How: Dov Seidman April 13, 2010, 3:53PM EST

Inspirational Shame in the Era of Behavior

If being publicly called out on less than admirable actions results in our feeling an obligation to do better, I'm all for it, writes Dov Seidman

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"Shame on you."

We can expect to hear that inspirational phrase more often now that we've entered what I call the Era of Behavior—a time when what we do and how we do it is under greater scrutiny and is essential to our ability to succeed in business and in life. And, yes, I do believe shaming can be inspirational.

The notion that we are in the Era of Behavior strikes me as ever more important as we continue to grapple with our economic and climate crises—both of which, in the simplest of terms, are caused by the way we have been behaving. It's no surprise that this year's World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos addressed these crises by making behavior—or more specifically, values-based behavior—a prominent aspect of its agenda, framed by the theme of how we "rethink, redesign, and rebuild" so we can better realize the mission of "Improving the State of the World." In fact, a global opinion poll conducted by WEF before this year's event finds that more than two-thirds of 130,000 respondents believe that the current economic crisis also qualifies as a crisis of ethics and values.

The worldwide global demand for all things sustainable—consumption, relationships, business, financial returns, light bulbs, etc.—boils down to sustainable values. In contrast to situational values, which are about the "here and now," sustainable values are about "here and forever." Sustainable values will inspire behaviors that are aligned with consistently living the principles that create long-term success. Situational values will create behaviors that are about pragmatically exploiting short-term opportunities.

Our ability to survive and thrive depends on individuals, organizations, communities, and countries behaving in a way that embodies sustainable values rather than in a way that reflects situational values.

Offering mortgage loans of appropriately size to first-time home buyers with sound credit histories at fair yet profitable rates represents a behavior arising from a sustainable value: We will thrive over the long-term by providing the right products at the right profit point to the right customers.

Shaming Inspires

When President Obama recently admonished banking leaders for considering record bonuses following the financial crisis they helped create (and which of course required a taxpayer bailout), he referred to them as "fat cats." This shaming represents an example of inspirational leadership. The President was telling banking leaders that their behavior was beneath how a responsible banker—and a responsible human being—would behave. And he was seeking to reconnect them with sustainable values by telling them they should know better.

Examples of inspirational shaming exist outside the realm of the financial services industry as well. National Public Radio recently ran a story on companies being "named and shamed" for their bad behavior. One of the companies NPR highlighted was the Rockmore Co., a Massachusetts ferry company. Following pleading guilty in a criminal case, the company ran an advertisement in The Boston Herald that read: "Our company has discharged human waste directly into coastal Massachusetts waters. We sincerely apologize for contaminating the coastal waterways of Massachusetts. … For these actions we have we have paid a steep fine and have pleaded guilty to criminal charges. We are sorry."

The advertisement, along with a hefty fine, represents the court-ordered punishment the Rockmore Co. received after its plea. In levying this punishment, the court forced the company to take responsibility for "here and now" values.

If it sounds counterintuitive that shaming is inspirational, consider: The behavior of shaming is actually rooted in values. When a mother shames a child by saying, "Don't eat like a pig," what she is really saying is, "Don't behave less than a human being should behave."