Do You Know How Leaders Should Lead Through Biden, the #MeToo Movement and all the Rest of the Noise?

Do You Know How Leaders Should Lead Through Biden, the #MeToo Movement and all the Rest of the Noise?

It’s been a year, hasn’t it? Most of the leaders we work with find their heads swimming these days trying to lead through the current upset over what’s in the news, #MeToo-type allegations, and daily concerns popping up from their own staff.

If there is one thing I have realized, however, from working with this subject for many years, it’s that leaders need to LEAD on issues of respect and civility, not just delegate the issue to someone in HR. One of the reasons we are still trying to manage these kinds of allegations is because we have lacked commitment from the top to move people to do the right thing.

Of course, there is much ado about whether things have gone too far, especially with the media abuzz over recent allegations against Biden. Is sniffing someone’s hair harassment? Touching someone on the shoulder? Do you and your staff know how to answer these questions?

Yet when we work with all kinds of groups – from factory workers to executives – everyone agrees that they want to be respected and that civility makes work more pleasant. There may be some grousing about laws and policies governing respect and civility taking all the fun out of the workplace, but when we point out that there are still countless things to make jokes about – just not those concerning race, gender, sexual orientation and so on – few continue to argue.