Leading in an EMERGENCY - Educate

On a recent trip to a meeting in Pretoria I was caught in a traffic jam on the main highway. Cars stretched back to back in front of me for what seemed like endless kilometers. Minutes felt like hours and my appointment start time approached faster and faster. Every now and again a Taxi and a number of cars would pass on my left in the emergency lane. This was really frustrating however I resisted the temptation to join the lawlessness. Eventually my turnoff edged closer.

In an effort to save a few minutes I prematurely turned left into the emergency lane demarcated by the yellow line ahead of the slipway to my turn off. As I started to pick up speed and make up for lost time I was flagged down by a very determined Metro Traffic Officer who boldly jumped in-front of the car!

The officer took very slow, deliberate steps towards my car and eventually reached my window. A cold stare followed with only two words: ”drivers license”. I hurriedly passed over the requested item. My eye caught sight of the clock which now showed a mere five minutes before my meeting! There was no way I was going to make it in time!

As the officer slowly walked around the car he temporarily paused at the car license disk. Once the officer had completed his rounds, he asked me the million dollar question. “Did you realize what you did back there”? My natural response was to question where “back there” was, but sanity prevailed and I bit my tongue and responded: “did I take the turn too early”? His response, after a long pause, was an unemotional “yes sir!. That is an emergency lane and you are not allowed to dive there”. My blood pressure increased and my ears started to turn red. With difficulty I managed to maintain my poise and humbly responded “I am so sorry officer I was in a hurry”. I held my breath as the officer contemplated his next move. The time now passed slowly. Fortunately, he let me go with a warning - no fine, and I am pleased to add, not even a request for a bribe!

My response to the officer could have been that I did not know that I was not allowed to drive in that lane, but that would be lying. Even if I had pleaded ignorance I would have been R 1 000 poorer. As a driver I need to know the rules and laws of the road as do all drivers!

Thomas Jefferson in the 18th Century was aware of this! He said ”Ignorance of the law is no excuse in any country. If it were, the laws would lose their effect, because it can always be pretended.”

Just for the record, according to the National Road Traffic Act, it's illegal to drive within the yellow line and pleading ignorance may secure a fine bigger than R 1000!

Ethics and governance help keep us on the straight and narrow. As leaders we need to ensure that we are educated and aware of the moral issues - what is right and what is wrong. Leaders have a bigger responsibility to ensure that they set an example for their team. Educating the team is critical!

?6.Educate

Have you ever learnt something new that you may never have known ever existed? Perhaps it was awareness of a product, a service or even a company. As a curious person I am always searching for something new. This is an active decision that I take on a regular basis. When it comes to leadership we set the example for those we are leading. We need to ensure that our teams are educated on good governance. Pleading ignorance is not going to help, especially when the impact of poor ethical practices affects people or investments.

Call to Action

Encourage all employees, colleagues and friends to educate themselves on what governance means and ensure that they understand the principles and guidelines of good governance. We need to remember that governance is relevant in any organisation. There are numerous summaries of the 2016 King IV good governance principles readily available. Always remember that ignorance is not an excuse, so ensure you educate yourself.

Thinking back to my trip to Pretoria I knew that I was not allowed to drive within the yellow lines! The traffic situation impacted my decision and actions. We tend to “forget” when we are in a hurry and bend the rules or ignore the laws. Is that not where corruption starts? Many small misdemeanors eventually add up to large-scale corruption?

Next week we will look at the letter N which stands for Nepotism.

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