Clive Simpkins

What the Roman Catholic Church should be doing

Today 2^nd April, 2010 is 'Good Friday' - the day on which Christians memorialise the incredible sacrifice made by Jesus Christ for his disciples. Instead of minds being totally on that astonishing act of surrender and compassion, the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) will regretfully be top of mind for all the wrong reasons.

Any institution that fails to keep pace to some extent with shifting social norms and mores is headed for obscurity or extinction – if only in the hearts of adherents. The Pope, with respect to his elevated office, has made a mess of the reputation management around the paedophilia revelations from within the church. He has been defensive and indeed implied a 'conspiracy' against the church. All the very things we'd tell a chief executive or spokesperson for a large corporation never to do. The fact that he's the Pope and that it's a church with global reach does not mean it can march to a different drumbeat in the public perception. People are now accustomed to an acknowledgement of culpability, a meaningful apology and notice of immediate and future remedial action.

So what should the Pope be doing? In my opinion, with the interests of the RCC at heart (but not as a member of the faith), some or all of the following:

1. Set up the equivalent of an 'inquisition' but with the correct intention.
2. Root out the people behind the molestation of children and defrock or excommunicate them or at the very least ensure they never get to work with or near children.
3. Root out the senior clergy responsible for covering up the appalling breaches of trust and do the same to them.
4. Introduce at local level a whistle-blowing system for the multiple thousands of good and chaste priests and nuns in the church to be able to report suspicious behavior.
5. Create the equivalent of a Roman Catholic 'Child Line' where children or their parents who are concerned about behaviour by a particular priest, nun, teacher or official can call – even anonymously – in order to have the matter looked into.
6. Introduce as part of Sunday School, lessons and the pre-confirmation process, for children in every RCC parish around the world, a course on recognising inappropriate touch, 'sexual grooming' discussion or abuse and how to report it without guilt or fear.
7. Introduce psychometric or other testing throughout the church to identify clergy at risk of potentially damaging behaviour and route those people into counselling, therapy - or invite them to change their role or career.
8. Set out to educate people on the difference between homosexuality and paedophilia – which are proven to be totally unconnected.
9. Clarify that a homosexual or lesbian priest or nun can serve God and the community as chastely and devotedly as any other. Sexual orientation is a mind issue – not one of the soul.
10. Perhaps the most radical of all – consider following the Franciscan model of several orders. Have an order of priests and nuns for whom final vows are their deepest celebration of devotion and commitment to God. For those who cannot or choose not to live that austere, self-sacrificing life, (whether heterosexual or homosexual) let there be a second order of nuns and priests who are indeed (like the Anglican Church) able to marry or have partners. Better to serve God and the community with the mind fully on God and community duty, rather than on relieving sexual tension, or worse – in the case of paedophiles - abusing children.

Just run across this constructively transparent and appropriate response from the German Archbishop.

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Clive Simpkins

Reputation Management 101

 

'The sound of the customer's voice is your salary cheque speaking' – Clive Simpkins

Is an individual or a division of your business doing damage to your reputation without you knowing about it? Could they, unknown to you be messing up even long-standing and valuable relationships with important clients? Chances are pretty good that the answer is 'yes'.

The people most likely to be villains of the piece are those in your admin or support services section – particularly your accounts department. The clerical mind-set is the opposite of the customer-centric approach needed to develop relationships and ensure a happy supply chain. They're in the main, bureaucrats, cops and rule-enforcers. Things must be done 'their' way. They often forget one crucial thing; it's not just customers or clients but also suppliers and service providers who contribute to their salary cheque and employment sustainability.

The bureaucrat is concerned only with her or his world running according to script. They typically lack flexibility. They don't, can't or won't think like an 'owner' in the business. If they were personally responsible for maintaining relationships to ensure salary survival they certainly wouldn't behave the way they frequently do.

I've twice this year had to threaten use of my access to the media to get (way overdue) payment for services that I provided to a particular multinational. First they changed (without consultation or notification) their payment terms to thirty days. A few months later it unilaterally went to fifty five days. This despite the fact that their internal accounts and procurement system is so inefficient that it can take ten days to get a purchase order (PO) number before you're actually able to invoice. So by the time you get paid, they've enjoyed your services and you acting as their bank for at least sixty five days. That's nothing short of corporate bullying and supplier exploitation. I don't accept that kind of unprofessional treatment from anyone. I picked up the phone to their European head office chairman and retribution came hurtling down the line at them. Miraculously, an inflexible accounting system was then able to pay me in half an hour. But why should one have to go through such time-consuming and relationship-damaging nonsense?

Regardless of your monopolistic position or your corporate power base – be respectful to people at all levels in your supply chain. Go read 'Good to Great' by Jim Collins and understand why some companies enjoy sustained growth and performance, staff stability and intensely loyal customers. It's because everyone plays to a script of dignity and mutual respect.

Years ago, a woman in a pharmaceutical company I consulted to mis-appropriated the power mantle of her boss. She treated everyone around her – and particularly suppliers – in an appalling manner. She'd commission work and then say 'I'm not the accounts department' when you followed through on outstanding payments. She eventually got the heave-ho and started her own business. She then had the gall to e-mail all of us who'd suffered at her hand to invite us to purchase stationery from her. Her business never got off the ground. Nobody would even give her the time of day. A poor and short-sighted relationship investment in her future received its legitimate return on investment.

This begs the question: What kind of relationship investment deposits are your employees and colleagues making on your behalf or in your name, to the detriment of your business – probably without you knowing? Maybe time to conduct a client, supplier and stakeholder survey on their perceptions of your business?