Corporate fraud and greed seems to be running rampant these days. The sad part is that much like the typical corporate structure, this seems to be a top down problem. While the papers today are more likely to be filled with companies have bankruptcy and other solvency problems rather than corporate figures going on trial for corporate fraud (ie., Enron, Adelphia, World Com), corporate fraud and greed are just as alive today as they were in the early 2000s.
I agree with author of Good Leadership Requires Executive to Put Themselves Last…good and great leaders truly do put their needs below that of the business. They need to do what’s right just because it is the right thing to do (and nothing more). This good/great leadership, whether it is the CEO, President or Board Member, needs to be present and visible to ensure that the owners of the company (shareholders), employees and other stakeholders are protected.
I applaud Mr. Leven’s courage to jettison a very lucrative job on principle (mostly). I just wish that Mr. Leven had been more of a whistle-blower. Luckily, the bad guys, the owners of Days Inn, did get their comeuppance, but it could have turned out where the owners defrauded many more companies and individuals before they were caught. Thus, many more innocents were probably violated because Mr. Leven chose not to alert the authorities to the fraud he believed was taking place.
Sharonmarkovsky's Practical Discussions of Marketing 