When no one is watching

"We want to put things right. But we know it's not enough just to apologise. We have to try to make sure that things like that don't happen again.

In part that comes down to culture.

It's a very personal thing, but throughout my career - from my time as a teacher, to my time as a banker - I have seen just how important culture is to successful organisations.

Culture is difficult to define, I think it's even more difficult to mandate - but for me the evidence of culture is how people behave when no-one is watching.

Our culture must be one where the interests of customers and clients are at the very heart of every decision we make; where we all act with trust and integrity."
 
(The above is an extract from a business lecture by Bob Diamond, the president of Barclays Bank in Nov 2011 making references to the aftermath of the 2008 Financial Crisis).
 
How pathetic the above speech is in the light of recent news about Barclays Bank being fined GBP 453m for manipulating the LIBOR (interbank borrowing rate). U.S. and British officials are considering criminal charges against individuals and British investigators are probing other major banks including Citigroup,UBS, HSBC and Royal Bank of Scotland. Investigations have revealed exchanges of emails amongst dealers promising each other treats and rewards when the interest rate fixing is assisted and one email from a more ethical dealer informing the big boys it is done though much against his will.
 
I underscore the particular phrase in the above speech that really disturbs me, "evidence of culture is how people behave when no one is watching". Gosh he is like a thief preaching about trust. Look what they have done precisely when no one is watching. Strangely enough the local Singapore scene also has episodes of corruption and fraud lately. Looks like news topics have trends too. Mind you these unethical stuff being discovered or made known is probably just the tip of an iceberg.
 
Perhaps true integrity is the way one behaves with no one watching except one's own Self watching.

Shakespeare wrote:
"To thine own self be true,
and it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man"

Unfortunately, very often this own Self is either absent , denied, missing or forced to hide.