Stealing or not? The nuances of integrity

It was the evening of February 13, Valentine's Day Eve.  A friend of mine drove to Safeway to purchase four Valentine's Day cards and Starbucks gift cards.  The total cost was about $60.

Because my friend also purchased some produce, they put the gift and greeting cards in the child's seat area of the shopping cart.  However, when loading everything into their car they forgot the gift and greeting cards.

$60 gone.  Major bummer.  They called the store the next day and asked if anything had been turned in.  Nope, nothing. Don't worry, I'll relate this anecdote to your business. Just a few thoughts:

Based on the evidence there is only one high probability scenario that could have occurred:

1. The wind blew so hard that the greeting and gift cards blew from the cart and were discarded as litter.  (Low probability)
2. Someone found the greeting and gift cards in the cart, and thought it was a store promotion.  They felt the love of Valentine's and kept them for themselves.  (Low probability, except in the Land of the Tiny Brained Folk)
3. Someone found the greeting and gift cards in the cart, and turn them in to the Lost and Found at the store.  A store employee kept them for themselves.  (Low-medium probability)
4. Someone found the greeting and gift cards in the cart, and kept them for themselves.  (High probability)

Therefore the odds are high that someone found the greeting and gift cards in the cart, and said something like, "Score!"  Then they kept the bounty for themselves.  Finders keepers, losers weepers, right?  Or, "If they are so stupid as to leave them in the cart, then it's their tough luck."  Or some other judgment of their foolishness to justify retaining the prize for themselves.  Another option is a store employee took them, which is clearly stealing.

Let's assume it was a random stranger, were they stealing by keeping these $60 worth of stuff for themselves? Stay with me now.

Let's flip it around.  Say you are the person who left a cart with $60 worth of stuff in it.  Someone found it, perhaps a stranger, or maybe a store employee. 

What do you want the person who finds it to do with your stuff?

If they do not turn it into the Lost and Found at the store, then are they stealing from you? Just for fun, pose these scenarios to others and see how they respond.

Based on my life experience, here are the options for someone with integrity:

1. If you keep something that does not belong to you without trying to find its rightful owner, then I was raised to believe that is stealing.  Another way to look at it is based on The Golden Rule, where we ALWAYS treat others the way we want to be treated.
2. You take the $60 worth of stuff you found and bring it into the store.  You ask for a store manager and explain the situation.  My expectation is there is a possibility they can track who purchased it if the customer is a member of the Safeway Club.  You leave the merchandise there and wish them a Happy Valentine's Day.  You trust Safeway employees to be honest.

Let me tell you a story from decades ago that taught me a different perspective should I be faced with this type of scenario, which I have been at times.

My grandfather on my mother's side, Chester MacPhee (Grandpa), took the entire family to Hawaii one-year.  All told there were about 30 of us.  One of the places we stayed was the Mauna Kea Resort on the big Island of Hawaii.  During our stay one of my young adult cousins found a diamond ring in the sand while sunbathing on the beach.

She asked Grandpa what to do about it.  My grandfather had served for 12 years on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and been in charge of customs for the federal government in the San Francisco Bay Area.  His perspective on things that were lost and then found was interesting.

Particularly due to the value of the diamond ring, he advised my cousin to notify the hotel that she had found a diamond ring on the beach, but not give them the ring.  She left her contact information and informed them that anyone who had lost a diamond ring on the beach prior to our stay may contact her.  If they could correctly describe the ring, then she would give it to them.

Why take this approach?

Grandpa's experience was that employees and other people with access to a Lost and Found take items for themselves.  Sometimes this is immediately, and in other instances it is after a reasonable period of time has passed.  Either way, his opinion was the person who found the lost item should have the first opportunity to own it if it is not claimed within a reasonable period of time.  That is only fair because they found it, and were honest enough to notify the proper people of their discovery.

I am NOT recommending this approach every time you find something that someone has lost.  However, it is a consideration depending on the value of the item, the urgency of its return, and possibly other considerations.

I hope you appreciate this advice, it is something I will always remember.  Of course, to follow it your heart must be in the right place.  You must sincerely be willing to return the item to its rightful owner, either by turning it into a Lost & Found or if they step forth and describe it to you.

Finally, this is a good scenario to discuss with your employees.  How does this relate to your company values and how you want them to behave when no one is looking?

One way to discuss this with your team is to explain and discuss my real-life situations above, then give them scenarios that are more challenging in their work environment.  For instance:

1. You find a wallet with $324 in it, but no identification.  What should you do?
2. You find a pair of $100 sunglasses in the parking lot of our offices.  You cannot think of anyone in our company that wears those type of sunglasses.  They look awesome on you.  What should you do?
3. You find five $20 bills wrapped together on the floor in the cafeteria.  You are short of cash.  Is this a miracle or gift from God?  What should you do?
4. You find a brand-new 128GB iPad in the box on the ground in your parking lot.  You have dreamed of one, or at least can easily think of how you would enjoy it.  What should you do?
5. You find a really nice pen laying on the floor in the hallway of your office.  It's actually a type of pen that you would really like to use yourself.  What should you do?

The list can go on.  At some point change the conversation to where your people are finding things at a client's site.  How do you want them to behave there?

It may shock you, but integrity is a soft skill that affects every decision your employees make.  Without a common agreement on how to behave with integrity, many companies fail.  An example I always bring up is Enron.

This is why Dave's Charm School includes a course on Character Counts.  Salesforce says 77% of employers say soft skills are just as important as hard (technical) skills.  But most I.T. / managed service providers we meet do NOT teach soft skills.

We have to change to stay ahead of the game and grow.  I help leaders become better.  We work on leadership skills and systems to hire, manage, develop, and retain top performers, plus company culture, sales management, and strategic marketing.  Contact us if you, other leaders you know, and/or your company wants to improve.