Why the "Appearance of Impropriety" Matters in Management

As I followed the recent hearings involving Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the election subversion case in Georgia—and the issues arising from her romantic relationship with someone who worked for her—it occurred to me there was one particular aspect of these hearings that had real relevance for all kinds of management.

If an employee feels a manager is not modeling the behavior they require of others, it's easy to lose loyalty.

Source: Anna Shvets/Pexels

Regardless of one's politics, regardless of one's opinion of Ms. Willis or the case she is prosecuting, one element noted by the judge overseeing the case—the central importance of the "appearance of impropriety" for a leadership figure (whether or not impropriety has actually occurred)—reminded me of a fundamental problem I witnessed often during my business career.

Walking the Talk

Respect is one of the most important attributes for a manager to maintain and one of the easiest to lose. When bad management behavior starts to erode employees' respect, it's hard to regain.

I saw this play out again and again in the management world. Executives would demand certain behaviors but not model them. They would "talk the walk," as the saying goes, but not "walk the talk."

As an example, let's say a manager expects his or her subordinates to be scrupulous about monitoring company expenses (an entirely reasonable expectation) and then routinely goes off on long business trips to exotic locales. It's a fair bet such management behavior will be noticed—and resented.

"More Catholic Than the Pope"

Those in business leadership roles will never go wrong staying above even the "appearance of impropriety." Perception is reality, goes the advertising adage, and if people think you've done something wrong (whether or not you really have), it shapes their opinion of you.

To amplify this point, the words of former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara always resonated with me. Growing up, I was never a fan, to put it mildly, of McNamara, a leading architect of the Vietnam War. But years later, when I was getting my MBA and reading about his management philosophy (before McNamara's political career he'd been president of Ford Motor Company), I found myself pleasantly surprised by it.

Above all, he felt it was vital that those in management be "more Catholic than the Pope."

He felt it was critical that managers act in a way that was beyond reproach since they were invariably setting an example for those reporting to them.

To be sure, in an imperfect world, no one is perfect, and mistakes will happen, but as an aspirational target (a "stretch goal," as we like to say in business), this feels like a worthy one.

The Main Influence

Leaders at any level, whether they're in the national spotlight like Fani Willis or just an everyday manager (as I was) at a corporation, should realize that to some extent their behavior is always on display. And that behavior will be judged by those viewing it.

As Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the noted theologian and philosopher, once said, "Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing."

Well, the good doctor may have exaggerated slightly here. But from what I've seen, there's plenty of truth to it.