"You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim"

What did you do with your holiday weekend?  

Me? I chilled out and then went to the Iron Bowl in Auburn, AL, the 2013 version that's being called the game of the century.  You know the drill by now - The Iron Bowl is college football, Alabama vs Auburn in the annual grudge match.  The 2013 version was #1 Alabama (dynasty) vs #4 Auburn (always the underdog in this matchup).  

The game was close.  It looked to be going to overtime until Alabama coach Nick Saban made a classic decision that ignited "Karma".  An Alabama player stepped out of bounds and it looked like time had expired.  Then the Alabama sideline started wearing out the officials to put one more second on the clock.  They could have let it go, but politic they did.

They got the one second.  Then they make another KARMA igniting decision - they decided to try a FG that had about a 5% probability of connecting.

And Auburn ran the missed FG 109 yards for the game's winning touchdown with no time remaining on the clock.

KARMA.  You know what I'm talking about.  You ask for something that you really know isn't quite right. You then get your wish, and you try to stretch the break you've been given into something more.  

KARMA.  That's what Alabama got.  In the old days, the second never would have been put back up.  It was more like .2 of a second, and that would have been attributed to clock operator margin of error.  But in today's world of technology, you can get the review.  Then you can decide what to do with the break you've been given on a technicality.

KARMA. Let's examine some of the ways that your managers and employees tempt fate by asking for things that aren't quite right, only to have their "smart" request come back to bite them in the ***:

1. You make a hire.  It doesn't go well and some conduct related thing is moving your hire to term.  You man up and save the day, and that new hire rewards you by doing something that's fundamental worse in the month that follows your "save".  You look like a moran.

2. A sales pro who's a high performer is accused of harassing a team member.  There's no evidence, but everyone knows he's a bad guy.  You save him because he can sell.  3 months later he's in another harassment situation, this time with texts to prove it. Whoops. 

3. A customer service rep has a couple of horrible run-ins with clients.  You give them a second chance they probably don't deserve, and you end up loosing one of your biggest clients 2 months later due to bonehead things the rep you should have fired said to the mega-client.

Here's your formula for KARMA in the workplace: <Somebody shows their *** + You save them against what your mom would have told you to do = Future horrible result/KARMA>.

Don't spit into the wind.  Don't save people who shouldn't have been saved. Don't kick the FG you know you won't make in the biggest game of the year.

KARMA.