Crisis. Communications.

Richard (Dick) Fuld, ex-CEO of Lehman Brothers would like to blame the ills of the financial industry on a crisis of confidence. Way to spin, Dick.

The fact that you had the Brinks truck backed up to the corporate fleet and were dumping cash into the trunk of your C-level mates’ corporate-owned vehicles during the final days before the fall of your empire is simply a bit of detail unworthy of acknowledging.

Money, get away.
Get a good job with good pay and you’re okay.

Money, its a gas.
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.
New car, caviar, four star daydream,

Think I’ll buy me a football team.

Clearly it wasn’t your fault, Dick. There was “a storm of fear enveloping the entire investment banking field…” That’s what you told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Did you happen to mention that it was your fault?

Oh wait, you did. “I take full responsibility for the decisions that I made and for the actions that I took, based on the information that we had at the time.” So I guess we’re all squared up then. Have a nice night and sleep well… Dick.

Money, get back.
I’m all right jack keep your hands off of my stack.
Money, its a hit.
Don’t give me that do goody good bullshit.
I’m in the high-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a lear jet.

According to your testimony, you wake up every single morning thinking about what you could have done differently. You stated: “This is a pain that will stay with me for the rest of my life, regardless of what comes out of this committee, regardless of what comes out of the record book when it finally gets written.”

Really, Dick? Really? Then maybe you’d like to give back everything you’ve taken since you joined the firm in 1969. Maybe you’d like to prove that you take full responsibility by making restitution.

Or you can just keep shifting blame. Spin, Dick, spin.

Money, its a crime.
Share it fairly but don’t take a slice of my pie.

Money, so they say

Is the root of all evil today.

But if you ask for a raise it’s no surprise that they’re

Giving none away.

Jim Sweeney

CEO & COO

Jim is a veteran of the agency industry and the founder of Sweeney. He is uncommonly passionate about the idea of creating and implementing insanely great marketing campaigns that achieve insanely great results. He pioneered the full-service, full-circle agency model and continues to forge new ideas in an ever-changing industry. And he is accessible to everyone about anything, seemingly all the time, serving as a mentor to all agency personnel and clients.