Tough love

The Swami of Spin says: Want Loyalty? Get a Spaniel.

We gingerly push the boat out in this fourth month of publication actually hoping someone will challenge the Willard Marketing Monthly team on our words of wisdom.

It's not that we think we're wrong, though the possibility certainly exists; we simply would like to see more public discourse.  Frankly, anybody can come up with the questions; it's the answers that cause a problem.
But, the Swami of Spin is used to toughies.

Question: In the middle of this recession, a key employee gave his notice the other day. Where has loyalty gone?

Swami: What can we say? There is a clich? that goes, if you want loyalty, get a cocker spaniel.  However, our advice to you is to relax.

In the professional workplace, you rent people's time. You don't own it.  Loyalty has very little to do with longevity on the job, but much more to do with how loyal one is while on the job.

Besides, our profession is rather nomadic. Unlike in Soviet times, it is not uncommon for people to experience various work opportunities over the course of a few years.

You always want to do your best to keep key people. But don't give the moon and the stars to keep them if the company can't afford it.  If you do, you might keep them for a while, but eventually they'll be out the door. And, as the saying goes, you'll be left without socks.

While we are on the topic, it is not your job as a manager to make the employee happy. It is the employee's job. It is your job to provide a good working atmosphere, and proper stimulus for growth. That's it.

Question: I'm about to resign my job as an account executive to move from one advertising firm to a competitor. This is difficult, but I know I need this career change. How do I tell my boss who I really like?

Swami: First, get over the guilt. It's causing you to have headaches and a nosebleed.

Changing jobs for career advancement in the ad or PR business is not like switching sides in the middle of a war - or even switching teams during a football season. To put it into context, two billion Chinese don't really give a damn.

The important issue is how you leave. My suggestion is to be straightforward with your boss, and have in hand a metaphorical love letter disguised as a resignation letter.

We at Willard Marketing Monthly learned a long time ago that it is better to not burn bridges, but to paint the bridge as you walk across. Who knows, you just might want to return one day.

Question: The other day, a young account executive made a mistake that could cost our agency a medium-sized account. My tendency is to sack him as an example to others in the agency. What does the Swami think?
 
Swami: We think that you are probably over-reacting by immediately calling in the firing squad. It won't impress your employees, but it will intimidate them into never taking chances.

We have a rule which might seem a little strange: Tolerate an occasional lapse into perceived incompetence. There, we said it.
   
However, there is a second part to the equation: Never tolerate an ethical lapse. Mistakes are fixable, competence is teachable. Unethical behavior can be fatal, and those committing them can rarely be rehabilitated.

We agree with the "Oracle of Omaha", Warren Buffett, who says: "If you lose money for the firm by making a bad decision, I will be understanding. If you lose reputation for the firm, I will be ruthless."

So, was it merely a big mistake, or an ethical transgression? If it is the former, be forgiving. If it's the latter, bring on the firing squad.