Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Resigning when a subordinate is guilty

In many culture, the ultimate boss is expected to resign when a subordinate commits a crime or is simply guilty of unethical behavior. An honest mistake is OK, but when it is an intentional breach or law or trust, the boss goes of his or her own volition. In Japan, until recently, the boss paid with his life! While few cultures go that far, resigning is the honorable way to go.

However, we see many examples of a boss proclaiming his or her responsibility, but then continue as though nothing had happened. This is a sad cultural reflection.

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