So what can we learn from the Duke University Lacrosse players where the charges of first-degree rape were recently dropped? And how can we apply these lessons to our own business and the people within them?
Whether you think it happened or didn't... Whether you think it's a racial incident or not... Whether you think it's blown out of proportion or not, one thing is certain - several things happened and most of them were not good. This cannot be blown off as 'Boys will be boys.' C'mon, that excuse has been used. Give me one better excuse why you can't be better than what you might be seeing around you? That’s like saying that “everyone cheats in business—it’s the only way to get ahead!" I think it’s just amazing that those that use these excuses are the ones making the poor choices and are always trying to get others to lower the bar to where they are.
The actions of these 'boys' were disgusting at best. I say “boys” because men would have known better and men would have done something to intervene. I'm not naive to think that University students will have these types of parties but has it really dropped to the level that NONE of the 47 players ever stepped up and said, "This is getting out of control - we need to stop this right now" Another thing for sure is that we can all learn that there is no good that is going to come from hiring strippers, drinking (and you know many were into drunking) and a bunch of people hanging out in a house where no one was in charge. Maybe the lesson here is "Don't raise your daughters to become strippers and don't raise your sons to hire strippers." When trouble arises, and you know it will, the stripper has no credibility and the ones who hired her don't either. Isn't that what were seeing right now?
Take this into the business world and you can see many situations where we need to step up to the plate and confront behaviors that we know are just not right. Sexual harassment, inappropriate or foul language, racial slurs, or various forms of business cheating or theft need to be confronted. Standing by and brushing it off as “business as usual” or “this is just typical around here” is just one more way that evil tries to rear it’s ugly head in an attempt to lower the bar. Once a unethical choice is made and no one confronts it, that choice sets the bar. That bar will be raised or lowered as determined by those around it.
Don’t think for a minute that the actions of these Duke Lacrosse players were their first poor choice made. We all can't be that naive. But whenever that first point occurred, where players were either saying or doing things that we all know are not right, the other people who were standing around within ear shot or eye shot had an opportunity to shut that behavior down. Unfortunately, they all failed their opportunity to pass the pop quiz of character.
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