Learn from Other’s Mistakes
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
“Radio Shack CEO Steps Down Amidst Resume Questions”
RadioShack Corp.’s embattled president and CEO, David Edmondson, resigned Monday following questions about his resume’s accuracy.
Leonard Roberts, RadioShack’s chairman and Edmondson’s predecessor as CEO, said the move was necessary to restore the company’s credibility.
“One of the most important things we have as a corporation is integrity and trust and we know we have to restore that back to the public,” he said.
Edmondson said he took responsibility for the errors. Separately, RadioShack said it would hire outside lawyers to investigate errors in Edmondson’s resume, including claims that he earned two college degrees for which the school he attended has no records.
My father owned a business in The Bronx Terminal Market. Six days a week, he went to work, first as an employee, then as an owner after he bought the business from his boss at a time when it might have gone under. He eventually retired, selling the business to two of his managers.
Abe Altman taught me a lot through his words and through his actions. The first lesson of life, he told me, is tell the truth. A man has nothing more than his reputation. When he loses that, who can believe him?
Dave Edmundsen held that position for more than eleven years yet when a Fort Worth paper exposed the fact that he did not have the two degrees he claimed on his resume, his job disintegrated almost overnight.
I remember many years ago, a person I placed at a bank, a person I warned to complete the application accurately because his new employer would do a thorough background check, was escorted out by security on the first Friday after he joined. his offense? Lying about a degree. At another company, it took 45 days, but they caught the lie about a conviction. The sad thing was that it was for a civil rights protest; they would have hired him regardless but were compelled to fire him for lying on their application.
Why is this so important? Simple. Applications are legal documents. If you commit a crime, like embezzling grandma’s life savings, while in the employ of a company and they know it, what do you think that will look like in court (Your honor, the company knew Mr. So-and-So was a liar and they still kept him on board. They should be punished for hiring someone like this and putting them in a position where they could steal).
Oh, yeah, don’t you think the employer’s insurance company would be thrilled about a decision to keep a known liar on board?
And sometimes, we don’t remember the exact date we started a job ten years ago . . . or the salary we earned 15 years ago. If that occurs, put the expression “approx” (for approximately) next to the item. This way, they will know that you had no intention to deceive anyone.
So listen to your parents . . . or to my father, Abe Altman, and don’t lie. Do you really want to be escorted out and explain to your kids, family, and friends why you were?
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