Real Leaders Handle Harassment

Last week I read with disgust Susan Fowler’s first-hand account of sexual harassment at Uber. Despite the clearly unacceptable behavior by…

Last week I read with disgust Susan Fowler’s first-hand account of sexual harassment at Uber. Despite the clearly unacceptable behavior by so many leaders at the high-flying company, very few of us are shocked. We’ve seen and heard the same or worse too often.

Maybe part of the problem is that we’re not shedding enough light on what should be done. As leaders — and human beings — we must choose to step up, speak up, and share the success stories so that sexual harassment is seen as so fundamentally unacceptable that it does not happen again.

I’ve done it, so can you

I have terminated multiple people for sexual harassment at the companies I have led. That includes high-performance and high-ranking managers in critical positions. Working closely with my HR team, I have gotten the details, interviewed the parties, and made calls to protect the victims and honor the company’s culture. My teams and I took these steps not because of a policy or fear of lawsuits, we simply chose to do the right thing.

I have also seen individual clients sexually harass members of my staff. In these cases I have personally alerted their superiors — at great risk to our business relationships and significant revenue. I have refused to partner with companies whose leaders are known to harass their staff members. And I’ve even left a job because fellow executives hid a sexual relationship that violated our policies and poisoned our culture.

The only risk is inaction

Everyone feels a pang of pain when a story of sexual harassment emerges. We simply do not understand how it could happen, likely because most of us would never do such a thing. Most male leaders have not experienced the pain of being harassed. The manager of the offender and upward chain of command may worry about the business risk of losing a valuable contributor, and the pain of finding a replacement. As the people who have to deliver the numbers, our first reaction is to hope it was all just a misunderstanding.

But this is the moment of truth when we must lead, no matter what the business risk. In today’s relatively safe society, where we seldom have to test our courage or convictions, we must embrace the few moments in life where our morals are tested.

Speaking for myself, in every case where I have made these hard but right calls our business has survived and thrived. We learn (surprise!) that the “rock star” employee usually was not such a great performer after all. And when you have a truly strong culture, the rest of the organization rallies to the challenge — especially for a leader that protects them. I also sleep a lot better at night. No matter how many millions of dollars you earn, a leader that tolerates immorality and allows its employees to be victimized is never truly a success.

It usually starts at the top

Look closely at the companies where harassment is common and you’ll often find the core issue starts at the top. Whether it’s a software startup or Fortune 500 firm, the senior leaders set the norms that can lead to stories such as Uber and its “unrestrained culture”. Many of us have seen the CEOs who encourage a frat-boy environment, openly comment on their staff’s looks, and are seen taking their wedding rings off during business trips. Absolute power can corrupt absolutely.

Other leaders are happy to bend the rules to their advantage in ethical gray areas. These are the leaders that you see hiding things from partners, exploiting legal loopholes, or threatening employees. A weak moral compass in one area tends to happen across the board. Sexual harassment is one of the many sins that pops up in this corporate “broken windows” environment. No wonder Uber has been accused of stealing intellectual property, “grayballing” government officials, and secretly investigating its accusers in the past week alone. The staff is taking its cue from a 40-year-old CEO who spends his evenings clubbing around town and arguing with his drivers. The only difference is this time was caught on camera.

But too many leaders simply exist in a pampered shell in which bad news and hard discussions are unwelcome. Sorry, folks, but as leaders of men and women who depend on us, we are responsible for creating a positive work environment that prevents harm. If you have never had to deal with a harassment issue before, the chances are high that you’ve been hiding your head in the sand.

Our courage will end this

Victims frequently experience mental trauma; they fear that they did something wrong and blame themselves. This is heart-wrenching to experience, but please try to take steps to right the wrongs before others are hurt. You owe it to yourself and others to press the issue, put the word out, organize peers and lawyer up if you have to.

But even more importantly, we need the vast number of people on the sidelines to stand up as well. Too many people let this go or laugh it off because they are not personally affected. The reality is that we all have friends and family that have been sexually harassed. Many more will be unless our united voices call this out as unacceptable behavior and take action.

Are you ready to do the right thing?

Bob Gilbreath is co-founder and CEO of Ahalogy, the Passion to Purchase Platform, and author of The Next Evolution of Marketing: Connect with your Customers by Marketing with Meaning. Follow him on Twitter.