No Mercy / No Malice: Enablers

Cultural Numbness

Organizations often develop a culture that tolerates unethical behavior by leaders, as George Hahn explains. This cultural numbness arises when enablers justify the missteps of powerful figures due to their past successes, creating an environment where abnormal behavior becomes normalized 1. Hahn highlights how figures like Picasso and Steve Jobs are mythologized, with their excesses seen as features rather than flaws. This mythologizing allows leaders to remove guardrails, with enablers seeing criticism of the leader as criticism of themselves 1.

The powerful skirt guardrails and remove them altogether with enablers for enablers, criticism of the leader, no matter how justified, feels like criticism of the followers who've accepted his behavior.

--- George Hahn

This dynamic fosters a culture where shamelessness becomes a leader's superpower, drawing followers who conflate malformed behavior with leadership 1.

   

Accountability Challenges

Holding powerful figures accountable is fraught with challenges due to their influence and visibility. Scott Galloway discusses how society's idolatry of innovators leads to a belief that they are above criticism and the law 2. This idolatry creates a culture where constraints are seen as hindrances rather than necessary checks on power. Hahn notes that enablers play a critical role in this dynamic, as their inaction allows leaders to override guardrails and engage in unethical behavior 1.

The idolatry of innovators leads to the misguided notion that people, usually men of great achievement, usually in tech, should not be criticized, are not bound by a code of ethics and are above the law.

--- Scott Galloway

This lack of accountability is detrimental to society and ultimately to the innovators themselves, as it fosters a culture of cronyism over genuine talent 2.