Google and Goldman

by Margot Locker

At least until the spring of 2010, two lines of work have been particularly seductive for ‘the best and the brightest’—the graduates of our leading colleges and universities. One professional option has entailed work at the cutting edge of the technology sector—for Facebook, Apple or Google. Complementing Silicon Valley, the other option has been to work on “The Street”—in investment banking, hedge funds, or some other branch of the financial industry.

One attraction, of course, is the possibility of making a lot of money, preferably soon. While the salaries may not be exorbitant, the possibilities of options, bonuses, or “striking it rich” are patent: many young adults dream about becoming the next Marc Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, or the next John Paulson, the trader who made billions shorting the mortgage market (technically, collateralized debt obligations).

How does one think about these career choices with respect to the execution of GoodWork™? As defined by my colleagues and me, the good worker embodies three qualities. He/she is technically Excellent: knows what to do and how to do it in the sector under consideration. The good worker is Ethical: thinks about what is the right thing to do, not just for oneself and now, but for the broader society and in the long run. Finally, the good worker is Engaged: likes the work, looks forward to it, finds meaning in it.

While I don’t have expertise in either field, I will assume that those who are recruited for these sectors—Google or Goldman for short—know what they are doing. In terms of good work, they may be deemed Excellent. They are informed and thorough students; they work hard to master material; they can pass the formal or informal tests that are posed by potential employers; and, thrown into a new situation, they are able to make sense of it, ask the right questions, finish the task expeditiously and move on to the “next next thing”.

But good work does not depend exclusively on excellence. One ceases to be a good worker if the work loses interest, on the one hand, or if one cuts ethical corners, on the other. With respect to school teachers in demanding urban settings, there is the risk of burn out. While they may still be excellent and ethical, these teachers find the job demands too difficult and eventually they become disengaged. Only those who have ample collegial support systems, or very strong religious or idealistic principles, are able to remain as engaged good workers. In the case of many professionals, the desire for fame and fortune—especially Warhol-like fame and Trump-style fortune—can come to ‘trump’ ethical considerations. Every day in the press, one reads about compromised or unethical work on the part of doctors, lawyers, professors, or engineers.

Which brings me to the young persons who want to work for Google or Goldman (or perhaps both!). Whatever attracts these individuals initially, it is clear that, once hired, they have joined a very exciting enterprise. At Google, they are developing the technology and technological applications of the future, and are even granted a day a week to focus on their own projects. At Goldman, they work along side the best and the brightest to analyze business and financial opportunities and to make the ‘best bet’—the decision that will result in additional riches for the company, and for themselves.

To borrow the terminology of my colleague Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, working opportunities within Google or Goldman are rife with the possibility of ‘flow’—that pleasurable psychic state where skills and challenges are in mesh. The problem with the state of ‘flow’ is that it is distinctly amoral: one can have flow equally in resecting a tumor, climbing a mountain, or cracking a safe. I submit that the flow opportunities at these cutting edge companies are so alluring that they risk undermining sensitivity to ethics, rendering one prone to ethical violations.

However, engagement need not occur at the expense of ethics. Until 1999, Goldman Sachs was a partnership. Partners did well, but they had an investment in the long term growth of the company and in the preservation of its excellent reputation. And so, no doubt with some exceptions, workers at Goldman Sachs behaved in an ethical manner. But once the company became public traded, and once the power began to flow to the traders, Goldman’s ethical muscle became flabby.

Google’s motto is “Do no evil”—an injunction to watch what one is doing, morally, ethically, and legally. There have been ethical lapses at Google; indeed some of the firm’s policies of advertising, and of sharing of data, have been widely criticized. Yet Google has not always taken the easy solution. Confronted with evidence that China was censoring websites and spying on the digital footprints of dissidents, Google made the difficult decision to stop working in China and to direct users to the uncensored Hong Kong site. In this instance, I would argue, Google has taken an ethical stance—one that would not necessarily have been taken by companies with a different ethos or companies with eyes glued to the next quarter’s profits.

Fifty years ago, there was a common view of American newspapers. In this view, it was too bad that the New York Times was controlled by the Sulzberger family, and the Washington Post was controlled by the Graham family. Better that these firms become publicly held companies, not subject to familial whims. In retrospect, of course, the opposite has been the case. Today, virtually the only widely respected newspapers are those that remain under family—as opposed to public traded—names. Apparently it matters whether and how your name is being used.

In this respect, there is an interesting distinction between Google and Goldman. While Google is public traded, it remains in important respects the fiefdom of founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Their imprimatur remains strong. In contrast, Goldman is no longer under the directorship of individuals who are integrally connected to the past and the conscience of the company. CEO Lloyd Blankfein may be sincere in believing that the firm is doing “God’s work” but few would argue, any longer, that it is doing good work.

Lay It on the Table

by Bill Bussey

I attended a fairly small public high school that graduated roughly two hundred or so kids every year. One of the more memorable moments at my graduation came as a result of a well-intentioned classmate, who, in honor of our departure, followed through with his regrettable urge to re-write the lyrics of Simon and Garfunkle’s “Bookends”. The Vienna Boy’s Choir are the only folks I can think of who could manage this tune, which, incidentally, possesses all the celebratory joy of Leonard Cohen at the dentist. Nobody could sing it. Nobody wanted to sing it. We didn’t even bother to mouth it. Most folks used the moment as a bathroom break. Another notable juncture occurred later when the seemingly endless awards’ portion overlooked me. They gave out awards for every possible character trait or career choice. Everybody received at least three scholarships or commendations, even the kids who had dropped out. To endure this, I convinced myself that what I was witnessing was really a raffle.

The end of the year for graduates is understandably pretty much all about them, but to be honest, sometimes we all can lose perspective down the final stretch. Any student who gets accepted into Nobles (many do not) and then successfully navigates the Sisyphean demands required to maintain their place in this school (not everyone makes it through) should realize that their diploma is in itself an honor. I cringe a bit on those rare occasions when I hear folks mutter that their son or daughter got the shaft because someone else got the nod. Anything beyond a Nobles diploma really shouldn’t be expected. Yet, I do expect every graduate to take the time and effort to express their appreciation, whether it be to classmates or faculty members, for all that they have been given. Truthfully, every student should do just that every year whether they are graduating or not.

But often it’s the parents of graduates who get overlooked in the waning weeks of the school year—mostly by their own children who are rushing happily from one celebratory event to another. In a perfect world, the run up to graduation would include a Mardi Gras of sorts in which the parents of Class I students could be given a well-deserved tip of the hat for all they have done. To be fair, there are moments at various events prior to graduation that parents get their due. That said, it is unrealistic for us to expect our seniors to fully appreciate all the anxiety, heartache, and sleepless nights that came with our unbridled joy in raising them. Nor can they completely understand how their departure leaves our world in some ways just a little less than what it was. But at this crucial transition it is imperative that each of you carve out a quiet moment with your soon-to-be-graduate and share with them in no uncertain terms everything that they have always meant to you, how they always will, and how that being their parent has been the greatest gift that you have ever known. Lay it on the table and give your child both the means and the moment to do the same.

What are your thoughts during this graduation season?

Can We Trust Goldman Sachs?

by Howard Gardner

Goldman Sachs is widely acknowledged to be a leader in its field and has certainly been successful by most commonly applied criteria.  But it has to decide what business or profession it is in.  If it is just a business, whose goal is to make as much money as possible for partners and shareholders, then it needs to make that clear. “We will do anything legal that we can,”–and, implicitly, cut as close to illegality as we can without crossing the line.

But if it claims to be socially responsible, if its partners claim to be professionals, then it has to apply much stricter standards to its own actions and take full responsibility for the consequences of these actions.  By most accounts, so long as Goldman Sachs was a partnership, it behaved in a professional manner and was justifiably respected for its behaviors. But it is clear from recent events in the post IPO period, that it is strictly a business, one that aims to make as much money as possible, by any and all means, including ones that involve deception of its customers.

Goldman Sachs does not need a new strategy or a new public relations gimmick. If it wants to become a respected firm, it needs to alter fundamentally its hiring, its training, its reward systems, its accountability, and its transparency. Absence a new leadership, with a wholly different set of ethical standards, that won’t happen– even if the firm claims to be doing “God’s work.”

Visit Washington Post Blog for additional perspectives.

Link: http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/2010/04/

Inspiring for Change: GoodWork for Mexico’s Children

by Yael Karakowsky

My name is Yael Karakowsky; I am from Mexico and have been a preschool teacher for the last 3 years. I often ask myself how many “dreamers” are out there … doing everything they can, walking that extra mile, never missing a chance and always seeking to do a little bit more. I consider myself a fighter, a dreamer and sometimes … a person that expects more than what is actually possible. Being a good citizen and a dreamer in Mexico can be a little hard, since we are dealing with a society full of contrasts. This could be even harder when you are working with children and pretending you can inspire them to change the world, since “children are the future”.

Mexico is a beautiful country full of welcoming, warm-hearted and family-oriented people who love to be surrounded by family and friends with high moral values. So then, what is wrong with this picture? The fact is that we always pretend to be the “perfect family” (everything happens behind closed doors), we love shortcuts and easy things, labor is cheap and there is a high lack of education. At the same time we face serious economic issues: money is concentrated in approximately 13-17% of our population, while according to some estimates, 40%-60% of the population lives below the poverty line (OECD) and 60% households are below 6 minimum salaries. This added to the actual economic worldwide situation ends up in educational backwardness, unemployment, sickness, and much more. All this results in: a) very successful parents – in business – with no time for their children; b) parents that have to work hard – many times in more than one job, since labor is cheap and not well valued; or c) unemployed parents that may end up sending their kids to work.

In Mexico, while schools can be doing great efforts, the entire society strives to keep on the traditional path – grow up, study something ‘good’ for your future, get married and have kids. It is rare to find someone who finds the time to actually analyze his future, his professional career and goals, as well as someone who wants to be a responsible parent, as opposed to just wanting a child. Years ago we faced authoritarian and chauvinistic families – women were supposed to stay at home and educate children, the father was the economic support and his word was the law at home. Children were not allowed to ask, listen or talk at every time. There were unlimited rules and “because I say so” was the last and -never under discussion- word. I wouldn’t dare to say that we are not chauvinistic anymore, but I do think that the Mexican society as many others, has passed to the total permissiveness, dragging a high lack of values. Since everyone is a parent and there is a high rate of unemployment, passion in life is lost and it is hard to transmit or inspire. So, many could have the opportunity to study a career, but as said before, there is a high lack of passion in each person’s own life and goals.

This is what I mean by saying there are great contrasts. Children may have the opportunity to attend good schools, but they would be dealing with ambivalence when facing a very different reality in their daily lives, at home, and when dealing with the entire society. We can inspire children to think and analyze, but if parents and outsiders act differently, stop their initiatives and get the same results, children will be affected and our future, too.

As school leaders, we should go further. We should involve parents, students and the entire society. It would be only this way in which we can make an effort to make it as a whole and not just as part of a change. Children should face real dilemmas and start analyzing, thinking and resolving them by themselves. We should encourage new generations to break with the established, to live instead of pretend, and inspire while doing so.

So,are we probably focusing too much in the results, without analyzing the way and the procedure it takes in order to get there? We are probably either:

-Too worried to teach, to educate, to set a good example… that we are missing our own goals, our own happiness, which could be a good option to follow in order to be able to reach what we are looking for and transmit and inspire others to do the same.

Or,

-Too immersed in ourselves, trying to get the results we are looking for; the child we are expecting to have, the medals on our shelves, and the “perfect society” … that we are forgetting how to be human, how to connect with children and with ourselves?

Good Work in Nursing

by Joan Miller

My name is Joan Miller. I have been a nurse for over 35 years. I currently teach in a baccalaureate nursing program at Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA. I entered the profession with a desire to provide excellent care for my patients. I wanted to be known as a caring nurse, one willing to work hard, listen well, and show that my patients were always my top priority. I’ve worked hard to foster professional growth and excellence among my students. However, much to my dismay, many new graduates become disillusioned when they enter the work place. In today’s changing health care environment, new graduates experience what many call a ‘reality shock.’ They lament the fact that they do not have time to listen, to be present to those who are vulnerable, and to achieve the level of excellence that they had hoped to achieve.

-What attracted you to the profession?

-Why do you think new graduates become disillusioned when they enter the practice environment?

While preparing for a sabbatical, I read a review of Wendy Fischman’s book, Making Good: How Young People Cope with Moral Dilemmas at Work. This book sparked interest in the research being conducted at Good Work Project at Harvard University. Using the Good Work Project research methodology, I studied the perception of good work among nurses at different levels of professional development. I explored how it is that excellent nurses ride out storms in the profession while remaining committed to excellence.

-How do you define good work in nursing?

Veteran nurses talked about the strategies they used to overcome adversity. A Chief Executive Officer for Nursing in a large teaching hospital told me she “had to be a risk taker.” She was asked to help stabilize an economic downturn in the hospital. She was unwilling to sacrifice the values that informed her identity as a good nurse and an excellent administrator. Her solution: build a team of leaders who share the same values and commitment to excellence. She stated, “If my nurses are good nurses who do the right thing, people will want to come here for their care.” She accomplished her goal and continues to lead nursing into the future at this medical center.

The young nurses I interviewed spoke of the dilemmas they face at the bedside when they are expected to produce more with fewer resources. Early one morning I met a new graduate in the hospital coffee shop after she had finished a 12-hour night shift. This new graduate, whom I will call Jamie, told me how she went home earlier in the week and cried for hours knowing she had not been able to comfort a troubled patient who simply needed a caring presence. When asked if she ever thought of leaving the profession, Jamie responded, “No, I will never leave. I just focus on the reasons I came into nursing. That’s what keeps me going.”

-What strategies have you used to overcome adversity in the practice environment?

Jamie’s experience is not unlike the experience of many nurses around the world. Nurses in every culture are dealing with the global nursing shortage and its impact on patient care, safety, and job satisfaction. It is important to consider reasons nurses enter the profession. What values prompt selection of nursing as a profession? How can we sustain those values? Why do nurses leave the profession? Some nurses, just as Jamie implied, become disillusioned as they transition from the academic to the practice setting.

-Is it possible to arrive at a common definition of good work in nursing across cultures?

I have been using the GoodWork Toolkit® as a curricular strategy to help student nurses focus on the values and vision that initially brought them into the profession. The GoodWork Toolkit® provides an opportunity for beginning students to reflect on themes and strategies that will support good work in nursing. Students learn about the meaning of values, beliefs, and integrity. They reflect on the influence of role models in their lives. They learn a new vocabulary. I believe that students who engage in a dialogue around the concept of good work will be better prepared to cope with the frustration and difficulty they may experience in fulfilling the goals that prompted nursing as a career selection. Dialogue is needed to identify interventions and/or practices that have supported the development and sustaining of values essential to good work in nursing. I suggest that educators consider integrating the GoodWork Toolkit® into the curriculum as a means of promoting good work in nursing.

-What tools do you think new nurses need to overcome adversity?

-How best can we prepare the next generation of nurses for the challenges they will encounter in the work place?