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In the spirit of the 8th habit review I posted in 2009, I am posting a super-thorough review of TSP piecemeal, as I am almost sure it will be too long to post in its entirety. Here is my synopsis of the first chapter: The First Commandment: Believe in the Dignity and Morality of Business
“Making money is much harder to do if, deep down, you suspect it to be a morally reprehensible activity” (17).
The idea that making money is an inherently noble act is a definitive characteristic of Judaism and one that Lapin considers most directly related to Jewish success. In this belief Judaism stands out; popular culture in the United States paints business professionals as greedy and selfish, believing that the government and non-profits help poor people more than private enterprise. But the assumptions that business is immoral and exclusively self-serving are simply not true.
Feel Virtuous, Grow Wealthy
“For better or worse, humans are holistic” (18). For this reason, in order to prosper, one must believe that business is a noble undertaking. If business people believe deep down that they are “swindling rogue[s]” (21) by virtue of being in business for profit, they will eventually be unable to prosper. Guilt is not much of a motivator in any situation, and by feeling shame regarding one’s profession, one loses important opportunities to develop and express the passion and enthusiasm necessary to feel pride and communicate it to others (i.e. to network). In addition, the call of conscience gets weaker each time it is ignored. If business people believe deep down that their acts are immoral per se, committing acts that are actually immoral (i.e. swindling like a rogue) becomes that much easier. Opportunities arise in business that allow for dishonest and often illegal behavior in order to get ahead, but Lapin insists that if one believes one’s undertakings to be inherently good, one will be more likely to refuse to commit unsavory acts.
Money is Holy, and Holidays are Linked to Money
Chanukah is a reminder that the pursuit of money is noble and wise. Jewish tradition dictates that Chanukah lights be used for no other purpose than their symbolic use; Chanukah lights must be lit in a well-lit room, so that no one is dependent on them for a utilitarian purpose such as seeing. The Chanukah lights also symbolize the joys of learning; to see the light is to understand. Further, Chanukah traditions call for giving money as gifts, especially to children, so that the link between learning and money is cemented from an early age.
Jews Became Bankers to Help Others, Not as a Last Resort
A popular misconception in Jewish and European history is that Jews became bankers as a result of anti-Semitism, which barred them from joining artisans’ guilds or farming. Because of this supposed prohibition, the Jews of the medieval era went into moneylending as the only way open to them to survive. Lapin challenges this notion, claiming that Jews actually went into finance because they saw it to be a benign and beneficial undertaking. Jewish tradition values charity and considers lending money to others to be superior to giving it, as a loan confirms the recipient as a competent being capable of repayment and a gift gives the recipient the status of a beggar. Plus, in a pre-electronic era, trustworthiness in transferring wealth was crucial to banking. Jewish bankers distinguished themselves by being trustworthy in transferring funds across Europe. “When a merchant in Venice gave a sum of money to a local Jewish banker, the merchant could rest assured that his supplier in Amsterdam would receive the equivalent funds from another Jewish banker in Holland” (25). Another aid to Jewish bankers was Judaism’s rather liberal interpretation of the prohibition of charging interest to borrowers. Judaism’s approach, affirmed by the oral Torah (the Torah given to Moses as he spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai, whose teachings are in line with its written counterpart), validates charging fair interest for use of funds but describes in no uncertain terms the evils of usury. (Christianity and Islam, by contrast, follow a strict interpretation of holy writings that prohibit charging any sort of interest.) Because Jewish tradition believed moneylending to be positive and helpful, “[Jews] were not only willing to become bankers; they were proud and eager to do so” (26, emphasis in original).
Gold is Good: God Said So
Lapin cites several examples from the Torah that declare material wealth to be not only acceptable but in fact divinely good. The first comes in the opening passages of the Torah, in which it is written, “The gold of that land is good” (B’resheet/Genesis 2:12). Jewish prayers often contain requests for prosperity, with prosperity seen as a likely result of being trustworthy and meeting the needs of others. “It is perfectly kosher to ask God for money….What you are really asking for is the opportunity to serve your fellow human beings” (27). Another helpful Torah story is that of Passover, in which God commanded Israelite slaves escaping Egypt to request gold and silver from their Egyptian oppressors. God was not urging the Hebrews to leave with nothing but the clothes on their backs; God most likely commanded this action because God believed it was high time the children of Israel got paid handsomely for their toil.
“Charity is Good; Business is Selfish”—A Popular Misconception
This is a new and refreshing perspective: Lapin cites examples of several well-known business professionals who also contribute substantial amounts to charitable causes. Then he points out that society tends to view these contributions more positively than those completed in the business arena, but why? Business, he asserts, does as much or more to benefit society as charitable work does.
You Can’t Earn an Honest Living Without Pleasing Others
“To really succeed in whatever is the business of your choice, you have to come to understand and utterly absorb into your being the fundamentally true idea that your activities in your business are virtuous and moral, provided of course that you conduct your business affairs honestly and honorably” (32, emphasis in original). Few people who make charitable donations have scruples about their behavior as it is “for a good cause.” Indeed, jihadists, eco-terrorists and anti-choice activists who bomb abortion clinics all believe they are acting with integrity even while committing heinous acts. Why, then, do many business professionals feel as if they are doing a morally questionable act when they build businesses that look after their families, stimulate the economy, create jobs and spread prosperity to greater and greater numbers of people?
How We Are All Persuaded That Business is Evil
“Increasing numbers of Americans view wealth not as the morally legitimate rewards of risk, innovation, and effort, but as an unjust and morally suspect outcome” (33). This persuasion comes from several sources, including the media, educational institutions, and the business world itself. (My own interjection: it’s ironic that this image is propagated in a country so enthusiastic about capitalism, as it almost sounds Communist.)
How We Are Taught That Business is Bad, From Early Education
Educational institutions, according to Lapin, teach kids that making money is an inherently bad thing, regardless of the path one chooses to wealth. Who would dare to voice an aspiration to be a business professional, in an environment in which such a thing is at worst cruel and illegal and at best morally ambiguous?
Movies and Television Conspire to Make you Poor
The messages of the bulk of movies and television shows portray the business professional as rabidly greedy, dishonest, narcissistic, and heartless. The trend started in the 1970s; though Lapin does not cite a reason for the shift, he points out that in the 1930s and ‘40s, the businessmen of the movies (and yes, they were men) were usually portrayed favorably. After all, Jimmy Stewart’s character in It’s a Wonderful Life was a banker! Early television depictions of businessmen in the 1950s and ‘60s did the same. One would be hard-pressed to name what, exactly, the sitcom fathers of that family-centered television era actually did, but the understanding was that they were wise, family-oriented, and earning a living in some sort of respectable business. (Ozzie Nelson was an advertising executive, though this is stated only in the movie pilot, and Ward Cleaver was most likely either an ad exec or an accountant—dangerous business for a respectable television family man today!) Contrast these characters to Gordon Gekko in Wall Street or PG & E in Erin Brokovich. Why, business, especially big business, blackmails politicians, poisons innocent (especially poor) people, hires assassins to eliminate troublesome opponents…and one scorned corporate mogul tries to kill Spiderman! On the small screen, Dallas may be dead but the J.R. Ewing character just keeps coming back to life. The classic Family Ties found much of its humor in the silly notion that profit-seeking was a desirable undertaking; the parents, ex-hippies who seemed to have left the commune without a backward glance, frequently found themselves at odds with their kids, especially their oldest son, because “Make Love, Not War” meant less to the kids than “Make Money Above All Else.” (In one episode, father and son are having a conversation where the son expresses pride in his father, who works at a non-profit public television station. But here is the joke: Alex P. Keaton tells father Steven that he couldn’t be prouder of his father if he had worked in a bank. Poor Alex is so misguided that he thinks banking is just as noble as non-profit work!) Though consumers of these types of media know it’s fiction, some of that message must inevitably be absorbed and believed. (Note: The examples of Leave it to Beaver, the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Erin Brokovich, Dallas, and Family Ties are my own examples; Lapin uses several in addition to the ones I have included.)
We Can’t Help Believing Some of What People Tell Us
To prove the point that we inevitably absorb messages as true even when they are proved false, Lapin offers the story from the Tanak’h of King David and his best friend’s son, Mephiboshet. Ever loyal to his deceased best friend, David grants his son all of his father’s estate, and in turn the son pledges his loyalty to King David. When a rebellion breaks out, Mephiboshet’s steward lies and tells David that Mephiboshet was part of the plot; David then awards Mephiboshet’s estate to the scheming steward. Once the steward’s deception is made known, David tells Mephiboshet he and the steward can share the estate, but Mephiboshet instead gives it up. Talmud scholars throughout the ages have debated David’s failure in judgment, but some believe that David was never able to completely believe that Mephiboshet was guiltless. Because he had believed Mephiboshet to be unfaithful, he never could erase the idea from his mind. “You may think that you can remain uninfluenced by the things you hear, but it just isn’t so” (40).
Many People Believe That Business is Inherently Bad
Partly as a result of education and media, a belief has spread throughout our culture that business is a zero-sum game. If a business is profitable, it must be so at the expense of another or a group of anothers; conceiving of a business reality where both companies and the public benefit has become increasingly difficult. For the most part, the handful of people who champion business do not promote it as an innately good thing, free of vice per se, but instead insist that business is motivated by greed. But contrary to eons of thought, greed is actually a good thing. The only thing is, greed isn’t a good thing. Greed destroys people, and deep down, all people who listen even occasionally to the call of conscience know that. “Foolishly claiming that business is about greed merely confirms the growing cultural conviction that business is, at root, fundamentally immoral—that even if commerce may be necessary for a healthy economy, it is a necessary evil” (42).
Popular Culture Supports Immoral “Love”: Money is Bad, but Sex is Good?
I especially like this section, as Lapin points out that society has a high tolerance for adultery but almost none for certain business practices. To illustrate the point, he cites two articles that ran in the mid-nineties in the mainstream publications People and Newsweek. The first, in People, was a Valentine’s Day issue about great love stories in the 20th century, including Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, and King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Unfortunately, at least one partner in each of these couplings was married to someone else at the time. A few weeks later, Newsweek ran a story about “Corporate Killers” who have eliminated jobs in their companies, resulting in greater profits. High in emotion but low in evidence, the author talked about the pain that workers went through as a result of losing their jobs. “Depending on your outlook, you might feel that the actions of Newsweek’s featured CEOs, the Corporate Killers of the article, were indeed evil. Or, you might be among those who feel they were doing what was necessary to ensure their companies’ survival and the preservation of many more jobs that would have been lost had the companies foundered” (43). Compare the pain of a layoff, which may result in financial hardship but may also result in a new and better job, with the pain of adultery. Though it is hard for anyone who has never experienced having an unfaithful spouse to make the call, it makes sense that adultery would be far more painful than job loss.
Humans are not Just “Smart Animals”
Immoral sexual behavior is easy to excuse if one views the human race as simply the most evolved species of animal. After all, many species of animal engage in sexual behavior, but business is uniquely human. Cheating on a spouse is “natural” if one sees oneself as a particularly intelligent animal rather than as a unique being set apart by God, as one is simply responding to one’s hormonal impulses as animals do. But much of human behavior is based on overcoming nature, not succumbing to it. Humans obey “nature’s call” when they feel it, but all but the youngest members of society usually find a bathroom in order to do so. (And most parents try to teach their children the bathroom concept as quickly as possible.) No animal species engages in religious practice, either, which Lapin sees as proof that both business and religion fulfill a higher spiritual need unique to people. But for some reason, fulfilling this higher need through business (and often through religion) brings censure. “It is almost as if the culture yearns to tear down anyone whose activities suggest that there is more to life than the material” (47).
Even Business Professionals Themselves Have Given Up the Fight
Business students and business professionals are not doing anything to refute the idea that business is inherently sleazy, and in fact are stoking the fires. The language used to refer to business is indicative of how far business has fallen, and I like this quote so much I’m going to increase the font size to point it out:
“It is precisely by taking control of language that ideas can gradually be changed” (48).
Lapin cites two examples: the IRS’s use of the phrase “unearned income” to describe interest, dividends and capital gains (as if the financial discipline and smarts necessary to EARN each of these did not exist), and the use of the phrase “giving back to society” to describe charity work. (To this I might also add the use of the word “girl” to describe grown women—it relegates women to the status of perpetual children and thus strips them of rights and privileges reserved for adults, particularly self-determination). If non-profit work “gives back” to society, the implication is that for-profit work does not, and in fact takes something away. Lapin uses the example of Bill Gates, who gives large donations to charitable causes but receives criticism for not giving a larger portion of his substantial wealth away. But doesn’t his software, which makes communication and business functioning much smoother, also “give” to society? Prisoners are paying debts to society because they did, in fact, take from it. With this sort of language it is clear that business has become synonymous with crime.
How Starbucks Does Good Works—Every Day
Starbucks serves as an example of a business that does good works while earning a profit, but instead of appreciating “good works” as providing a pleasant atmosphere, compensating employees well, and bringing prosperity to stockholders, Starbucks touts volunteer work and charitable giving. Though the company has much to be proud of in their charitable works, the tone of their literature is almost apologetic: “Please accept our humble apologies for making large profits and take our charitable work as a peace offering.”
Bain Consultants Can Transfer to “Morally Uplifting” Work
Bain and Company is another example of a company not seeing the good in its own work. The company has started a division that provides low-cost consultation services to non-profit organizations. Company employees have the option of leaving the for-profit sector of the business to work in the non-profit sector, and many choose to do so even though they have to take 20 to 80 percent pay cuts. This time in the non-profit sector is called a “morally uplifting break” (51), with the not-so-subtle indication that the for-profit sector is morally tainted. “If such sophisticated professionals can fall victim to this sad mistake, I must assume that on some level everyone is being subtly indoctrinated” (51).
Most People Work “in Business”—And There’s Nothing Wrong With That!
Nearly everyone earns his or her living through some form of business, whether one is a business owner, an employee, a sub-contractor, et cetera. In order to succeed that any of these business behaviors, each person must view himself as a business professional in a noble, honorable undertaking. If there is even a little doubt that one’s business behavior is not morally upright, success becomes nearly impossible.
Your Path to Prosperity
•“Begin embracing these two related notions: (1) You are in business, and (2) the occupation of business is moral, noble, and worthy.”
•“Offer to write a short column or op-ed piece for your local newspaper that would forthrightly declare the profession of business to be moral and noble, and explain why.”
•“Read business non-fiction regularly.”
•“While reading, watching television, or seeing a movie, remain on high alert for subtle (and not-so-subtle) swipes at the dignity and the morality of business” (pp.52-53).
