Gifts and Bribes in Business

The holidays are a time of gift-giving, and this occurs in the business world every bit as much as within the family nest. But when does gift-giving become bribery?

This became a topic last week at my company, where our kitchen was piled high with goodies sent in from vendors large and small.

Our consensus was that a tray of edibles was a safe gift. Nobody felt that a gift of popcorn, chocolates, nuts and fruit skewed our ability to make decisions in the best interest of the company.

However, some of us who make substantial purchases as a part of our jobs have encountered the occasional vendor who either sends boxes of steaks or lobster tails to our homes, or pointedly asks, "what would you like for yourself?"

Another approach we have heard is, "I am going on a fishing trip to Alaska, would you like me to save you a space?"

All in our company agreed that the steaks and lobsters were ok but "on the edge", and the Alaska trip was a definite no-no. For our business, a gift of up to $150.00 could be justified where a substantial business relationship exists. A thank you for current business is ok. A large gift which is more of an inducement for new business is not.

Geographical Bribery

I believe the centrality of bribery in business varies geographically. Our location, Chicago, is in the Midwestern heartland, arguably the region with most hard working, straight-laced values in the world, politics notwithstanding. As a group, we also carry with us a fear of having our picture on the front page some day, so we tend to be restrained when it comes to the inordinate greasing of palms.

Other places in the world consider bribery to be as much a part of business as the actual performance of work or the providing of services. Bribery is embedded in the speech and psychology of many countries. The Arabs call it "baksheesh", the Chinese say "guanxi", Russians call it "dat vziatku" and the Latin world uses "delitos de cohecho".

No matter what the term, the meaning is clear. Business is awarded to vendors based upon the size of their "gifts" rather than the price or value of that which they are selling. Favors are exchanged in a "black market" which is separate from the visible, official transaction.

Students of human nature and history might see a historical perspective. In feudal times, power was concentrated in the hands of few, based upon their wealth and ancestry. They organized society in a way that benefited them most. They owned the land and allowed peasants to farm it, but for a price. The price was free labor, harvested food, livestock or money. Thus the entitled one extracted tribute from the underling.

In a modern-day bribe, the powerful one is the one capable of awarding contracts or
favorable contractual terms. The underling offers the goods or service, but also gives something extra to the overlord.

It takes two parties to produce a bribery transaction. One who is willing and able to give, and one who is willing and able to take. When they enter into this deal, they each give up something, too. Both give up their integrity. The taker gives up some power to the briber, who now has "something on" the taker. The taker also assumes a big risk of discovery.

When I see buyers appear to select an unqualified vendor for contract award, I can't help but think that large gifts might have changed hands. Maybe such gifts are a great equalizer. They help the underqualified get work. Affirmative action for the capabilities-and-ethics impaired.

Why We Create

Why do we create?

Creative people, whether they are writers, painters or inventors will tell you that they feel a need or drive to create. They feel satisfaction from having created.

They will also tell you that they are gratified when others appreciate their creation, but that gratification is secondary.

Civilization progresses almost solely due to the actions of creative beings, most of whom have gone unrecognized.

Most creations are driven by need. Those whose creations yielded enhanced survivability survived better and endured to create creative progeny.

Many creations are not useful or successful. But without failures, and the repeated trying of new ideas, there could be no successes.

Most people posses a kernel of some kind of creativity. After all, we are the progeny of ancestors who were creative enough to survive. But in addition to our inherent creativity, I believe that creativity can be sparked, nurtured and enhanced.

Developing Your Creativity

Start with area which is a natural fit for your experiences and interests. Creative actions start somewhere. What is in you? What idea fires up your mind?

Think about where you can take your kernel of an idea. You can think of these thought-directions as horizontal or vertical.

A vertical development takes a specific idea and develops on top of it - making the direction more specific, focused, detailed and specialized.

A horizontal development would involve a broadening of the idea to related or distant ideas, finding an unexpected yet unifying connection.

Experiential Exercises to Develop Creativity

There are creativity exercises which can really help develop new creative neural pathways.

For visual & graphical development, my favorite exercise is looking at "negative space." Sit down outside near some trees. As you gaze at the trees, try to see the spaces between the trees as the focal object. Allow the trees to recede as background. The pieces of sky you see around and among the trees will assume a life, shape and beauty you may have never seen before.

CAUTION: Can Be Psychedelic!

The Importance of Doing It

One of the most important parts of creative development is in the actual doing. Thinking is not enough. You must do physically do something with your hands. Draw, write, touch, shape, carry... do! Doing is interactive. When you do something, your action gives you information and experience in return. You must get this feedback loop going. You will be surprised at the enrichment of your creative process.

Use Writing as a Tool to Develop Creative Thinking

To develop ideas or writing, carry a small notepad (I use the memo pad feature on my phone) at all times. When you have an interesting idea, thought, conversation or experience, jot it down immediately. Make sure you write the part about how you felt or were impacted. This experience is an essence you will want to preserve.

In a variation of the negative space exercise, run a circuit in your brain called "the observer". The "observer" watches you in your daily life. He (or she) looks for humor, drama, patterns or themes.

Of course, jot down what the observer notices.

Developing creative thought and creating new things can be a real life-enhancer. The truest rewards come from within. You can create at any age, with any education and any set of capabilities. You owe it to yourself to continue to blossom. You just might invent the next Velcro!