You will never stop sexual harassment without this…

Leaders are scrambling to address the recent epidemic of sexual harassment allegations––and no organization is immune.

Most of them will fail––badly. Here’s why…

The first response is to develop and implement new policies. This is understandable and in most cases, futile. Most organizations already have some kind of code of conduct, yet accusations continue to surface daily.

• People continue to behave badly.

• Other people cover for the bad actors or simply don’t report abuse.

• Victims and targets remain silent.

• And leaders trivialize or ignore reports and obvious signs and sweep many cases under the proverbial rug.

Why?

Courage––or more to the point––the lack of it.

Think about it. Why do so many abusers get away with it for so long? Why is that once a situation finally surfaces, there are so often multiple witnesses who suddenly reveal that they’ve known about the behavior for some time? Why were so many people willing to excuse or minimize rumors and reports for so long?

Fear. Lack of courage.

Without courage, you may as well take your new code of conduct and distribute it on toilet paper rolls in your organization’s rest rooms.

So who is afraid? And why?

Courage is not the absence of fear. The absence of fear is stupidity. Courage is your ability to act in spite of fear. Courage is your willingness to do what needs to be done in the face of fear.

The victim or target of an abuser may certainly be afraid. This makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?