Case: Managing Bad Behavior  

Leader: Jack Jacobs

Topic: Making Ethical Decisions

Reference: Medal of Honor Leadership Series

Case Challenge

Taking on a new leadership position, an Army Officer must decide whether or not to replace a well-respected, senior leader who comes to work drunk.

Summary

Stepping into a new leadership role as a platoon leader with no real experience, Jacobs must weigh the pros and cons of replacing a senior leader and advisor who comes to work drunk.  Realizing the implications of tolerating a senior leader who is breaking the regulations and exhibiting bad behavior, Jacobs must take action that others around him have avoided.  Jacobs decides to fire the drunk leader and manage the consequences with his leadership and new platoon.

Context

This situation is the first challenge Jack Jacobs must face as a young officer taking command in the U.S. Army.  By taking action he risks backlash from his company officer and his troops by firing a decorated, combat leader in spite of his bad behavior.  Jack later went on to lead through a range of challenges he would face in the combat zone.  Jacobs is a Medal of Honor recipient, having received this prestigious award for his acts of valor in Vietnam.  The Congressional Medal of Honor is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor.  

Jack later retired from the Army and became a business financial leader, nonprofit advisor, philanthropist, and professor. 

Case Design

These leadership cases are designed to be discussed in a group so that divergent viewpoints can be debated. This enables participants to broaden their perspectives and gain insights into the values and instincts that drive decision- making. Each video pauses to allow for discussion at key points in the leader’s presentation. 

Keep in Mind

The cases do not always provide the correct or ideal solution. Rather, they present one person’s experiences and judgment based on the circumstances faced at the time. Some critical facts may also have been unintentionally omitted. 

Facilitation Tips 

To help create a trusting, open atmosphere:

• Establish ground rules for the discussion, such as setting up a safe space
• Feedback should not be personal but directed at behavior
• Encourage participants to state and defend his or her opinion
• Refocus participants by raising broad questions and themes
• Reassure your group that leadership is an art that can be learned through practice, feedback, and experience
• In closing, provide a theoretical context for the discussion and takeaway lessons

Teaching Insight - Leadership Background Content: Recognizing Bad Behavior as a Signal for Jeopardizing Team Culture, Confidence, and Trust

Building an ethical culture in an organization is critical for inspiring confidence and trust with direct reports.  A strong culture of trust is especially important in this military combat team which must face great risks and make sacrifices based on orders given by the leadership.  As a result, senior leaders must be trustworthy and exhibit consistent behaviors to build a culture of respect and honor.  Since senior leaders predominantly define the culture, it is essential to ensure the senior leadership consistently behaves well and makes good decisions, regardless of temptations.  Ethical decisions must be made when the culture of an organization is at risk through bad behavior or individuals succumbing to temptations.  When factors influencing culture present themselves, a leader's vision, values, and grit are tested since taking action may be problematic and even more damaging than not taking action.  As a result, weighing the pros and cons of addressing ethical dilemmas must be weighed and managed.  This video case is about a young leader who faces a tough decision that has the potential to jeopardize the underlying values and culture of his team, bringing to question whether or not this is a leader others will want to follow.

Video Segment 1 

Background and Challenge: Taking on a new leadership position in the Army, Jack Jacobs must decide whether or not to replace a well-respected, senior leader who comes to work drunk.

Discussion Questions:

Ask these questions to the class at large or to particular students.  Encourage everybody to participate by seeking a variety of different opinions.

1. What do you think of the options that Jacobs is considering regarding his platoon sergeant: (1) ignore it and work around him, or (2) fire him? What other options could he have considered? (Note: He could have tried to get him help, give him a chance with a reprimand, coach him, or move him to another organization.)
2. What is the disadvantage of soliciting ideas from his commanding officer or peers before proceeding with a decision? 
3. Have you ever faced a similar dilemma where the backlash of taking action might outweigh the issues of living with the bad behavior?

Video Segment 2 

Decision: Rather than tolerating the bad behavior of the senior leader, Jacobs decides to fire him.

Discussion Questions:

Ask these questions to the class at large or to particular students.  Encourage everybody to participate by seeking a variety of different opinions.

1. Do you think the risks of tolerating bad behavior outweigh the risks of opening up a breach between Jacobs and his boss as well as having no platoon sergeant for a while?  Explain your answer.
2. When Jacobs calls his company commander and tells him he is firing his platoon sergeant, he risks embarrassing the company commander and first sergeant who had tolerated the bad behavior.  Is there anything you would say or do differently to manage this situation with his boss?
3. Do you agree with Jacobs when he says that if he does not relieve (fire) his platoon sergeant, “They will not have any respect for me.  I won’t be able to get them to do anything they want to do, let anyone do anything they do not want to do.”  Explain your answer.  
4. Jacob says that after making the decision “The unit was completely different.” Why do you think this was the case? Explain why decisions of this sort are so important for setting the culture.
5. Would the impact of not taking action regarding the drunk platoon sergeant be the same for Jack if he worked in another industry or organization? (Note: consider the importance of culture and behavior for Army platoons in combat.)

Video Segment 3 

Results: Jacobs relieved the platoon sergeant yet gained the admiration and loyalty of his soldiers.  He signaled to his soldiers he takes bad behavior seriously while gaining their admiration and loyalty, along with the admiration of his boss, the company commander who admitted he may not have the courage to do the same thing.

Results Discussion Questions:

Ask these questions to the class at large or to individual students.  Encourage everybody to participate by seeking a variety of different opinions.

1. Why do you think that by firing the platoon sergeant Jack was able to gain the soldiers’ admiration and loyalty?
2. Why does Jack say he created a completely “different” unit when he removed the burden of the drunk platoon sergeant?
3. How could people “not rise up to their full potential” with the drunk sergeant still in the platoon?
4. Do you agree with Jack when he says “you cannot win wars” by tolerating bad behavior? Explain your answer and how this might apply to other industries (e.g. winning market share, etc.)

Lessons Learned:

• Sometimes you have to dig your heels in and do something no matter how painful it might be.  
• By ignoring a bad situation, you live in a world of “polite fiction” which will come back to bite you in the backside.  You must take action right away and get rid of the problem.
• We all do the wrong thing from time to time. We've all done the wrong thing, and by the way, we're gonna do them again. But every time we do something wrong, we know it's the wrong thing to do when we're doing it. And if we tell ourselves it's the only option, the only person we are fooling is ourselves.
• When you know the right thing to do, you must take action and manage the consequences.

Lessons Learned Discussion Questions:

1. Do you agree with the lessons learned here? (Note: An instructor will need to mention the above lessons learned.)
2. What is the danger of living in a world of “polite fiction”?
3. When would doing the right thing be more problematic than managing the consequences?

Considerations

The lessons shared by this leader are based on his own experiences. These lessons are not necessarily substantiated by academic research but are shared to spark consideration and insight.