Yesterday I was interested in Duncan Thorne’s story, Woman blames life stresses for using patient's credit in the The Edmonton Journal 
Hospital service aide Verica Tomasic tearfully told how she used an elderly patient's credit card for $5,400 in purchases. After hearing her 18 month sentence to jail … she responded… "I'm not a criminal…. If I could change things I would, but it's done."
The 55 year old worker, chalked up purchases from an 85-year-old patient's credit card in December to buy furnishings and other home purchases. Stealing and blaming often go together… and it’s amazing how many people tell their brains they deserve what is not theirs. Some thieves rationalize that big business can afford it… some say they have always worked hard and deserve more….
Why is this a mental problem? The brain learns to believe in and act on what you tell it. In fact your brain grows more and more brain cell connectors for the lies you imagine. Eventually, your brain is ready to act on these lies … as if they were true. So much so… that eventually… and with repeated practice at stealing… it almost looks like best practice to the thief. When people blame others … they escape the harder work of personal growth and change. What do you think?
What can be done to prevent stealing that goes on in every workplace… the stuff that costs us all in ethics and in taxes…? Here are three ideas of mine and I’d like to hear yours.
1. Educate people and facilitate regular discussions about the severe consequences of stealing… both in personal and organizational loss.
2. Encourage people to develop and use their intrapersonal intelligences at work, and you will also be encouraging reflection for ethics
3. Reward honesty with tangible rewards… and report all dishonesty to legal authorities as soon as it is discovered.
Each of the three points above helps employees to reboot their brains for integrity. What would you add here…?
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