BOSTON, MA - We all have our favorite TV shows. I happen to love Boston Legal.
It's part drama, part social commentary, part comedy and a huge dose of zany, wacky farce.
Denny Crane is the Chief Executive Farce. He's by far my favorite character, and I can't imagine anyone playing him better than William Shatner. His lightening-quick humor and razor-sharp jabs that come out of left field combine to make him, in my view, the funniest character on network television.
If you watch the show, you know the character. If you don't, I'll sum it up in one long, run-on sentence:
Denny Crane is an aging partner in a Boston law firm who's completely lost touch with reality, openly chases every skirt in the office (clients included), has slept with many and brags about it to anyone who'll listen, puts the firm at risk each week by violating every ethical code of workplace conduct, routinely embarrasses himself, the other partners and the firm, has an ego bigger than Boston's Fenway Park, has pulled a gun and shot two people for ridiculous reasons, has been arrested more times than some of the firm's seedier clients, is allowed to stay because his name is on the door, and in last night's episode fired a junior lawyer because she's fat, told her so, and then hurled no less than 8 to 10 demeaning "size" insults at her while doing it. (Whew, I need air.)
The character is masterfully written and brilliantly acted. I tip my hat to the writers and Shatner.
Leadership: What it's not.
You may be wondering: How can a steward of high integrity leadership and frequently speak out against the liars, cheats and thieves. So how can you love a leader who's a disgusting slug like Denny Crane?
Great question. Simple answer. Because for 60 minutes I tune out reality, put the real world aside, and enjoy pure fantasy. It's Hollywood at its entertaining best. (And that's the ONLY part of it I like.) Same reason I love Homer Simpson even though he's a certified, card-carrying buffoon.
It's entertainment. A funny and temporary escape from the real issues of the day, something to laugh my fool head off at.
But the other part of the Denny Crane character? Well, that's my target for today.
Leadership Lessons For You:
Now let's put fantasy aside and re-engage the real world.
Truth is, there really are some Denny Cranes running around in leadership positions. I hope not as lecherous and despicable as the TV character, but yes, possessing several of his not-so-admirable qualities.
Denny Crane on TV is funny. But in your company, he's anything but. He's a boil on your hind end. A lawsuit waiting to happen. A horrible example you don't want any of your other leaders to see, let alone imitate. He's the worst possible person to occupy a position of high authority. In short, he's cancer to an ethical organization.
And an even bigger crime than his behavior itself is when there are no consequences for his atrocities and he is allowed to stay. All because he's the owner, a partner, and has his name on the door. So the other partners make excuses for him. Give him a free pass. Scold him gently behind closed doors but take no real action to end his unacceptable and illegal behavior. Making them just as guilty as he is.
Other employees in the firm are seldom shown, so we don't see how they're impacted. But it's no mystery that they would be disgusted about a partner who is continually allowed to violate every principle the firm stands for.
Yes, I've got a real problem with leaders who let their fellow leaders get away with murder. Not just partners, but anyone up and down the line who occupies a position of authority -- owners, CEOs, senior execs, managers, supervisors, team captains, department heads, and so on. To see infractions and do nothing about them, is to be an accomplice.
Like the leaders at Enron, who got away with their illegal shenanigans for a long time before someone finally blew the whistle. Or any manager who won't deal with offenders and draw the line.
And the most heinous of all: a parent who knows the other parent is abusing the kids, yet does nothing, says nothing, tells no one.
Responsible, ethical leaders step up and do what's right. One of any leader's chief obligations is to ensure that leadership throughout the organization is of the highest integrity at all times. Anyone unwilling to walk that line should rip the stripes off his own sleeve and clean out his desk.
The Denny Crane on Boston Legal is funny because he's fiction. But when I turn off the TV and go to bed, I don't want to wake up in the morning and find him working in my company.
Got a Denny Crane at your place? What will you do?
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Rick Houcek, President Soar With Eagles, Inc. To subscribe to his newsletter, please visit Soar with Eagles.com and fill in your name and email address in the upper left of the home page.
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