Tribal Values Matter…Even In Hollywood

Last December, when Sony was hacked and their emails revealed, I went out on a limb with a prediction that the individuals in leadership at Sony would not survive in their positions. This prediction was reported in the Hollywood Reporter and LA Times. In a second interview for the Hollywood Reporter, I said that I still doubted the people at Sony would survive long-term, but because North Korea hacked the company, issues of cyberterrorism were brought up. No one wants to see a victim of terrorism suffer. However, the fact remained that too much damage had been done for them to continue in their leadership positions.

This morning, Amy Pascal announced her resignation.

The point here is that tribal values matter. The many emails released violated tribal values in the entertainment industry, which publicly prides itself on being open-minded and progressive. It’s no surprise that individuals are mean-tempered with each other and use offensive language, but the tone of the emails meant that key relationships would not survive the disclosure, and so neither would the careers of the individuals who made the unfortunate comments.

The lesson for us, as leaders, is to really get to know the values of the communities you lead. Don’t violate them, ever. Not even in privileged conversations over media you think are secure. You also need to be grounded in your values. You can learn about them by accessing a free tool from CultureSync, called Mountains & Valleys.

Finally, I hope we’ll remember that one uniquely American value is second chances and redemption. We all make mistakes. I personally hope everyone will come away from this incident made stronger. Our electronic communication systems need to be made more secure. Our leaders need to stay within the values of the communities they lead. And we all make mistakes, and should be given the chance to learn, grow, and change.