Funeral Ethics: Taking Those First Steps on the Slippery Slope

Years of dedicated service can quickly vanish when unethical choices come to light. To be clear, most people don’t wake up one day saying, “I think I’m going to make choices today that will tarnish or eliminate my career and all that I’ve worked for.” The truth is – for most folks – that first steps on the slippery slope of unethical behavior begins with one simple – seemingly insignificant – step. Once started though the consequences can be disastrous. Just ask Larry Foster Stegall, former executive director of the North Carolina Funeral Directors Association.

According to a report in the Raleigh News and Observer on February 18, 2016, Larry Foster Stegall, age 74 of Wake Forest, NC was charged with one felony count of obtaining property by false pretenses. The allegation in the charge is that between April 1, 2009, and July 31, 2014, Stegall was improperly paid for travel.

Stegall got the money “for mileage traveled at the same time he was using the company gas card to put fuel in his car for the same associated travel expenses,” the warrant alleged.

Stegall surrendered to detectives Feb. 19 and was cooperative while being booked on the charge, a magistrate wrote in allowing Stegall to be released on an unsecured $10,000 bond. He was scheduled to appear before a judge on Monday.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article61733622.html#storylink=cpy

First Steps on the Slippery Slope

How does the beginning of the end begin? What motivates someone to take that first step? These are two significant questions when it comes to those first steps on the slippery slope. How does it start and when does it begin is different for each of us. But what is clear is that when you look back you see one choice leading to another and in the end, the outcome is never good.

As an example, an article in INDY week by Jane Porter and Elizabeth Bartholf focused on the North Carolina Board of Funeral Service asking for more money. (To be clear the NC Board of Funeral Service is different that the NC Funeral Directors Association.) There is a connection that relates to those first steps on the slippery slope when you look at the INDY article.

Porter and Bartholf’s article states:

The funeral service board has given double-digit raises to many of its staff, including the wife of the head of a North Carolina funeral industry trade group.

Elizabeth Stegall, the administrative services supervisor for licensing, is the wife of the executive director of the N.C. Funeral Directors Association, Larry Stegall. She received a 16.3 percent increase over three years. She earns $49,141 annually.

Stegall’s position—and her salary increase—presents a potential conflict of interest because of her marriage to Larry Stegall, who helped her get the job. Former executive director of the board Corrine Culbreth wrote in her public comments that, “[Elizabeth] was hired when Larry Stegall recommended he knew of someone in his office building that would be good for the position.”

Culbreth wrote that the two were in a relationship at the time.

The board “did not have a conflict of interest clause at the time. Larry threatened to sue the board if we terminated Liz after they were married and that scared some board members,” Culbreth added.

Is the Whole Truth Presented?

To be clear I was not a part of this process nor had any connection to anyone who was involved. What I do know is what stepping on the slippery slope looks like and without full transparency, it becomes easy to rationalize one’s behavior.

Here’s how that first step might start. Stegall NEEDED for his then girlfriend to find a stable job. Because of his role as the executive director of the NC Funeral Directors Association he had connections with Corrine Culbreth, the then executive director of the NC Board of funeral service. His connections created OPPORTUNITY. When you combine NEED and OPPORTUNITY with RATIONALIZATION you have created the perfect storm for potential unethical behavior.

Was the recommendation and hiring of Stegall’s girlfriend – to become his wife – unethical? Not necessarily. But when presented with the possibility of her termination (based on the idea that there should be no concern about the roles of the two organizations) Stegall (according to published reports) threatened litigation. So it appears that her employment was more important than ethical transparency. I’d call that a step on the slippery slope.

First Steps on the Slippery Slope – Didn’t Stop There!

Here’s the truth whether you like it or not – once you take that first step on the slippery slope of unethical behavior and get by with it the power of RATIONALIZATION kicks in.

RATIONALIZATION is like wet cement; it’s the glue that holds the choice together. Stegall was charged with obtaining property by false pretenses. Simply put he took reimbursement for travel when the NC Funeral Directors Association was, in fact paying for his gas. Now anyone looking at this would say that is double dipping. Unethical! But how does one rationalize the choice?

Not knowing Larry Foster Stegall I can’t speak with authority, but my guess (based on lots of research into situations just like this) is that Larry (giving him the benefit of the doubt) forgot to charge his gas one day and therefore submitted for reimbursement his mileage. Simple and fair huh? This perhaps was the beginning of the first steps on the slippery slope.

Now when wet cement gets hard it’s a challenge to break. The same is true with RATIONALIZATION. When Stegall didn’t get caught or found out that his expense report was approved, it became easy to make that unethical choice again and again and again until it became almost habit. No harm no foul or what you don’t know or pay attention to won’t harm me. WRONG!

Every Choice has a Consequence!

Today I imagine that Larry Foster Stegall has regrets from taking those first steps on the slippery slope. I suspect he regrets making such foolish choices cost him his reputation and has created an example of what not to do. According to the NC Funeral Board website – Larry Stegall’s wife – Elizabeth is not currently a board employee. The final adjudication of Stegall’s is not known. But being charged and the fallout from his actions has created consequences that no one initially considered.

Larry Stegall is not a bad person. He made a mistake. And as a wise man once said to me: “Son, You’ve made a terrible mistake, but YOU are not a mistake.” The same is true for Larry.

And to be clear, this article is not written to make a bad matter worse. Rather, this is yet another example of how simple it is for good people – smart people – to make dumb stupid choices. Perhaps the question, in summary is – are you willing to look at your organization and ask the hard questions? Are you willing to consider that anyone – even the most trusted employee – especially the most trusted employee – could make bad choices?

When you think that there is no consequence to your choice – RATIONALIZATION hardens and continuing on the slippery slope becomes easy. Let’s consider what we can do to keep people off the slippery slope to begin with.

YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!

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