By David Harder on December, 14, 2018

We See You – Episode Deux

“The truths sets us free but at first, it will piss us off.”

Attributed to a wide variety of sources.

Many of us are worried that criminal and egregious behavior is becoming normalized within our culture. But, from the measurements we typically use, that just isn’t the case. What is revolutionary, however, is that all of us see it.

Meet the Transparency Revolution.

If you have any doubts about its power, here are a few nominations in each category, all from 2018:

Sexual Assault

Bill Cosby, Les Moonves, Michael Weatherly (a very late entry), Charlie Rose, Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein, Larry Nassar, Al Franken, Dr. George Tyndail, Roger Ailes, Bill Shine, Bill O’Reilly, and thousands of cast extras.

Organizational Scandal

CBS, Fox News, The White House, Uber, United Airlines, Wells Fargo, the University of Southern California, Cambridge Analytica, Johnson & Johnson, Volkswagen, Theranos, Facebook, and more.

CEO Malfeasance

Virtually every listed organization can look to its leadership for the scandals. But, special recognition belongs to Elizabeth Holmes, who ripped off the medical industry, her investors and many of her employees.

CEO Humor

Outside of his investors, Elon Musk smoking pot and complaining about his own future, merits a smile and one mention.

Criminal Behavior in and around our Government

Paul Manefort, Michael Cohen, Michael Flynn, David Pecker, and many others are striking plea deals and getting carted off to prison. This past year, hundreds of potlical leaders were shown the door and both dominant parties contributed to the cause.

It would be easy to think our country is in the midst of a slime tidal wave. But, the truth is far more potent and impacts all of us.

What we are witnessing is a watershed change in our culture where there is no privacy, there are no safe places to hide, and we are surrounded by millions of journalists ready to take a picture of anything that catches their attention. The transparency revolution will not slow down it will only grow. Why not become used to that? Why are we struggling with normalizing bad behavior? Perhaps our systems are getting exposed to so much that we have run out of room to absorb more news.

The Transparency Revolution will prove to be one of this decade’s great turning points.

It can even be fun. Last Friday, we decided to pick up a Christmas Tree. The only practical car we have for that journey is a BMW convertible. By putting the roof down, we stick the tree out the back and one of us holds onto it. At the tree lot, a woman laughed and took a picture. Later that day, I saw it online from someone I’ve never met with the caption, “Only in Los Angeles.”

Over time, we will find the transparency revolution as one of the great forces that change individual and organizational behavior.

Glassdoor and Indeed provide job seekers with feedback about what it is like to work at virtually any organizations that hire people. We’ve seen hiring managers online complaining they can’t find talent because these resources have too much negative feedback. But dude, there is no shortcut to success, become a better place to work.

Systemic corruption, such as Wells Fargo’s predatory behavior toward customers and employees, ought to be in the light. The good news? That light will grow brighter every single day.

One of the organizations mentioned in this article has had 16 different human resource organizations. Consider the turf protection and lack of oversight that can poison one of the nation’s bigger employers until scandals threaten its future to the core.

This light shining on all of us isn’t bad. It will force revolutionary improvements in how we behave, work, and communicate. The Transparency Revolution is catching sexual predators more quickly, it is shedding light on organizational practice, and it is changing the world.

What is the lesson here?

Live with nothing to hide.
Run your organization with the doors open and the lights on.

Loss of privacy? That is a good thing. But, regardless of how anyone feels about it, the seismic shift has already happened and the resulting wave will only grow.

As the world gets more crowded and information flies more quickly every day, becoming good individual and corporate citizens of this world is no longer a luxury, it is a requirement for a bright future.

Brought to you by David Harder, President – Inspired Work, Inc.

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