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I was having a debate with my friends about the Goldman sachs Op-Ed, by Greg Smith who recently left his job at Goldman Sach’s because their corporate culture had become too greedy. Our debate centered around whether he did the right thing by leaving and not staying to try and change the culture. Most of them agreed it wasn’t worth it for him to try and change Goldman Sach’s culture and it was good that he got out. They said it wasn’t worth his time or effort because what good would that do for him? Without taking a survey, I’m pretty sure most people would say the same thing. I, however, disagree. And here’s why.

Why Not Change the World?

Why not try to change the biggest investment company on Earth? Imagine the effect it would have on the world if Goldman Sach’s cared about it’s customers instead of treating them like lemmings? Maybe we would have avoided the mortgage crisis of 2009/2010, which left millions homeless and unemployed. Maybe Goldman Sach’s would be an agent of change in the world, in who knows how many ways. Greg admitted that when he first arrived at Goldman Sach’s they did care about the customer and that’s when the firm was doing well, so why did he let it fall apart? Why didn’t he do something about it when he noticed his peers calling customers “muppets”? In the article, he makes no mention of standing up to his peers. Imagine if your boss said something racist, would you stand up against them? Greg probably wouldn’t, he would probably write a blog about it on a later date. Let’s look at this from another angle.

What would do more good? Writing a blog on the New York Times about how money hungry investment bankers are, which we already know, or actually fighting tooth and nail to change the culture? Obviously I know people are motivated by “what’s in it for them”. But that can’t be the case here, because changing Goldman Sach’s culture would be a much bigger win for Greg Smith. He would be on the cover of Time magazine as the guy who changed Wall Street for the better. But I know, Greg Smith didn’t want to put in the effort, he didn’t want his employees to think he was a do-gooder, he didn’t want his employer to punish him. Those are all just unsubstantiated fears Greg had that I guarantee wouldn’t come true if he had succeeded. But guess what writing his blog has done? Yup, it makes his ex-employees think he’s a worthless do-gooder and Goldman Sach’s certainly won’t hire him again.

Racist Boss

Let’s go back to our hypothetical racist boss. Imagine your boss said something racist. Now keep in mind, your boss isn’t a card carrying member of the KKK. He just has momentary outbursts of casual racism, the kind you’re not sure is a joke or serious. Would you stand up against him? I bet most people probably would not, because in their mind it could potentially mean they are punished by working more or at the extreme get fired, plus it’s not worth it. This is a shame. I believe we change the world when we stand up at the moment others want us to sit down. I always think if Gandhi could start a movement that made the British Empire with all their influence and power, peacefully leave their occupation of India, then one employee can certainly change their company. When you decide to quit because it’s not worth the effort to try to change the company, what you are really saying is that it’s not worth the effort for you to change yourself.

Be the Change You Want to See at Your Company

Gandhi famously said, “Be the change you want to see in the world”. I’m discombobulating his phrase, to “be the change you want to see at your company” because firstly most people think of “the world” as an abstract concept and secondly because I want you to start thinking about how you can be the change your company needs to become better. I know you’re probably thinking “Oh Andre you are so naive to think I can change my company”. Yes I am, but then again look at what Gandhi did.

“Okay fine, but it’s not worth it for me,” you say. I think this isn’t about changing your company, it’s about changing yourself. You probably get mad easily when faced with opposition and don’t want to confront your racist boss or the the guy who calls client’s muppets because you’re afraid you’ll say something dumb and fail. Or you could be one of those people that confront your boss by punching him in the face or just cussing him out. Both approaches don’t do any good. I don’t believe everyone can change the world or in this case change their company. It takes a special type of person to do this. Just like you have to have the right “tools” to get stuff done, you have to know how to speak and act a certain way that inspires positive change. Gandhi’s first fight wasn’t when he was a wise old man with British imperialists, it was when he was a young lawyer in South Africa disputing land claims with the Afrikaners. I bring this up because it takes fighting small battles before you eventually fight the big battle and make change. Those small battles are all the little things you don’t like about your work place. One day it will lead to a much bigger battle.

Are you prepared? Are you worth it?