A Tale of Two Dinners: Authentic Integrity vs. Unethical Pompousness

My first job with Andersen Consulting (Accenture) involved migrating mainframe to client/server, then doing Y2K certifications, followed by the dot-com boom, and last selling enterprise software. It was a great experience that enabled me to work in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco and learn business processes at top clients across industries.

My greatest responsibility was the 16-month Y2K testing and merger integration of NationsBank and Bank of America Item Processing. I try to be passionate about whatever I’m involved with.?I was the sole consultant supporting a bank executive, included as a "contractor" on the bank's org chart. To do my job well and advance in the consulting firm, I was eager to learn “all things check clearing.” I travelled to all the operations centers, got to know the line managers, and learned how to work the processing machines. The project involved detailed workplans that not only required upgrading the software but also testing, documenting and archiving Y2K transactions. The project successfully passed compliance with the highest rating while leaving the bank with one standard platform across sites.

As a result of my hard work, I received the prestigious Andersen Consulting North America Client Service Award for this project. I had also billed more hours than anyone at my level in the financial services practice that year.

IBM 3890 high-speed MICR sorter standard in bank processing at the time.

At one point in the project, the Andersen manager said the “big partner” was flying in from Dallas for dinner so “bring all your questions.” I was so eager to learn from him and talk about everything going on in Item Processing, I wrote all my questions down. Wow this dinner would be so exciting!

I should have stayed home.?The partner seemed more interested in the wine list than engaging with the firm's hired help he clearly viewed as “lines on a workplan.” I could tell this partner was annoyed with the questions. He was awkward and out-of-synch with this audience. ?He also insulted the client (not present), complained about the price of his kids’ “private school tuition and Gap clothes,” and even laughed about how Andersen “wrecked the bank’s efficiency ratio” (i.e. running up far greater consulting fees than value delivered).

The next day I actually got into trouble over the dinner because the partner told the manager I was a “show off” and a “know it all” with my questions.?So, was that dinner supposed to be personal, not the only time all year to talk to the big partner about the project? Okay—yeah, I’m 25 with an apartment, car and credit card payments, and I make money for the firm 12 hours a day. Whoopee!

That dinner could have been such motivation and reward cultivating "pride of ownership" but instead the partner crushed my spirit and squelched my passion. What would it have cost the partner to engage a young eager worker who was making a lot of money for him? How did putting me in my place benefit anybody??Why should I go “all in” to benefit someone so pompous and unethical??When I got my prestigious national award from him after having already transferred to a new office and service line, I was kinda like “who cares.”

Former Philip Morris Building on Park Avenue. The company has since departed New York.

Fast forward to a new client, Altria, the $180,000,000 global consumer powerhouse that was Philip Morris, Kraft, and Miller Brewing. I worked at 100 Park Avenue. At Accenture, I wanted to work at the top clients and despite what anyone thinks of beer and tobacco, there’s no dispute that Philip Morris at that time was an extraordinarily well-managed company.?

Well, one night the “Grand Poohbah”—senior leader at PMUSA—would take my team to one of NYC’s swankiest restaurants for dinner to hear about the e-SAP work. ?But being a measly “worker bee” shouldn’t I just sit quietly and not annoy such an important client executive?

You simply can’t become a successful top executive at a global conglomerate like Philip Morris if you’re mediocre, self-important and uninspiring.?Rather, in PM's "alpha male" culture (keep in mind this was 20 years ago), successful managers had to be very smart, strategic, gregarious and somewhat aggressive.

The dinner was nothing like I would have anticipated. It ended up being so much fun because this leader was engaging of the team, willing to share openly, generous with his advice, humble in his experiences, and open to answering any questions. The fact he was even taking us to dinner spoke to his passion for the company. For me, it was gratifying to have a top executive at one of the most important companies in New York City remember my name and value my perspective.

In fact, some of the team members asked some rather controversial and personal questions involving ethics of the product and the company’s legal woes yet he was remarkably nonchalant, honest and straightforward in his answers.?He projected an aura of personal integrity that commanded respect.

Dinner with this executive was such a great learning experience, I still remember much of what he said 20 years later.?He impressed me as a passionate, intelligent and authentic person who inspired the same qualities in others.

Strong, effective and successful leaders know how to ignite passion, inspire pride, and cultivate ownership in their people.?By contrast, ineffective leaders think it’s all about them.