Sorry, Not Sari
Exposed Light
When a company truly respects its customers, you can feel it. The messaging lands. The products solve real problems. The service team actually sounds human.
Then there are companies — like one bank in Gibraltar — that miss the mark so badly you can hear the collective facepalm.
Last week, the Gibraltar International Bank tried to honor Indian and Hindu residents but managed to offend them — and an entirely different people a world away. In an attempt to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Light, the bank posted a photo of employees wearing “Indian” attire. Unfortunately, a few showed up dressed as Native American Indians.
That's like asking a woman when she’s due…when she isn’t pregnant.
Thanks to a lack of cultural checks and balances, the bank’s goodwill deposit bounced higher than a phishing email. The photo bomb lit up the local Indian community, exposing unconscious bias faster than a DEI training module. The bank quickly deleted the post and issued an apology from its CEO — proof that some photos really are worth a thousand (regretful) words.
Illogical Instructions
It’s easy to imagine how this photographic faux pas happened: somewhere in a brainstorming session, an intern Googled “Indian costumes” and an overwhelmed project manager said, “Looks great! Let's do it!” No one paused to question or push back on a bad idea.
Moments like this are a masterclass in what happens when execution outruns awareness. You’re told to do something that doesn’t sit right, but you do it anyway because it’s safer — and not your hill to die on.
We’ve all been on the receiving end of statements like:
Can we post something upbeat about our massive layoffs — maybe a quote about resilience?
We know the campaign didn’t perform, but let's reframe the data to emphasize awareness.
Technically the product can do that…with a future update.
I know it’s silly, but HR says you can’t expense coffee over $4.99.
The result of executing such tasks might not make headlines, but it can make you feel uneasy. The trick is learning how to follow through without losing yourself.
When frustrated by a request to do something that doesn't make sense, try separating emotion from execution. If it's an innocuous task that won't harm or offend others, try to ignore your ego loudly whispering,"This is so dumb!" Instead, agree to disagree internally so you can still deliver externally.
On the other hand, if asked to execute a task that's in direct contradiction to your values, you owe it to yourself — and your company — to speak up. Mindfulness in these moments isn’t about rebellion or submission, it’s about awareness. And that awareness isn't just about catching mistakes before they happen — it’s about catching yourself before you react.
Work will always hand you the occasional “really?” assignment. What matters is how you show up when it does. The Gibraltar bank didn’t wake up planning to offend anyone — they just moved faster than they thought. The next time you're asked to carry out an illogical instruction, remember to insert a pause between idea and action — and keep your conscience intact.
