Take A Stand For Fairness
Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Jan 4, 2012
"If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything."
Unfortunately I can't tell you who the quote is from because it's pretty much in dispute, but it doesn't matter because it's a great quote anyway.
I was prompted to think about this quote as I was having lunch with someone earlier today. As she was telling me some of her tales, I realized that I had a few of my own on this subject of fairness and realizing that sometimes you have to take that next step towards being fair to everyone, even if it ends up being nothing.
For instance, I remember at one hospital when I had to be the one to step forward and tell a HR director that where we worked needed to start recruiting minorities as employees at the hospital, for more than one reason. His take was that no one ever applied. My take, which I'd confirmed by someone who did work in the hospital (in housekeeping, the only department that had minorities besides myself) was that people in the community had decided over the years that the hospital wouldn't hire anyone and thus had stopped trying.
How I got around that was to tell this person I knew to mention it to other people with any kind of job skills and have them apply to the hospital, let me know about it and I'd at least get them interviews for positions they were qualified for. It all eventually worked, and I took great pride in being the one who started the ball rolling.
At another place, I remember a conversation about hiring someone that had vision problems. The person could see, but not great, and would need an enhanced computer screen to do the job. My take on it was if the person had the skills and could perform the job and all it took was a larger monitor (back then a 15" inch screen was the largest we could get) was that we, as a medical facility, should feel obligated to do what we could. Of course that was easy for me to say since it wasn't my department but the person did get the job and did well at the job.
When people overcome their predispositions against someone and give them a chance because they're qualified, they often find that their fears were unjustified and are glad they took a chance on that person. I have no doubt that there were times people might have had doubts about my working with them; heck, I probably get that now, although I don't know for sure since those people probably never even pick up the phone to call.
Those are the easy times, though. What's harder is standing up for others when you might not have a vested interest. I've done that as a consultant from time to time, while still acknowledging that wasn't the reason I was on a consulting assignment. I figure that sometimes you have to stand on a principle, even if it's just mentioning a situation, rather than always be concerned with your own place in this world.
As long as your intention isn't to hold someone back, I tend to believe that taking positive steps to help others, no matter how small, is always a good thing to do. What say you?
There is a dispute about this quote, I heard this for first time in a movie, I liked it and decided to use it on one of my team building exercises, so I tried to find on internet, two names came up – Alexander Hamilton and Peter Marshall, however both have said that, but with different words.
Often I have hired or outsourced work to people that do not have enough knowledge, but I see potential with them. You mentioned qualified people, I think this is the point when you need something to be done properly. On the other hand, I’ve never take into account – level of education or disabilities, but focus on knowledge and previous work done.
Carl, in the United States often it’s factors other than talent and education that go into hiring practices, and it’s totally unfair. I don’t know if that type of thing happens as much where you are since I don’t know if race is a major thing there, but it’s a big deal here.
You are making a good point, Mitch. Well, with everybody that have common sense this sound illogical, but I guess that it seems to be factor everywhere or at least the countries I have worked and from what I have seen it seems that people are treated very differently and even receive lower wages, because of that, unfortunately.
Carl, it’s a problem everywhere, and one of the worries is that to take a stand for fairness it takes a lot of courage and risk sometimes.
I agree. Here where I work, as you know we had that horrific office manager and due to doing my ongoing work ethic and her bad behaviors, she was inevitably fired. When it was time to stand up and do something I did.
If you remember, it was hard for me to do that because as a single parent, standing up for what you believe in can result in getting you fired. Fortunately for me, my previous integrity and work ethic more than likely helped me.
Sue, you showed great courage when you did it, especially since you risked others not sticking up for you; I’ve been there & been burned. On some issues, though, one just has to do it.
Hey Mitch 🙂 HOW ARE YA! LOL 🙂 Oh… too much exuberance?
Anyway, yah I was a nervous mess. The one girl did stick up for me though which was great. I am surprised I still work there. I just sent you an email regarding the last incident where I had to step up yet AGAIN and put things right. The guy who left the business told the guy who I’m still working for that he’s always paid us for our unused sick and vacation time. This, was a bold faced lie.
The bosses girlfriend, who also works there now, she tells me to give her my unused time. You know me, I was caught off guard and my brain shut down. I thought how nice it would be to get that check because I don’t go anywhere. I had 9 days accumulated that I did not use. Well… sure enough, the next day I could not live with the lie which was by omission because I was caught off guard. So I sent an email and advised the boss I’m still with and the woman that we have NEVER been paid for outstanding time EVER.
I apologized in that email for not speaking up the day prior but she’d left the room and I was still in shock. As you know, the one I’m still with (that boss) did in fact pay us for those days.
I, however, hate the other guy now for putting me in that position and thereby placing me, which was NOT going to happen on HIS level. So I told the truth. I have to live with myself and look in the mirror on the morning. Don’t include me in that mess of yours.
And god help him if he says anything to me EVER … because, the sneaky snake will be told off. He no longer has the ability to fire me. 🙂 heh… AND not only that he’s purring at me like he usually does when he’s talking to adjusters when he’s trying to settle files! I’m not having that. I can’t stand a suck up, lying, individual who intends or will try to suck me into some nonsense and dishonest practice.
Oh, have I commented long enough? LOL 🙂
Sue T.
Yes, I’d say that was quite the comment. lol I’ll respond via email, since I got the message you followed up with. At least you did the right thing.
I’m not going to be put in these types of positions. It’s unacceptable.
What an interesting post. I think its so important to stand for something and to let everyone know what you stand for. Fairness, helping people, these are great things to stand for. Mitch, I was taken by your line about standing up for something when it is not in our vested interest.
I think that’s when it’s most important to take a stand. Firstly, because that’s a leader’s job– to challenge the status quo. But secondly, if you take a 50,000 feet view of it, it turns out it most definitely is in our vested interest!
In the world we live in, can we honestly say that what happens in Europe, in another department or at my client’s company is none of my concern? I would argue it is because we are increasingly interconnected. That’s why its our job to speak up when we see something that’s not right.
We have to move beyond the immediate self interest to stand up for what’s right. This is my critique of the Occupy movement. They haven’t developed a clear message because it looks to me like they are more concerned with their own self interest when they have an opportunity to fight for something much greater.
Consider the brave kids who joined Dr. Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders in the 60s who despite coming from priviliged white families, took to standing up for something that really mattered, often at great personal cost. Their courage and conviction was a great factor in winning those battles.
That’s the spirit we need to recapture.
We’re all in this together and what hurts you, hurts me. The history books are replete with stories of people who could have stood for something but instead said “its not my job” or “its none of my business.” Let’s stop making that critical mistake.
Thanks for another great post.
Great comment Danilo. It does seem that we’re all intertwined with each other in some regard these days, mainly financial, and thus it really is important to look at how others are faring and do what one can here and there. But one has to also have a purpose they believe in without getting into everything. I make my cause fairness because it’s something easily addressed by me. Some take on financial institutions, and more power to them. I’m pulling for people, and thus I feel everyone deserves a fair shot. Now, if they fail and it’s their fault, well, at least they had a chance.
Absolutely. You must have a singular purpose. Dan Pink talks about “your sentence” — a single statement that encapsulates what you’re here on this planet to do. For me, it’s: “I’m here to help people and businesses grow.” That’s it. If I see an opportunity to do that with impact and efficiency, I stand up and do what I can, even if I have to go out of my way a bit and there’s nothing in it for me other than knowing I helped someone in their time of need. Believe me, that ripples out touch others in ways we can’t see or imagine.