“When enough people make false promises, words stop meaning anything. Then there are no more answers, only better and better lies.” – Jon Snow
Ah, Game of Thrones, one of my favorite shows… There was much expectation around the season finale: Would Viserion rise as an undead fire-breathing dragon or as an ice-breathing one? Would Arya become Lord Baelish’s latest victim? Would the army of the Night King head South past the Wall? Despite all these questions, we had at least once certainty going into the episode: Jon Snow was always going to do the right thing and, as expected, he did not disappoint. What was interesting to me is that, like most compliance professionals, one of Jon Snow’s finest hours came in a scene which would appear to be of lesser importance compared to an action-packed open battle between Dragons, Dothrakis and Lannisters (or between sales and marketing people for that matter). Let’s break this down…
In the verge of an event which can destroy humanity, bitter rivals are being urged to temporarily put away differences and join forces for the greater good. This should have been an easy one right? Not so fast… Enter Cersei Lannister, who tries to take advantage of the potential destruction of all humanity by conditioning her support to one simple act: Jon Snow must bend the knee to her. Everyone looks at him and they are about to jump in celebration when Jon Snow refuses, stating that he can only serve one queen, Daenerys Targaryen. No deal. Cersei walks out and everyone starts recriminating. Tyrion tells Jon: “Have you ever considered learning how to lie every now and then? Just a bit?” Even Daenerys joins in to complain to which Jon replies: “I’m not going to swear an oath I can’t uphold. When enough people make false promises, words stop meaning anything. Then there are no more answers, only better and better lies.”
While some can argue that the “greater good” in this case justified a “little lie” Jon Snow, knows better than this, he knows the full price that will need to be paid, he knows that one lie will be followed by another and another and, even if the Night King is defeated, that little lie will still lead them to mutual annihilation even if not at the hands of the army of the dead. Sustainability and survival in Westeros must begin with honesty.
Perhaps I’m a bit geeky but I thought the Game of Thrones season finale was ethics and compliance at its core. It highlighted the importance of doing the right thing even in the most adverse circumstances, even when you are being pressured from all sides, even when you know that Winter is finally here. Honesty is always the only answer whether in Westeros or in a modern corporation or government.
PS: By now [SPOILER ALERT], we all know that Jon Snow is Rhaegar Targaryen’s legitimate heir, all of which makes his statement even more important from a Compliance perspective. If one of the fundamental pillars of an effective compliance program is tone at the top what better than Tone at the Iron Throne… More to come in Season 8. In the meantime I’ll leave you guys to ponder about the need for a new Westeros policy prohibiting fraternization… I think it is probably overdue.