Too many companies are driven by greed and backstabbing rather than sound business practices. Is yours one of them? Here’s how to reveal the traits you must relentlessly shovel out of your organization—before it’s too late.

How to take home a fat paycheck when your lowly worker bees are getting laid off. How to kick back at a lavish executives’ retreat after your company receives government bailout money. How to create a thriving corporate culture based on popularity contests, discrimination, and greed. They’re not exactly lessons you’re taught in business school. But judging from recent business headlines, they are the essential modern day rules of thumb for running a successful business.

If you call “bullsh*t” on these shameful practices, you’re not alone. It infuriates me that more and more corporate-types, big and small, are using their BS in BS rather than their MBAs to get ahead in the business world.

Over the past couple of years, some of the most outrageous examples of corporate irresponsibility in the nation’s history have come to light. Too many organizations have allowed greed, backstabbing, and their leaders’ own career motivations to run the companies into the ground. In today’s corporate world, too often the good people get lost in the shuffle.

I want to see a change in the corporate BS that has taken over at many organizations. I wrote my new book, Corporate Bullshit: A Survival Guide (Mitchell Publishers Inc., 2009, ISBN: 978-0-9842016-0-0, $29.50), to help the good guys and gals understand what is going on in today’s corporate world, so they can better maneuver around the BS they’ll encounter during their careers.

And I also have a message for any BS practitioners who might be reading this article: As the first tentative signs of economic recovery start gathering steam, your day of reckoning is coming. It’s time to do a bullsh*t inspection in your own backyard.

We’ve all seen what can happen when greed and self-importance reign over innovation and putting employees first at organizations. At some point those negatives will catch up to you. By doing some analysis and using some deductive reasoning, people may be able to keep themselves from getting burned. In other words, now you can see trouble coming. You don’t have to wake up one morning to find out you’re out of work and your employer has lost your pension. It’s time to stop letting this negativity and corporate BS rule at our nation’s businesses.

Is your organization pumping out more BS than actual products and services? If so, read on for a few corporate BS traits that are sure to bring you down:

Huge bonuses and over-the-top severance packages go to undeserving executives. In years past, you could trust upper-level management to act in the best interests of their company and work to ensure its survival. These days it seems that personal agendas and personal greed have taken over. Huge bonuses and golden parachutes in the form of exorbitant severance packages are now the norm rather than the exception.

Many of today’s executives look out for themselves and that’s pretty much it. It’s a practice that more often than not ends up being bad for the business as a whole. That’s why I propose that we take some of the billions of dollars that we are spending on bailouts and staff the SEC with auditors to be imbedded in the corporations. These auditors would monitor meetings and operations to ensure that every public company is being a good corporate citizen. The goal here is prevention. Preventing a corporate failure is much more valuable than trying to fix it after it has already happened and investors have been wiped out.

And organizations can avoid having to pay huge severance packages to underperforming executives through what I call a “corporate prenuptial.” It would allow companies to remove someone who has underperformed without paying a pile of money to get rid of him. If things don’t work out under an executive’s management, he leaves with what he came with and nothing more.

Lies, lies, and more lies. Many of today’s corporations cover their own indiscretions by lying to the public and in some cases their employees. But have you ever considered that perhaps this culture of lying starts with the age-old practice the companies use to hire executives and their employees—the job interview?

A lack of honesty can permeate an entire corporate culture. And for too many employees and leaders that dishonesty starts at the job interview. The potential employee is painting a picture of herself that may be a little better than reality, while the employer is painting a better picture of the job than may be reality. Six months down the road, neither side can figure out why the relationship is not working. But the reality is both parties have been bullshitting each other from the start. And when you have leaders and employees who don’t have a problem lying to each other, they probably won’t have any qualms about lying to customers or stakeholders. Organizations that want to survive and thrive must move toward a culture of honesty.

The blame game dominates office culture. When a project or event starts, there are two likely outcomes: success and failure. Great employees are willing to accept responsibility for their failures along with their successes. But too many organizations allow the blame game to be played by employees and executives, who point the finger everywhere but at themselves when something goes wrong but are all too happy to take the credit when things go right.

The blame game can quickly ruin an organization’s culture. But there are ways to keep it at bay. Have employees carefully document milestones and assigned responsibilities on all projects. Well-documented project plans will paint a very clear picture of what went on during a project and remind employees that they will be held accountable for their work. Stay informed about the projects that are going on at your organization and ask to be updated frequently. Taking these steps will help suppress the conflict that arises when employees start up the blame game.

Poor decision making is the norm. How decisions are made speaks volumes about a company and its management team. Decisions usually fall into two categories: short-term and long-term. Short-term decisions are made day-to-day, carry little risk, and are usually made quickly. Long-term decisions usually have a significant effect on a company and carry high risk. They are strategic, and include initiatives like developing a new product or taking a new direction by selling off a division. Moves like these often require multiple discussions and a lengthy period of time to choose the correct course.

Naturally, it is best when decision makers at organizations carefully evaluate information, no matter what they are deciding. But many organizations suffer from people I call Roosters. Roosters are more concerned with self-protection than they are with the decision they are making. They are likely to go with the decision that carries the least risk for them. Take time to understand their thought processes and try to evaluate their goals. You should also be on the lookout for employees and/or leaders who make long-term decisions without thinking them through. Remember, it doesn’t take that many bad decisions to sink a business.

“It’s our policy” rules customer interactions. Naturally, most organizations have a corporate policy—their laws to live by, so to speak—that their employees must follow. The place where most companies cross the line is when they create policy and impose it on someone else, mainly their customers. How many times have you been on the phone with customer service at a company you’re doing business with and all they want to do is tell you about their corporate policy? Do you really care what their policy is? Does their policy help you solve your problem? In most cases, the answer is no.

Policies, like contracts, primarily benefit those who create them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t exist. If you are in a position to create policy at your organization, consider the impact they have on your customers, both internal and external. If at all possible, allow enough flexibility in them that you won’t alienate the individuals and businesses that keep your organization going.

Company departments don’t work well together. Many company departments are fundamentally different both in personality and function. An accountant is not an engineer is not a salesperson. Each department has its own role within the company, and if all goes well, it operates to the best of its ability. But departments that are good at performing their own role don’t necessarily work well with the rest of the departments in the organization.

What corporations should strive for is synergy among departments. This helps them gain maximum efficiency, keeps costs under control, and minimizes conflict. Every department’s perspective is valid. You can combat differences in opinion by having departments work together as one team. If possible, have your departments switch jobs, or have individuals shadow their coworkers in other departments for a day. This might give them a whole different perspective on another person’s job and help them gain appreciation for what the other departments do.

Ability discrimination goes unchecked. Most people think discrimination applies only to race or sex, but there is another common form of discrimination that often goes unnoticed. Call it “ability discrimination.” Basically, people who have great ability and are doing a good job are often discriminated against. This happens for a variety of reason.

Perhaps a person poses a threat to a superior; he may be getting in the way of someone else’s promotion; or he may be raising the productivity of a group to such high standards that his fellow employees are angry. And in some cases, managers favor an employee who is less competent than they are because they fear they could lose their job if a more competent person were to advance. They may also go out of their way to discredit a good employee so others will not know how advantageous it is to have that person on their team. Ability discrimination can be tough to curtail once it starts. However, if you feel your immediate manager is doing this to you, one way to combat it is to get yourself included in meetings with your superiors—not just your immediate manager or boss—as often as possible. Put yourself in a position where your other higher-ups can see your abilities.

Revenue goals are forced on customers. “We must meet our quarterly goals,” is a common line from CEOs and managers. Trouble is, these quarterly goals are likely out of line with your customers’ goals because they aren’t looking to give your company a revenue boost.

For example, say your customers know that you push to close business at the end of every quarter. Knowing your hunger to meet management’s expectations, they patiently wait until the end of the quarter to buy. They achieve their goals of getting the best possible price because they know your company is more likely to discount at that time. And while you may have met your short-term targets, you have cost the company long-term revenue. Why? You’ve turned control of your pricing over to your customers.

You have to show your customers that they take a risk by doing this too. Their project timelines may be changed or costly delays may occur because they wait to make their purchase. You can maintain a healthier and more profitable relationship with your customers by keeping your goals in sync with theirs as you interact with them on a regular basis. Learn to think long-term and your customer relationships will significantly improve. Customers might even start taking your phone calls if they know you always keep their interests in mind.

Employees have no power. Empowerment—enabling people to make decisions with minimal direction and trusting their judgment—is a good thing. It allows you to delegate tasks and helps your organization run more efficiently. It makes your life easier and improves your employees’ levels of satisfaction. Make sure you are allowing employees to take full control of their positions. Do not create a corporate culture where employees must go to their managers before they make every little decision.

Empowerment is most effective when it is shared among people with a common goal. Individual goals may not be identical, but if the whole group is moving in the same direction, stay out of each other’s way and watch the magic happen.

You’re trying to fix what isn’t broken. Change isn’t always a bad thing, but lots of great initiatives get screwed up for the sake of change. The only reason to change something is to make it better than it was previously. The ultimate goal should always be improvement.

When making changes make sure that the effectiveness of your change initiative can be measured. In other words, when your initiative is over, will you be able to tell a difference? And if you can tell a difference, will it be because of the change you put in place or because of some other event? If you haven’t achieved a goal over a certain period of time, don’t immediately dismiss your efforts as futile. Take an objective look at your findings and see if the trends are headed in the right direction. If they are, then you may want to test the change a little longer or maybe it needs a little tweaking. The point here is, don’t change things for the sake of change. Change them for the sake of improvement.

It’s time to stop accepting corporate BS as the status quo. It’s clearly no way to run a sustainable business, and we could use some sustainability in our corporate environment right now. The more people who say enough is enough, the better chance we have of returning to a corporate culture in this country that is based more around achieving the American Dream for all than supporting corporate hells that benefit only those who are willing to backstab and lie their way to the top.

About the Author:
Blaine Loomer’s expertise in the corporate world evolves from over 20 years of experience in corporate management and sales. He has consulted with thousands of companies over the years from enterprising individuals of mom and pop shops to executive officers of some of the largest corporations in America. As a corporate sales expert, he has hired, educated, and managed sales teams across North America. Over the years Blaine has logged millions of miles and fostered business relationships with thousands of people from all walks of life, both domestic and international. Through his travels and experiences, he has gathered a wealth of knowledge. After 20 years he has decided to put down the suitcase and share what he has learned with you in an effort to help you succeed in the pursuit of your career.

About the Book:
Corporate Bullshit: A Survival Guide (Mitchell Publishers Inc., 2009, ISBN: 978-0-9842016-0-0, $29.50) is available at bookstores nationwide and from major online booksellers. For more information, please visit www.corporatebullshitguide.com.