The news has been full of the Penn State sexual abuse scandal and the final report by former FBI director Louis Freeh. The report said, "Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State," Freeh continued, "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized." Former assistant coach Sandusky was convicted of abuse crimes. Several others await trial for failing to report allegations.
A case as blatant as this is easy to condemn. However, unless we are diligent we can easily let our own difficult situations slide rather than confront them. To prevent such catastrophes, consider the following principles.
First, regardless of how well you know and trust someone, never allow that trust to cloud your judgment. John wrote that Judas “was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.” (John 12:6, NIV) The disciples knew and trusted each other well. However, there was a thief among them. Any reasonable suspicion or allegation of e wrongdoing should be checked out, no matter how well you like the person or think you can trust them. Remember, only the Lord knows the heart.
Second, we need to stay alert and not just accept good results as a way to evaluate process. It is always important to understand how those results were achieved. I am aware of a top salesperson that used bribery to gain customers. Since this salesperson hid the bribes as entertainment, management never followed up. In essence, they liked the results and didn’t want to ask questions. Senior management must not just look at the results and treat sales like a game. They must understand how the game was played and find out if anyone violated rules in the process. The Lord spoke and told Moses, "If you see your neighbor's ox or sheep or goat wandering away, don't ignore your responsibility. Take it back to its owner.” (Deuteronomy 22:1, NLT) This principle applies to everything. When you see something troubling, act; don’t turn your head.
Third, develop a culture that expects honesty, regardless of the cost. In the Penn State case, a number of lower level employees including janitors were suspicious but said nothing because they feared losing their jobs. We must always encourage open, honest dialog even if it is uncomfortable. The Lord said to Ezekiel, “When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die, ’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.” (Ezekiel 3:18-19, NIV) When we fail to speak up, we allow sin to continue. We allow the one who committed the sin to lose the opportunity to repent and continue to create victims. Besides, we bear some responsibility in the consequences of sin we ignore.
Fourth, we have a responsibility as Christian to act regardless of personal consequences. If reporting suspected child abuse costs us our job, better to be fired than stay silent. The alleged activities that continued at Penn State could have been stopped and that would have spared many the trauma of abuse.
Ethical issues surface every day in business. When they do, we must embrace the Lord’s truth; even when it is uncomfortable, painful, or difficult. The Lord does not expect us to allow sin to continue in our lives or in the lives of others.