The Cobbler’s Shoes

I think everyone has heard the old adage about the cobbler’s shoes - that his own (and his family) do not benefit from his skill as a cobbler, thus they have worn out shoes. The analogy fits into many professions. Why are ‘preachers’ kids so naughty, for example? In my own profession, academic ethics, we suffer mightily from a lack of moral awareness in our personal lives. I hope that I can safely report myself as an outlier here, but I will leave that assessment to my husband and family.

Last week Harvard University revoked the tenure of a business school professor for falsifying data in her research on - get this! - lying and cheating. Can’t make that up. Long ago, as a graduate student, I was warned that ethicists are a brutal bunch. The first time I heard the phrase “eating their young” was in reference to older philosophers and the incoming young ‘uns. The saddest transfer of organizational memory lies in the fact that young philosophers pass on the torturous behavior once they have established themselves in the tenured world of academia. Far too many examples of bad behavior… just the fact that a majority of women stopped attending (or only attended in clusters of other women, for protection) the annual American Philosophical Association meeting says that the #MeToo movement never made it into the ranks of academia. But as horrible as sexual harassment is, the hazing and gate-keeping of young associates is an equally on-going problem.

Why is honesty/professionalism/kindness such an essential element of a career? It determines everything. Warren Buffet famously stated that there are various aspects of a professional life that can be changed, but your character is the foundation of true leadership. And once your reputation is gone it is almost always irretrievable. The Wall Street Journal (5.30.2025) front page story on the conviction of the Goldman Sachs CEO for cheating and stealing is a cautionary tale for young bankers, for sure. But it should not take a conviction to teach the lesson of honest brokering in banking. Trust is at an all-time low in the United States, partly due to the disintegration of character in the work place. If we cannot trust the people who hold our life savings, or teach us the rules of behavior, or sell us our food, we are in desperate straits.

The call for kindness and integrity is nothing new. In the 19th century a mandatory capstone course for all graduating college seniors was developed and taught by the college President. The historical documents for those courses are a fascinating look at what was expected of emerging leaders: integrity, honesty, stewardship, mentoring, civic engagement, and service. The curriculum materials covered everything from law, to history, to theology, to literature - a delightful hodge-podge of intellectual and moral stimulation. Most colleges do not offer anything like that capstone course. We are living in a state of extreme relativism, so much so that to promote values such as “delayed gratification” or “hard work” is sometimes labeled as negative. That, I believe, is a recipe for disaster. No one succeeds without hard work and a good dose of delayed gratification.

In my own profession, ethics, I was the beneficiary of a few good souls who took seriously the call to mentor the incoming members of the profession. Two takes on women in my field (both well known for their work on the ethics of care): one, Nell Noddings, took me under her wing and helped me in ways too numerous to recount; the other (who shall remain nameless) was withering in her attacks on anyone bold enough to want to enter into her area of research. Gatekeeping indeed. So much for women helping women!

The cobblers of the world need to assess their practices and reevaluate the aspects of their profession that they are proud of, and that they are ashamed of. In both small and large ways we can reshape our working lives to reflect the best of humanity.