11/16/2008
PIN THE TAIL ON THE DONKEY
With the recent federal bailouts of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG et al., people are asking "who was responsible?" Not privy to the specifics and the cast of characters involved, I can’t "pin the tail on the donkey."
I do think it is safe to say that what happened is symptomatic of the lack of accountability at senior levels in big industry. Too often we hear stories about executives who receive exorbitant bonuses, golden parachutes, etc. in spite of performance. And now we are reading about middle managers, supervisors and workers who are being terminated, laid off, or downsized.
If we expect a worker to improve, and condition his or her job, bonus, promotion and raise on performance or contribution, how can we look that person straight in the eye when the same requirement does not apply to the big boss?
