Penn State: Lessons on Accountability, Leadership and Responsibility

I sent the following email message to my team a few weeks ago:

Good evening, colleagues!

Please print this article and bring it with you to our next team meeting.

Thank you!

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2011/1107/Did-Penn-State-officials-ignore-sexual-abuse-allegations

Our team discussion was a great one. All of us agreed that the situation was tragic. We were disappointed that the plight of the victims was not a prominent part of the media coverage. Most importantly, all of us agreed that many so-called leaders failed when they did not report the allegations to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

During the discussion, I:

• Thanked my team for being high-performance
• Thanked them for adhering to morals and values
• Made it clear what I expect from them in terms of accountability, leadership and responsibility

Fortunately, I have been communicating these expectations since my first day on the job. The Penn State situation, unfortunately, was a way for me to reaffirm those expectations.

If you are interested in facilitating a discussion with your team about accountability, leadership and responsibility, here are some questions to get you started:

1. What are your thoughts about this situation?
2. What does it tell us about accountability?
3. How can other leaders use this situation for good?
4. If you were the graduate assistant mentioned in the article, how would you have handled the situation?
5. If you were the athletic director mentioned in the article, how would you have handled the situation?
6. If you were the vice president mentioned in the article, how would you have handled the situation?
7. Who else is responsible for this situation? Should they be punished? If so, how?

Have you discussed the Penn State situation with your team? How did it go?