Being the Conscience: The Job Nobody Wants (Until It’s Too Late)

What’s it like to be the conscience of a company?

Short answer: it sucks.

Long answer: let’s dive in.

You’re a communications person. They gave you a mission: make communications, push values, build reputation.

Sounds amazing on paper. In real life, you’re a judge without a gavel. A mediator no one listens to. An ideologist without any real power.

But they still expect magic.

You have to show the world that the company is good. That it has a soul. Oh, and do it cheap, please.

Here’s the joke: conscience costs nothing only in theory. In practice, ignoring values costs a fortune. A very painful fortune. And you see it best during a crisis.

When everything’s on fire, they call you and ask:

– Why didn’t you warn us?

You did. Three briefings ago. Back then, it was just “too much drama.” Your “let’s do the right thing” messed with their comfort zones.

It made them think, and thinking hurts.

Now — it’s you, on the front line. You sigh, you stress, you fight the fire with bare hands. Because that’s your job — being the conscience. Saving the company.

And tomorrow?

Tomorrow you’ll say again: “Let’s do the right thing.” And again, someone will look at the ceiling like they didn’t hear a thing.

But they will hear you.

They just won’t admit it right away.

About author:

My name is Sergii Bidenko. I am a reputation and crisis advisor to business owners, top executives, and members of supervisory boards.

Reputation crises are a business process and my area of speciality.

Anyone can have a crisis. A business that fears risk is a bad business.

I support your right to take calculated risks and make mistakes, your right to run your business boldly, on your terms, and your right to correct mistakes.

Your moment of calm and confidence comes when a crisis has been turned into a comprehensible problem that can be solved in a business-as-usual way.