allegedly sexually assaulted dozens of women and tried to cover it up for years….verses one man who thought he was on a legal, everything-by-the-books lion hunt?

Perhaps they didn’t realize the real difference between the two is that one man KNEW what he was doing was wrong. (And if you think I’m referring to Dr. Palmer, then you need to start reading a different blog as this chick isn’t for you.)

Or perhaps the simple fact that killing a lion is, once again, ranked higher in the books as more of “horrible thing to do” than women being raped. I’m not sure.

Some actually commented they would rather work at McDonald’s or Starbucks than take on either of these cases. One said, “at least I would still have my dignity.”

But that’s not what got me. I assumed this would play out like it did from a group that knows little about the hunting industry. What got me was one comment on that post from a PR lady who said, “The clients you take on are always a reflections of your own business ethics.”

Huh.

WWOPD? (What Would Olivia Pope Do?)

So…because pretty much every single client in my portfolio is also a hunter – does that mean I have poor business ethics? Are my ethics worse than, say, a lawyer who defends murderers on trial or Donald Trump’s PR team (who were also chosen as a alternative for a job rather than take on EITHER Dr. Palmer or Bill Cosby if that tells you anything.)

The other thing that struck me is this is a talented bunch of PR/media mavens. They KNOW the media blows things up, misrepresents and misinforms and yet…none of that came to mind on this case. Every one of them assumed Dr. Palmer was guilty and should be hung. There were no comments of, “hey, wait everyone, do we have all the facts here?” Nope. Instead, they believe the person who would consider helping or defending Dr. Palmer is unethical.

Hell, I’ve gone on a rant long enough on this. So what does “business ethics” mean to me? It means helping those I know I can help and who have asked for my help. Period. Pretty sure Olivia Pope does the same thing – white hat or not.