Improving the Cultural Foundation of Bad Behavior

Some of my readers will remember the series Mad Men.  Mad Men is a fictitious story about a New York advertising agency set in the early 1960s. 

Don Draper, the lead, is a successful professional, husband, father—and womanizer.  Nearly every other male in the series either harasses or preys on women.  They get their coffee, order their lunch, take their clothes to the laundry and are often overlooked for advancement. 

Truth be told, I couldn’t watch much of the series.  I found myself leaving the room every time something I deemed to be inappropriate was about to happen. 

I also know many women who came of age during this era.  Another piece of my revulsion has to do with the fact that the fictional story was also very true for many of the people I know.

I am not at all surprised about Mad Men 2.0, otherwise known as the public outing of the complete debauchery of Harvey Winestein or any one of the members of Congress or the Executive Branch past or present who have behaved similarly. 

Even the least skeptical among us must admit that that we’ve always known that Hollywood is a make-believe immoral, unethical world, and that DC culture is nearly as unreal.  According to a Washington lobbyist friend, it’s well known who among Congress is on the make and who isn’t.  And I suspect the same holds true for Hollywood.  None of us should be surprised and all of us should be repulsed. 

Fortunately, leaders of organizations don’t have to take their cues from either Hollywood or Washington. [bctt tweet=”Leaders of organizations don’t have to take their cues from either Hollywood or Washington. ” via=”no”]

Early in this blog, I wrote about four essential leadership virtues:  kindness, listening, understanding the big picture, and truthfulness.  My point is that these four virtues are a pretty good place for any person (or organization) to begin as it relates to establishing a healthy culture. 

These virtues are essential because, in this post-modern era, there are few normative standards which shape decent behavior.  Harvey Weinstein did what he did because his organizational culture condoned his behavior, and the same is true for elements of D.C. culture. 

Can anyone really be surprised that there is a tax-payer funded Congressional “shush” fund to silence staffers who have been abused and harassed by members of Congress?  Neither Weinstein nor Washington would be in the news were these four leadership virtues practiced.

Leaders have a responsibility to inform and form healthy cultures for their organizations.  It is true that organizations are made up of people, and as long as people exist, inappropriate behavior, sometimes known as sin, will exist. 

But leaders can establish healthier patterns of respect within their organizations.  For starters, they can lead by example.  Good leaders know that people are watching, even when they’re not watching.  And, depending upon the size of the organization, leaders can:

• Ensure that consistent training is integrated into the organizational culture;
• Institute an independent system for reporting harassment through Human Resources;
• Initiate an independent process to review the facts of the allegation(s);
• Depending on the outcome of #3, institute corrective action; or,
• When necessary, initiate termination or, when appropriate, criminal complaints.

Leaders cannot guarantee a completely virtuous culture but, by their own example and through their organization’s policies and practices, they can facilitate the creation of a climate that is more conducive to mutual respect and equity. [bctt tweet=”Leaders can facilitate the creation of a climate that is more conducive to mutual respect and equity.” via=”no”]

And when unacceptable behavior is determined, they have a moral and ethical foundation upon which to stand to make an independently informed personnel decision for the good of the entire organization.

The Mad Men culture should be over by now.