Core Beliefs
Core Beliefs
Recent news reports have highlighted situations where individuals, corporations, and organizations with business ties to the federal government have had to make decisions about their core beliefs. The federal government has imposed requirements on continued dealings (read: access to federal money) that include advancing federal viewpoints and/or agendas. Organizations that refuse to adopt these requirements risk forfeiting their access to federal funds.
The threatened loss could be in the millions, or even billions, of dollars. For those primarily contracting with the federal government, this could mean more than just financial loss; it could translate into employee layoffs or worse. These are not easy decisions to make!
For those of us not facing this pressure, we might be inclined to judge from the sidelines. However, if I were to put on my purely corporate hat and try to be as objective as possible, it’s safe to say that these decisions are challenging and the pressure monumental.
That said, for those tasked with making these decisions, I recommend starting from the end and not the beginning. Ask yourselves, “If we agreed to the federal agenda, could we live with this version of ourselves?” and work backwards from there.
Will our organization continue to thrive as this version of ourselves?
Will our employees stay as this version of ourselves?
Can we recruit the best talent as this version of ourselves?
Will our senior leadership be able to lead as this version of ourselves?
Will our customers still feel good about purchasing our goods or services as this version of ourselves (if your organization is in the marketplace)?
Will the quality of our goods or services be improved, suffer, or remain unaffected as this version of ourselves?
Will our brand be okay as this version of ourselves?
And, last but not least, could we live with this version of our corporate selves, or will our culture be forever altered?
These are difficult questions to ask as an individual and even harder to ask as an organization responsible for thousands of employees, customers, and possibly accountable to countless shareholders. But these questions must be asked and answered authentically.
You might discover after asking these questions that the fallout for agreeing to advance the federal government’s viewpoint would be minimal. Your industry, company culture, customer base, brand, current employees, and future recruitment opportunities might tolerate it reasonably well. In such cases, agreeing to the federal requirements and/or advancing the federal government’s agenda might not be as burdensome as you think.
However, if your organization decides to advance the government’s viewpoint and you believe it would constitute an existential shift in how your organization views itself, its employees, its customers, and/or its brand, then you need to think holistically about the cost.
If you agree to change these core beliefs, have a plan for how you will help your organization undergo such a radical change. Expect and prepare for significant fallout. How will you help your employees, customers, brand/reputation, and senior leadership navigate the changes? Get out in front of it because they will need lots of support.
Understand that the impact of your decision could last longer than the current federal administration and be a point of no return for your organization. So, know your customer. Know your employees. Know your recruiting pipeline. Know your senior leadership. Know your organizational culture. And, know your brand.
Check with your General Counsel to see whether, given the stakes, litigation might be the best course of action.
Then, make the decision and forge ahead.
I wish you luck.
Nadine Jones
General Counsel Support Services
Email:Nadine.Jones@gcsupportservice.com
Website: https://www.gcsupportservice.com/
Tel: 1-844-427-9111
