leadership style and vision were evident in a number of characteristics and traits that exemplified Enron’s culture. Skilling exercised control over almost all facets of the organization, particularly regarding its accounting procedures, which where designed to “massage” reported earnings in order to meet analysts’ expectations. Earnings management was accomplished largely using special purpose entities (SPEs), accounting “reserves for contingencies” and mark-to-market accounting, which recorded profits from long-term deals immediately and, therefore, emphasized short-term results. These accounting maneouvres, used widely in the banking and finance industries, meant that to continue to increase reported earnings at its current rate, an ever-greater volume of deals were necessary. This form of “cowboy capitalism” put enormous pressure on the traders for short-term output.
The importance of earnings in Skilling’s leadership style is unmistakable, especially in the reactions to critical incidents and organizational crises. For instance, evidence emerged at Skilling’s 2006 trial that Skilling and Richard Causey, Enron’s chief accounting officer, had decided to change the numbers to meet the new analysts’ consensus, which had risen from 30 cents to 31 cents. Accordingly, Wesley and Colwell, chief accountant of Enron’s wholesale energy trading unit, transferred $7 million to a profit account from a reserve contingency account set up in a prior period as a reserve for possible future contract settlements.