DO THE RIGHT THING


By Bud Bilanich


Bud Bilanich, The Common Sense Guy, is a management consultant, keynote speaker, executive coach, author, and blogger (www.successcommonsense.com). He can be reached at commonsense@PM360online.com.

Spike Lee is one of my favorite directors. In 1989, he released a movie about race in America set in Brooklyn and called Do the Right Thing. In the film, Spike plays a pizza delivery guy named Mookie and Ossie Davis plays a character named Da Mayor—one of the old guys in the neighborhood who spent his summer days sitting outside with a few friends, observing and commenting on what was happening.

In one scene, Mookie walks by Da Mayor and his friends. Da Mayor stops Mookie to give him some advice. Here is the dialogue.

Mookie: C’mon, what. What?

Da Mayor (looking very serious): Always do the right thing.

Mookie (looking puzzled): That's it?

Da Mayor: That’s it.

Mookie (looking thoughtful): I got it. I’m gone.

I’ve always liked that scene. Unfortunately, I was reminded of it when I read an Associated Press article entitled “Big Bucks in Bogus Marketing of Drugs.” The article had a strong anti-industry slant, referring to Pfizer’s recent $2.3 billion fine for illegally promoting Bextra and other drugs and Lilly’s $1.4 billion settlement in a case over the marketing of Zyprexa. Unfortunately, both Pfizer and Lilly hadn’t done the right thing. Their actions resulted in huge settlements and lots of bad press for both companies and the industry.

One claim in the AP article—that huge fines for those caught violating rules are usually just a nibble—is a bit of hyperbole. Pfizer took a charge in anticipation of the fine in the fourth quarter of 2008, lowering its quarterly profit to $268 million, 90% less than the previous quarter. In my opinion (or should I say IMHO), a 90% drop in net profit is more than a nibble.

Reinforcing Mutual Interests
Strong, lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with important outside constituencies is one of the secrets I discuss in my book 4 Secrets of High Performing Organizations. At a minimum, companies need to build relationships with five types of outside constituencies: customers, suppliers, regulators, local communities, and the general public. In this instance, Pfizer and Lilly failed with at least two constituencies—regulators and the public. The common sense point for the industry is simple: “Do the right thing.” Don’t promote products for treatments for which they are not indicated.

The AP author Tom Murphy couldn’t resist one last zinger: “Authorities also accused the drugmaker [Pfizer] of plying doctors with free golf, massages and resort junkets.” That sentence sounds bad even to me—and I understand how symposia work. The common sense point here is also simple. Don’t create the impression that you are trying to pay doctors to prescribe your products. In PM360’s August issue, Dave Guziak’s “Road Warrior” column was an excellent discussion of the 2002 FDA guidelines, which made clear that trips, meals, and gifts to doctors and their office staffs are no longer allowed. He suggested that sales reps can do the right thing by using clinical papers that they haven’t used for a while and by building and reinforcing relationships with doctors’ office personnel.

Eliciting Positive Responses
This brings me to another common sense point about relationship building. Do the right thing and the people around you will respond positively. Be pleasant. Treat others with kindness and respect. Go out of your way to help a colleague. Offer advice and feedback to the people who report to you in a positive and constructive manner. Follow the rules, don’t put people in awkward situations by offering them perks that are outside the law.
In summary, the recent Pfizer fine and Lilly settlement and the bad press they have generated have not only tarnished the reputation of these two respected companies—the entire industry has received a black eye at a difficult time. These unfortunate situations could have been avoided if everyone involved had only heeded Da Mayor’s common sense advice to Mookie: Do the Right Thing.