Living Organism

What a crying shame. As everyone already knows, Eisner Communications, one of Baltimore City’s largest and oldest ad agencies, abruptly folded over night. I held back from writing about this topic for so long specifically because it hits so close to home. Knee jerk reactions aside, it’s time to get down.

I am constantly evangelizing an employer’s responsibility to his or her team. This responsibility encompasses far more than fair wages and good benefits; compensation packages are only the tip of the iceberg. In fact, what’s even more important are the qualities – honesty, morality, caring and compassion – that are seemingly slipping and fading quickly from corporate America.

True, the bottom line is key; but what good are revenues, growth and perceived esteem if you compromise good natured humanism?

Humanism. What a concept. The Humanist movement worked to exult the dignity of man while placing emphasis on the present life as opposed to future life. That’s right; people as far back as the Renaissance understood that an appreciation and deep respect for other human beings was something to highlight and celebrate.

What happened – Enron? Eisner? Anyone out there? The Renaissance man didn’t have WiFi, palm pilots, or Google, did he? No! So how could this man be more on point without all the data, consultants, gadgets and past examples at their finger tips? Wait a sec….could the digital age be part of the problem?

We live in a day and age where the average consumer wants “it” NOW. Most of the products and services in the market place are structured to cater to this specific consumer desire. As a result, our work days are longer, our productivity is expected to be higher, and competition is down right fierce. Some would call this good ‘ol American ingenuity and achievement.

Not me. I see America’s employees burning out faster, our CEO’s doing WHATEVER it takes to hit revenue goals, and our families and our integrity taking a back seat to it all.

Am I disappointed that Baltimore lost a great agency? Of course. Losing Eisner hurts Baltimore’s national perception among other major markets. The event makes our market appear incapable, while that is not at all the case.

Am I excited by the opportunities that Vitamin could capitalize on as a result of Eisner capsizing? No way. Vitamin has the strength to carve its own path. But we need great talent and good clients in order to do so. Losing Eisner means that great talent and good clients may become even more hesitant to leave larger markets to work and spend money in Baltimore.

Am I disheartened and bewildered to see some 50 employees get blind-sided without parting compensation or even an advanced warning? You better believe it. Overstating revenues and keeping the machine running as long as possible took the front seat to earnestly caring for the team and the clients that kept Eisner on the map in the first place. At the end of the day, Eisner did whatever it needed to do in order to maintain its precious public perception until the very end. People, families and compassion took a back seat to it all. Eisner not only compromised its integrity and the integrity of its owners, it compromised good business ethics. More importantly, Eisner compromised human decency. We as employers owe our staff and our clients more than just a selfish regard for the bottom line. We owe them the same decency and respect we expect from others. We owe our clients and employees honesty. Most importantly, we have an inherent responsibility to care for their basic wellbeing. Dollars and cents will always be there for the taking.

Let’s take a step back and remember to be good to those around us. If this means bucking up and admitting your company is flawed, suck it up and face the music like a grown adult. You knew this was part of the risk when you started up in the first place. Do the right thing. Take some time, aggregate an internal and external message and provide your people and your clients with enough information so they can make an educated decision on their own.

If the news is that bad, sure, your doors may close sooner than expected. But you will let them close behind you with your head held high, your integrity in tact and with the respect of your customers, employees and peers. No bottom line can ever compare to that and no amount of money or perceived respect is worth the compromise.