Yesterday’s Eye-Opener bemoaned the continuing stream of sexual harassment stories, and repeated something I’ve said before:
Who raised these guys? Didn’t they have mothers and sisters and wives and daughters? How did they lose their moral compasses? Who were their fathers? What kinds of male role models did they have who persuaded them that it was okay to abuse women through the abuse of power?
If you are any sort of leader in any sort of company, it is time for you to step up and say to everyone in your organization, there is no place here for this crap. If you are a victim, here’s my email address and phone number - please get in touch with me now and help me rid this organization of the creeps who are playing this game. I am on your side. And, if you are a predator, get ready to pack your bags ands clean out your office, because there is no room for you here … and I don’t care if you are the biggest superstar in the company. You’re going to be gone, and if we can do it, we’re going to make sure you are going to be prosecuted.
Don’t forget. If living up to your moral and ethical responsibility isn’t enough to get you to do the right thing, remember that you have a fiduciary responsibility to do this. Every suit filed against your company and/or its leadership puts you at risk. You need to get in front of this.
And one more thing. if you are a leader who behaved badly in the past, do us all a favor and step down now. Because the bells of justice eventually are going to toll for you…
One MNB reader responded:
Your comments would be spot on if you had been gender neutral. Power corrupts.
To me, there is nothing gender neutral about this story. Does that mean that no woman in a position of power has ever been guilty of sexual harassment? Of course not.
But there is no equivalency here. None.
From another MNB reader:
If one is to overlook bad behavior in or organization is be complicit in such behavior-- and no longer claim to be an innocent bystander.
Agreed.
And, another MNB reader wrote:
Kevin, after reading your morning news beat today, I saw this WSJ article which highlights the legal industry turning a blind eye toward sexual harassment. Can you imagine the lawsuits from women working at different law firms if they were harassed from the same guy or guys being passed around among these law firms. As you suggest, we are only at the beginning of learning how this behavior is systemic and pervasive. It is sad to say but I think Ronan Farrow will have a job telling these stories for a very long time.
I was gobsmacked by Journal story about law firms. An excerpt:
Law firms stand out in a corporate landscape where rainmakers accused of bad behavior often receive second and third chances, according to interviews with dozens of lawyers, legal recruiters, consultants and leaders at some of the country’s largest firms.
Firms’ sole assets are lawyers and their client relationships. As demand for work from the biggest law firms has softened since the financial crisis, poaching top partners has become one of few ways to boost revenue.
Many firms ask about prior complaints in new-hire questionnaires but do nothing to vet the answers, lawyers say. Firms rarely ask partners for references at their old firm, for fear of alerting competitors a star lawyer is in play.
You can read the entire story here.
Regarding the impact that an increased Prime membership fee might have, one MNB reader wrote:
The increase in cost for Prime isn’t an issue for us. I’ll be stuck in bed for a few weeks following an upcoming medical procedure and will use every cent of that increase availing myself of the offerings on Prime.
Between that and holiday shopping, I’ve made my money back. Again.
From another reader:
You know what Amazon does KC? Keeps everybody honest, keeps them on their toes, everyday - boom!
Who raised these guys? Didn’t they have mothers and sisters and wives and daughters? How did they lose their moral compasses? Who were their fathers? What kinds of male role models did they have who persuaded them that it was okay to abuse women through the abuse of power?
If you are any sort of leader in any sort of company, it is time for you to step up and say to everyone in your organization, there is no place here for this crap. If you are a victim, here’s my email address and phone number - please get in touch with me now and help me rid this organization of the creeps who are playing this game. I am on your side. And, if you are a predator, get ready to pack your bags ands clean out your office, because there is no room for you here … and I don’t care if you are the biggest superstar in the company. You’re going to be gone, and if we can do it, we’re going to make sure you are going to be prosecuted.
Don’t forget. If living up to your moral and ethical responsibility isn’t enough to get you to do the right thing, remember that you have a fiduciary responsibility to do this. Every suit filed against your company and/or its leadership puts you at risk. You need to get in front of this.
And one more thing. if you are a leader who behaved badly in the past, do us all a favor and step down now. Because the bells of justice eventually are going to toll for you…
One MNB reader responded:
Your comments would be spot on if you had been gender neutral. Power corrupts.
To me, there is nothing gender neutral about this story. Does that mean that no woman in a position of power has ever been guilty of sexual harassment? Of course not.
But there is no equivalency here. None.
From another MNB reader:
If one is to overlook bad behavior in or organization is be complicit in such behavior-- and no longer claim to be an innocent bystander.
Agreed.
And, another MNB reader wrote:
Kevin, after reading your morning news beat today, I saw this WSJ article which highlights the legal industry turning a blind eye toward sexual harassment. Can you imagine the lawsuits from women working at different law firms if they were harassed from the same guy or guys being passed around among these law firms. As you suggest, we are only at the beginning of learning how this behavior is systemic and pervasive. It is sad to say but I think Ronan Farrow will have a job telling these stories for a very long time.
I was gobsmacked by Journal story about law firms. An excerpt:
Law firms stand out in a corporate landscape where rainmakers accused of bad behavior often receive second and third chances, according to interviews with dozens of lawyers, legal recruiters, consultants and leaders at some of the country’s largest firms.
Firms’ sole assets are lawyers and their client relationships. As demand for work from the biggest law firms has softened since the financial crisis, poaching top partners has become one of few ways to boost revenue.
Many firms ask about prior complaints in new-hire questionnaires but do nothing to vet the answers, lawyers say. Firms rarely ask partners for references at their old firm, for fear of alerting competitors a star lawyer is in play.
You can read the entire story here.
Regarding the impact that an increased Prime membership fee might have, one MNB reader wrote:
The increase in cost for Prime isn’t an issue for us. I’ll be stuck in bed for a few weeks following an upcoming medical procedure and will use every cent of that increase availing myself of the offerings on Prime.
Between that and holiday shopping, I’ve made my money back. Again.
From another reader:
You know what Amazon does KC? Keeps everybody honest, keeps them on their toes, everyday - boom!
- KC's View:
