The Whistle Blower

Can we know the truth if we do are jobs competently? Sometimes...but also one big question remains...can we handle the truth? And the truth shall set us free...right? If that were true we wouldn't have to deal with the term, "Whistle Blower". The truth might hurt, it might even cost us our jobs. But we would be free. John Boyd didn't ask for a salary in his post retirement years so he could remain completely independent of bias. Most of us don't have that luxury. But by seeking the truth, we could be labeled a profession of whistle blowers. I've done very little analysis where during the process someone didn't have a little secret or fact they would rather not have surfaced. And that's the dirtiest little secret of all.

Whether we like it our not, we are the ones who have to tell our bosses the bad news. Now, we are not saying that our work cannot produce answers that are not bad news. Indeed our work can produce good news – but that news of marginal value. Those decisions are easy to make. Everyone is on board; this idea is self evident, everyone will make money and every body wins. The analyst is hardly noticed at all. We have referred to this person as the marketer. If you know the truth and sell out, you are a charlatan or worse. If you say nothing, you are a coward. It is the bad news to which everyone takes notice. And there is only one person in the room speaking of the bad news – the analyst.

We can chose to do so quietly or we can chose to tell the media. I would suggest telling your boss first. If your boss shoots the messenger then perhaps you were in the wrong place and you should go tell the media. If you boss hugs you and tells you he will implement all of your recommendations immediately, please call me, I would like to send you my resume. If, what’s more likely to happen occurs, your boss tells you he appreciates your work, thanks you, and sends you back to your office feeling elated and some real job satisfaction that is the best the analyst can hope for.

Unfortunately, in a few days, when you realize that your recommendations have not been implemented, you might not feel as elated and might again feel the gates of AP closing in. What went wrong? You must have been the smartest person in the room and you were bold, man you were bold in there, and at times gusting to arrogant, what happened. Have you been labeled a pariah, a whistle blower? Should you start looking for a new job? Was your analysis debunked? Are their critics out there you don’t know about? Did you do something wrong in your analysis? Are you becoming paranoid and perhaps losing your mind? Do you see the PM walking behind you down the street? What happened? Chances are, you did your job right, exactly right. If you are not upsetting someone you are probably not doing your job. Unfortunately, what happened is leadership. Good or bad, we as analysts don’t make the decisions, they do – and it’s time to fully consider that truth as well.