July 2010 Feature

Monthly Lessons in Leadership from the Daily News

For more frequent updates, subscribe to my blog at www.blog.davidsonleadership.com

Shirley Sherrod Showcases

Management Mistakes, Misdeeds, and Meltdowns

Who says the federal government moves slowly? Under the right conditions it can move at light speed but, this time, in the wrong direction.

Fueled by a toxic soup of politics, racism, the blogosphere, hyperbole, the 24-hour news cycle and overreaction, USDA Executive Shirley Sherrod was chased down on her Blackberry and fired at record speed on July 19. A blogger had just posted a carefully selected clip of a speech she gave months earlier to the NAACP, and in “getting ahead of the story,” her managers swiftly threw her under the bus. The reason was her apparently racist remarks and, according to Ms. Sherrod, her plans to appear on the Glenn Beck TV program that evening.

Now we know that Ms. Sherrod’s remarks had been (1) deviously edited, (2) shamefully promoted out of context as racist, and (3) accepted at face value by people and organizations who should have known better. The score of mistakes (still unfolding) will be fodder for case studies on leadership for decades, so we might as well start now.

Mistakes vs. Misdeeds

To begin with, it is critical that leaders and stakeholders understand the difference between “mistakes” and “misdeeds” in order to form more correct opinions, assign appropriate consequences, and promote learning. “Mistakes” are understandable oversights, miscues or missteps that have short-term or minimal consequences, and they offer opportunities for learning.  “Misdeeds,” on the other hand, are conscious decisions with avoidable, serious, or long-term consequences that are likely to derail careers.

Without this lens, those who make honest mistakes in the course of learning and developing are unfairly punished (and discouraged from taking necessary risks), and those who commit misdeeds are let off the hook prematurely (before suffering appropriate consequences). Using this framework, the cast of characters looks like this.

Cast of Character Assassinations

Shirley Sherrod addressed an NAACP banquet on March 27, 2010, sharing examples from her life and a story about how her childhood affected her decisions as an adult, what she learned, and why she advocates “working together” now. Her withholding help to a white farmer 24 years ago was ultimately a mistake (not a misdeed) because it was understandable in the context of her life experience and was used as an opportunity for learning and development.

Andrew Breitbart, reportedly receiving a video clip of Ms. Sherrod’s speech from an as yet undisclosed source, posted it on his blog, lighting the fuse on a firestorm. A political activist, Breitbart used the blogosphere to promote a one-sided view of the speech, advance his political agenda, and gain personal notoriety at the expense of Ms. Sherrod. Whether outright deceit or more-than-willing pawn, his actions qualify as a misdeed (not a mistake). Breitbart has made no worthy apology.

Tom Vilsack, USDA Secretary, is reported to have read a video transcript of the edited speech and decided to summarily fire Ms. Sherrod. His judgment was based on the partial content of the speech, yet he directed a subordinate, USDA Deputy Under Secretary Cheryl Cook, to obtain her resignation within hours and cut off any possibility that she might go on television that evening as an employee of the USDA. His decision was rash and derailed careers. Mr. Vilsack’s action was a misdeed (not a mistake) because in his position he should have gathered the facts and followed the basic principles of due diligence. Mr. Vilsack has since apologized and offered a new position to Ms. Sherrod at the USDA, but he has not resigned and she has not accepted.

Ben Jealous, NAACP President, denounced Ms. Sherrod outright, also basing his opinion on the edited video and later claiming to have been “snookered” by Fox News (even though the full recording of the event was in the possession of the NAACP). Like Vilsack, Mr. Jealous is guilty of a misdeed (not a mistake) because he should have known better, should have taken more time to investigate the information, and shifted blame for his own actions.

Bill O’Reilly, Fox News Commentator, called for Ms. Sherrod’s resignation before the first day was done, echoing many of the same premature sentiments and accusations of racism. O’Reilly was one of several TV personalities and a score of bloggers who picked up on and promoted the edited version without proper vetting. Even though he apologized for not doing his “homework,” his humility was short-lived and his apology made hollow by a new criticism of Ms. Sherrod in virtually the same breath. Mr. O’Reilly is also guilty of a misdeed (not a mistake) because he should have known better, especially since the same kind of deception was used against him in 2007.

As a leader, it’s your job to learn from your mistakes and build a learning organization. In the inexact art of leadership, honest mistakes will happen. When they do, they need to be admitted, examined, and used as healthy learning opportunities. When mistakes cross the line to misdeeds, they should be identified as such, not just to ensure proper consequences are assigned, but to protect a climate where mistakes are allowed and properly utilized for learning and leadership development.