A Creepy Janitor and a Principal Who Did Nothing

In times of crisis, should a good leader publicly admit to a problem, or try to cover it up?

That question is on my mind because of a troubling story a friend shared with me yesterday. She told me that a janitor at her kids' elementary school had been interacting in suspicious ways with young girls, including her daughter -- giving them gifts, taking their pictures, inviting them to his "office" for "one on one" time. If that isn't enough to make your skin crawl, read on.

My friend, and the parents of the other children involved, took their concerns to the school principal. But rather than instituting an immediate (and public) investigation, the principal told the parents she'd take care of things and asked them not to discuss the situation.

A week later, the janitor was still on the job, and still interacting with the kids.

So my friend called the police, who reacted as they should -- with taped interviews and a full investigation. But the investigation hit a wall when the principal allegedly stonewalled them. It's since been dropped.

Why would the principal of a school (CEO) ignore the best interests of her students and their families (stockholders) to cover up the wrongdoings of an employee? Hasn't she learned anything from the headlines these past few years?

More than ever, it's essential for strong leaders to face up to unpleasant truths and crises, make an honest (and public) assessment of the problem, apologize if and when appropriate, and take action to clean up the mess. For example, couple of years ago, JetBlue CEO David Neeleman's apology for a spate of flight cancellations following a storm saved both his company's reputation, and likely the company itself.

One of the best-known cases of successful crisis management was with Johnson & Johnson, when in 1982 some of the company's Tylenol capsules were poisoned with cyanide. The company immediately pulled its product, issued public announcements, worked closely with local and federal authorities, and developed tamper-proof packaging. It cost them a mint, but it worked; they saved lives (more tainted drugs were discovered during the investigation) and protected the company and its market share.

Was it an easy thing to do? No. But it the smart -- and more importantly, the right -- thing to do.

Trying to cover up a problem -- especially one that's potentially fatal to either a company or its customers -- is the wrong approach. This principal may be learning that the hard way. My friend told me that at least a half-dozen families are planning to transfer to a new school. The rumor mill is in full swing and the school's reputation in the community is plummeting. So is the principal's.

And you're probably wondering what happened with the creepy custodian. Shortly after the police threw in the towel on the case, the janitor left employment at the school.

He's now working at another school in a different district.

(image by Gastev via Flickr, CC 2.0)