Bev Oda is a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party of Canada. The Conservatives, led by Stephen Harper, are the ruling party in Canada.
Bev is a politician and no one really cared about Bev until earlier this week when she admitted she lied.
Well, she didn’t really come right out and say “I lied,” but she did.
The issue? An altered memo.
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) sent a memo to 3 people seeking approval for a grant to be given to KAIROS, a faith based organization.
The word “not” was inserted in between the words “you” and “approve” in the following sentence on the memo:
RECOMMENDATION: That you sign below to indicate you approve a contribution of $7,098,758 over 4 years for the above program. (click here to see the image of the altered memo)
I’m not clear if the word “not” was inserted after the all signatures were on the memo, but what is clear is that Bev denied inserting the word for close to a year.
Then, she admitted she did.
To add insult to injury, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is backing her. He chose his words very carefully. He didn’t say “She lied, she was wrong for that, but as a government, we support her decision.”
According to the Globe & Mail, our Prime Minister said the following in the House of Commons on Tuesday:
“It is a decision of the minister to make sure that taxpayers’ dollars are used effectively for foreign aid and that is what she has done.”
Wow! What a terrible example of leadership. Bev lied and yet, Stephen supports her bad behaviour.
As a leader, Stephen is in a unique opportunity to show Bev love while disciplining her bad behaviour. That she added the word “not” to a memo isn’t the issue. The issue is that after denying doing so for a year, Bev finally came clean. And now, the leader of our country is ignoring the lie by being wishy washy in his response.
I believe Stephen could save face if he were to follow these 4 simple tips on how to discipline bad behaviour in a loving way:
- First, remind Bev about the party’s code of conduct. I couldn’t find one on the party website, but I’m sure there is something that all MPs swear by in order to uphold their office in an ethical way. This also gives Stephen a chance to speak privately to Bev about his disappointment in her conduct and helps him to restate his own boundaries about lying and dishonesty.
- Ask Bev how this problem can be fixed. Inviting the transgressor to be a partner in their own punishment helps Stephen figure out if Bev really thinks this is a serious matter. If she says that her budget should be decreased, Stephen will know that Bev is trying to blow this off. This is a great opportunity for Stephen to coach her on choosing a punishment that fits the crime. In my opinion, nothing less than an apology and resignation from her ministry (not from the party) would work.
- Next, publicly pinpoint the transgression, then assure the public that you’re dealing with it. Because Bev “sinned” in such a public way, Stephen will have to address the “sin” publicly. Because he already had a conversation with Bev, he simply needs to state this and that he and Bev are working on a solution. He should not apologize on behalf of Bev as he needs to pass off this duty to Bev. The reason? Bev, too, is a leader and needs to be the one to apologize on behalf of herself.
As Sumner Musolf shared on last night’s #leadershipchat on Twitter:
“Loving in business is empowering, entrusting, and positively influencing someone’s professional experience.”
And Gavin Heaton adds:
“Surely a leader’s job is to help others get onto the bus, not push them under it.”
How would you recommend Prime Minister Stephen Harper deal with Bev Oda on this matter? Leave your comments below.
