Page 58 - An Indispensible Resource for Being a Credible Activist

How can we establish a sound decision-making process for various issues to
avoid these problems?

BOTH

Start with the business case and finish with the ethics case.

CHECKLIST OF QUESTIONS CREDIBLE ACTIVISTS
ASK THEMSELVES

Am I certain there is something wrong here?
Whom can I talk to with sufficient technical knowledge to check my perceptions?
What will happen to the people I leave behind if I leave and say nothing?

Why didn’t the people before me say or do anything before they left? Can I find
out by talking to them or are my options to guess, keeping in mind that my guesses
may be correct or incorrect?
Who else here can I trust to also speak up so we are stronger in what we are saying
and less afraid?

What authorities, if any, can I go to for guidance, assistance, and protection with
the information and proof that I have?
How many people at Enron knew what was going on and chose to not speak up?
How might things be different for all those people who lost their savings if
someone had spoken up?
Have I done an honest and accurate cost/benefit analysis for my own career, life,
and family regarding speaking up versus not speaking up? Have I spoken to my
spouse or partner about this?
Do I have enough good support if I choose to speak up?
If I leave quietly and safely land somewhere else, what are my professional, legal,
and ethical obligations to speaking up to help those who have been left behind
where there is wrongdoing happening?
What authorities can I go to for assistance, guidance, and protection in that case?

How will I sleep at night knowing that I could contribute to putting a stop to
wrongdoing and enormous human suffering if I don’t say anything?
What kind of professional am I if I stay and don’t say anything?
What would I want someone else to do if I were left behind in an organization that
was legally non-compliant, unethical, or engaging in fraud?
If I have already left the company, who else am I still in contact with who is also
a person of principle and would be willing to speak up about wrongdoing at the

CHAPTER 3 • The Credible Activist at W ork 41