Geddy is on his way home from the Texas coast, where he and the other members of his company's group gave away two tractor-trailer loads of supplies to storm victims. I was so much in support of this project that I hijacked my own e-mail list -- the last time I did it was to tell everyone my brother had been killed -- to drum up support and donations.
Imagine my dismay when, in speaking to one of the team members last week, he mentioned how they couldn't go down to the coast with half-empty trucks because they had to make a good show for a customer down there. "We're up for review with them," he said, "and we want to leave a good impression."
What the??? How 'bout all the folks who wouldn't get what they needed to LIVE?
The subject came up again when another member of the team mentioned how great it would be to buy some supplies to keep on hand at the company for disaster relief. That way, salespeople could parade potential customers past the stash and talk about the noble things the company is doing.
So I called BS.
It's not at all noble to use other folks' suffering as a springboard to promote your business. Help because it's the right thing, not because you might profit from it.
So the next time this company needs my help to help others, I'll know it's really all about promoting itself. I'll keep my money in my pocket and my e-mail contacts in my file.
Lesson learned.
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