Lochte-ing Down On Bad Behavior

Ryan Lochte, it seems, has been given a chance to redeem himself to the American public by “Dancing With The Stars.”  I for one, don’t intend to give him that second chance. 

Ryan Lochte embarrassed not just himself, but his team and his Nation on the International stage known as the Olympics.  Once caught, he didn’t even have the decency to apologize or take true responsibility.  He vandalized, he fabricated, and he lied. Ryan Lochte’s behavior is noteworthy beyond the Olympics – because within this incident, is a lesson to be learned for all businesses. 

The Lochtes of the world exist in every industry.  You know who they are.  The marketing genius, the legal whiz, the one who breaks sales records month after month.  They are the champions of their business – and the ones whose bad behavior gets a pass. 

This isn’t about a single incident or indiscretion.  This is about on-going, escalating, and potentially reckless behaviors.  Behaviors that are largely ignored because the benefits (increased sales, new clients) seem to out-weigh the drawbacks.  And in the short term they may.  But high employee turnover, poor morale, damage to the reputation of your business, all have a far greater impact than a quarterly sales bump.

I don’t know Ryan Lochte, but I am certain this was not his first mis-step.  The crime, deception, and repeated lies to cover it up are not the act of a first time offender.   These are the actions of someone who believes they are untouchable and above the rules.  Someone who has been given a pass or a slap on the wrist, but has never been forced to suffer the significant consequences which teach us to adjust our behavior.

Who is like this at your company?  How can a business “Lochte-down” on such problem behaviors? 

1.    Honor the business by building a culture that values long term successes over short term gains.  Especially where sales numbers or share-holder returns are important, it can be easy to become short-sighted.  Remember, the damage done by a tarnished reputation is far more devastating and lasting than a quarterly win.

2.    Address problem behavior every time.  Especially when there is a pay-off for the business.  Yes, you closed a big deal, won the big case, or thwarted the competition, but if these wins came unethically – they aren’t really a win.  And to ignore the problem behavior suggests that it is condoned, or even acceptable.  Every member of the team will become aware of what the company values, and will either jump on that band-wagon (like Lochte’s teammates), or leave the company. 

3.    Hold them accountable.  Have and maintain high standards of behavior.  If an employee behaves inappropriately – be it toward another member of the staff, with a client or toward a competitor, have an action plan for dealing with it.  This may include a write-up, suspension without pay, even termination.  Keep in mind, without a consequence or down-side, most problem behavior will not change.  Ultimately it is the company that models the behavior others will follow – by demonstrating what is and isn’t acceptable.  

      Side-note:  Handle consequences, and even termination, with a level of respect that makes the person want to improve.  (See my article on Off-Boarding.)

4.    Engage in coaching.  Perhaps you can’t bear to lose a champion of your team no matter how bad the behavior has gotten.  Address the behavior directly by bringing in a coach and being crystal clear with the concerns and objectives.  This builds on #2 (Address problem behavior) because there must be honesty about the reason for the coaching if you want it to bring about change.

5.    Speak of the integrity of your business – and demonstrate the sincerity of that message.  Employees want to hear a positive message - one they can stand behind.  They also want to see actions that back up the words.  They will take notice when positive and appropriate behaviors are rewarded, just as they do when challenging behaviors are condoned.    

  

      Each organization must find its own place of pride, just as each Nation does.  The strength of many, can be overshadowed by the mis-steps of a few.  Take steps to "Lochte-down" problem behavior, before it impacts your bottom line.

Ideas Matter

The news is tragic and yet repetitive. Again we are hearing, and seeing, footage of unarmed men (and occasionally women) dying at the hand of local Police.  In Dallas, we’ve just seen a horrific attack in the reverse.  As appalling and distressing as it is, the actions in Dallas were carried out as a form of retribution for the reckless treatment and perhaps intentional slaying of these victims.  A situation that has been complicated and escalated by our judicial system which so often shields these Police officers from responsibility and consequence.

My greatest struggle with the needless deaths that we are seeing, is the on-going lack of accountability.   How can this be allowed?  Why isn’t it changing?  I believe there are many good cops out there, so why aren’t they leading the public outcry?    

For me it’s frustratingly similar to the infuriating circumstances that led to the housing crisis and collapse of our financial markets nearly a decade ago.  There too, a lack of accountability.  And there too, we felt powerless.  As I see it, our Country is running toward chaos at an ever faster pace.  A look at our political front-runners gives evidence to our dismay and disgust. 

Is it unsolvable?  I don’t think so.  I think we remain stuck because the problems seem too big, or our ideas too small.  I have an idea.  It is small, but perhaps also powerful.  It attends to one piece of the pie - responsibility.  And it's frighteningly simple.  It requires our Police Departments to make a concrete effort to bring change, and to take a firm stand to uphold it. 

Allow me to give an example.  For seven years I ran a Peer Mediation program in two public middle schools.  In that time I trained over 270 student mediators and supervised their conducting of more than 900 peer to peer mediations.  We know that youth in this pre and early adolescence are given to social pressures, gossip, and rumors.  Yet in the seven years I ran that program there was not a single incidence of broken confidentiality.  How is that possible?  Tightly held standards.  

During the recruitment process confidentiality was a major point of questioning.  Did they understand it?  How would they handle issues related to it?  During the training phase confidentiality and its sanctity were again discussed.  It was explained that the nature of their role required complete trust, and that any diminishment of trust would damage the reputation of the whole program.  Finally, before training was completed, students were told how breaches of confidentiality would be handled – with immediate dismissal from the program.  The process was clear and it was fair.  As the head of the program I would investigate any claim of breached confidentiality.  Regardless of whether this yielded proof that confidentiality had been breached, or merely resulted in lingering concerns that the claim was true, the accused student would be dropped from the program.  There was no grand punishment, no humiliation, no other consequence.  And yet it never once happened.  There was pride in being a part of the program, and an awareness that their job as mediators was to help.  I believe that pride and those values are just as strong in the majority of our Police officers.    

If middle-school students, grappling with peer pressure and gossip can be held to this high a standard, how is it that our own Police officers are not?  There are ample opportunities to spell out the consequences of reckless or haphazard performance during recruitment, during training, and during the tenure of a Police officer.  It could be managed with annual bonuses that are denied officers who are suspected of engaging in behaviors that diminish the public’s trust.  This would include questionable uses of force, and convenient losses of body cameras.  Another option would be to place any officer who inappropriately discharges his/her firearm on restrictive duty/desk work for a period of at least 6 months.  These simple solutions create an environment where Police officers are encouraged to make better decisions and take only appropriate actions.     

There is a definitive need for personal responsibility from our law enforcement, and an even more imperative need for a rebuilding of trust with civilians.  We need to share our ideas, however small, and we need to work together to build solutions to this chaos.  We need to focus on creating a world where all lives matter.

Are You A Decision Maker?

Gary and Jason (not their real names) have been business partners for over a decade. But while their joint practice is blooming, their partnership is in trouble. Why? Decision making, essential to the forward momentum of their business, has been stalled.

The impetus for this struggle is Jason’s assistant Damian, who is also his brother-in-law.  Damian is not able to keep pace with the growing demands of the job, and overflow work has fallen on the shoulders of Gary’s assistant, Brenda.  The result: frustration, resentment, and a bottle-necking of work.  Making matters worse, while Gary addressed his concerns with Jason, Jason held off taking any clear actions.  Now, communication between the two has become stilted, and both recognize the practice is beginning to suffer.  To date they have lost one large business prospect, and are at risk of losing two current clients.  Further complicating the situation, Brenda has become irritable and Gary is concerned she may quit. Gary and Jason are considering the need to divide the business, each taking a portion of the clients with him.  At the recommendation of their accountant, the two agreed to meet with a facilitator to discuss their options.

When I met with Gary and Jason, each expressed concerns about the health of their business and their partnership.  Both also acknowledged struggles on the customer service end.  However their solutions to these issues were not well-aligned.  Jason expressed a committed to staying together and hiring more staff.  Gary was set on separating their practice and ending their partnership. 

Through the facilitative process, Gary was asked to clarify his reasons for wanting to dissolve their business. As he expressed his concerns about Jason’s management (and lack thereof) of staff, Jason brushed it off. When Jason was asked to explain his position and his efforts to manage staff – he became defensive and resistant.

Jason’s failure to take action, or even explain his reasons for not doing so, had become the primary source of the contention between he and Gary. Yet he continued to point to other issues. What Jason struggled to realize: His brother-in-law was no longer the problem, his refusal to take action was.

I worked with Jason and Gary to identify the initiating event (Damian’s inefficiency) and the progressive costs resulting from Jason’s reluctance to address the issue head-on.

The cost of this indecision:
- Work suffered (with internal and external impacts)
- Decreased ability to earn money
- Anxiety and loss of sleep
- Damaged relationships (professionally and personally)

As the discussion continued, it became clear these costs were not incurred by Jason or Gary alone. Other employees were impacted. Clients were impacted. Their families were impacted.

I asked Jason, “Did you knowingly sacrifice all that (the costs previously outlined), to protect Damian from potential job loss or hurt feelings?” It seemed ridiculous, in this light, that Jason had actually done just that. Through the facilitative process Jason took ownership for the situation that had come to pass. And, he and Gary became realigned as they planned the steps toward stabilizing their practice.

Jason, like many people, had become paralyzed with fear. To avoid dealing with a difficult issue, he lived only in the moment – and the moment never felt right for giving feedback or terminating a family member.

The lesson is this: Indecision and stagnancy, regardless of the reasons behind them, will lead to more problems. Some far greater than the initiating circumstances. With this in mind, I encourage you to examine your own life – What decisions are you putting off? What is the price you are paying for that indecision? What help do you need to begin the forward momentum that will bring you success?