“I was taught / when the prince and the dragon fought / that the dragon was always caught / now I don’t even wince / when it eats the prince.”

Steven Sondheim (lyrics)

Steven Sondheim has a way with lyrics, doesn’t he? This one in particular is taken form the little-known 1965 Broadway musical, Do I Hear A Waltz? I’ve always liked this line because it injects a little humor into a growing, yet sad reality – especially in business which is the reality I write about. What has become of the classic struggle between good and evil? You know the one, where the prince refuses to give in to the evil dragon, so he fights and he fights until, at last, evil is defeated and the dragon is slain. Regardless of how increasingly difficult it may be, I maintain my position that business is all about creating value for others, and therefore, is intrinsically good. Yet with all of the corporate scandals and eaten princes of late, it’s no wonder why we no longer wince. Is evil winning more often than not? How sad. But what’s sadder still is that the carnage could be avoided if only the princes would stop jumping in to the dragon’s mouth.

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