Maryland Apologizes for Football Player's Death

University of Maryland at College Park has taken responsibility for mistakes during training that caused a football player's death. During a news conference, President Wallace D. Loh said he met with the student's parents to apologize. After the investigation, Loh concluded:

"The University accepts legal and moral responsibility for the mistakes that our training-staff made on that fateful workout day." And to the parents, "You entrusted Jordan to our care, and he is never returning home again."

Such an admission is unusual and welcome in light of cover-ups and shifting blame.

As a result of this incident, the head coach was placed on leave and another coach, Rick Court, has left the university. Court had been accused of "name calling and other intimidation," according to a Chronicle report.

Some are calling for Loh's resignation as well. Trouble started with the athletics director around the same time. Loh has publicly expressed concerns about how these situations might affect his presidency:

“That’s the sad part,” he said. “I think most presidents have to hold on for dear life. Many, many presidents have not been able to bounce back.”

Discussion:

• In what ways does Loh make himself and the University vulnerable, and how might this work in their favor?
• Did Loh do the right thing? Should he resign?
• Assess Loh's news conference. What does he do well, and what could he improve?
• How well does Loh express compassion during the news conference?

Sacha Baron Cohen: Questions of Ethics and Integrity

Most famous for this Borat movies, Sacha Baron Cohen is at it again. He has a new Showtime series, "Who Is America?," and pranks mostly people with conservative political views. Impersonating something who might favor his target's position, he gets people to make embarrassing statements and do humiliating acts.

On a recent episode, Cohen convinced a gun-rights advocate to bite on a sex toy. (I didn't watch it.) Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was duped recently and wrote a scathing Facebook post, calling Cohen “evil, exploitative and sick." For her interview, Cohen impersonated someone who appeared to Palin to be a disabled war veteran.

His strategy is to make people vulnerable: by impersonating someone who appears to be a person in need or a supporter, he lowers the interviewee's defenses so they are more easily humiliated.

Cohen's stunts remind me that companies send employees to impersonate customers to get competitive data. Or maybe this is a stretch?

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Discussion:

• What's your view of Cohen's work: mean, exploitative, demeaning, clever, funny, or something else?
• Now consider his work using two frameworks: ethical decision making and integrity. How do his interviews measure up?
• What about my analogy to getting competitive data? What are the similarities and differences? Have you been asked by a company to use this tactic? Did you comply? Why or why not? It's a common practice.

Fun Funeral Ads?

Death is inevitable, and we don't like to talk about it. A UK company is trying to change that with "edgy" ads, for example, people running on a beach carrying coffins as surfboards.

The ads are causing a stir. Transport for London, which regulates the city's ads, rejected them as  potentially causing “serious and widespread offense," although officials hadn't actually seen the ads. Still, on social media, people referred to the ads as "shocking,” “vile,” “insensitive,” and “tasteless.”

The ads compare burial and cremation prices, and one offers "one-way" travel with "roasting temperatures." The ad company founder defended the approach:

“Our reluctance to talk about death is the reason funeral costs continue to spiral and why you pay far too much for writing a will or settling an estate. That’s what we seek to change.”

Discussion:

• Why do we have a difficult time talking about death?
• How would you describe the ads and the agency's strategy?
• Could the ad strategy bring about a positive change? Will the ads bring in business?
• What if these ads ran in the U.S.? How, if at all, do you think the response might differ?

Airline CEOs Defend Seat Size

American and Delta Airlines CEOs sit in small plane seats to explain the rationale and defend shrinking seat sizes. Doug Parker and Ed Bastian, both 6' 3" tall, agreed to talk to a WSJ writer, while United CEO Oscar Munoz declined.

Both CEOs say they fly coach for short trips. Bastian started a policy that Delta directors must fly coach when traveling less than three hours. Of course, as the article points out, suffering three hours in a small seat isn't quite the same as 24.

The executives say that flight amenities, such as WiFi, make up for any discomfort from smaller seats. American's Parker says that customers don't complain and that the airline hasn't "done anything that makes the main cabin product less desirable than it was before." The airlines are also focused on providing larger seats for higher fares.

Another WSJ article explains what airlines consider when making seats comfortable.

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Discussion:

• How does this story illustrate character dimensions such as compassion, vulnerability, and humility?
• Did the CEOs do the right thing by agreeing to participate in the article? What are the risks and benefits?
• Why would United CEO Oscar Munoz decline? Was this the right decision for him and the airline?
• What persuasion tactics do the CEOs use to convince us that flying coach is not so bad?
• Do you agree with the CEOs' assessments about small seats? What has been your experience?

Papa John's Founder Resigns

Papa John's founder and chairman John Schnatter resigned after using the "N-word" on a conference call. This may have been the last straw for the executive, who sparked controversy about NFL players "taking a knee" during the national anthem. Schnatter blamed league players and leadership for declining viewership he linked to declining pizza sales. Muddying the issue, Schnatter won unwanted support from some neo-Nazis.

This incident involved Laundry Service, a marketing firm that was helping Schnatter navigate future PR crises. During a role play, Schnatter said, “Colonel Sanders called blacks n-----s." His point was that the KFC chairman didn't face any backlash. A Forbes article details more of the conversation:

"Schnatter also reflected on his early life in Indiana, where, he said, people used to drag African-Americans from trucks until they died. He apparently intended for the remarks to convey his antipathy to racism, but multiple individuals on the call found them to be offensive, a source familiar with the matter said. After learning about the incident, Laundry Service owner Casey Wasserman moved to terminate the company’s contract with Papa John’s."

In a statement, Schnatter apologized: 

"News reports attributing the use of inappropriate and hurtful language to me during a media training session regarding race are true. Regardless of the context, I apologize. Simply stated, racism has no place in our society."

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Discussion:

• A Netflix executive resigned after a similar situation. What differences do you see in these two situations, and do they matter in  terms of the resulting resignations?
• Papa John's next challenge is how to distance itself from Schnatter, whose face is on the pizza boxes. Should the image be removed? Why or why not?

Women Run "As Themselves"

After years of female politicians running for office in the pantsuit uniform, we're seeing newcomers present themselves more authentically. Women on the campaign trail are wearing skinny jeans and sweaters and talk openly about their children, mental illness, and credit card debt. A New York Times article describes their approach as "vulnerability that campaign consultants have long told women to avoid."

A 29-year-old Democratic candidate for Congress says the race is "so dang personal to me," and "It's personal" is a tagline for her commercials. Other examples are showing tattoos, wearing natural hair styles, and discussing a divorce.

A 2017 study, "Modern Family: How Women Candidates Can Talk About Politics, Parenting, and Their Personal Lives," confirms the approach. Comparing tested images, the study authors conclude, "Images [should] work strike the right balance of authenticity, formality, and the interaction between the candidate and the child." According to the findings, the image on the left side "works" but the image on the right doesn't: "Images that don’t work fail because they look too staged, are too casual, and either center the child too much, or seem like the candidate is ignoring the child."

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Discussion:

• How might this approach relate to our current political environment and the MeToo Movement?
• What are the potential downsides for women using this approach on the campaign trail?
• How does this story related to women leaders in business?
• Which business writing principles of report writing does the report follow? Analyze the report organization, content, and writing style.

Analyzing Soccer Players' Body Language

Why do soccer players put their hands on their heads when they mess up, a common and seemingly universally gesture. According to Jessica Tracy, professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, it's an example of vulnerability:

“It’s going to tell others, ‘I get it and I’m sorry, therefore you don’t have to kick me out of the group, you don’t have to kill me.’”

Tracy also describes the connection between the gesture and shame: 

“You have the head in the hands — that’s shame. You have the constriction of the body, in the way that the player is moving his arms around his head, almost to make himself smaller. Those are very classical shame display elements.”

In his book, The Soccer Tribe, zoologist Desmond Morris analyzes more aspects of soccer behavior.

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Discussion:

• In what ways does the gesture illustrate the value of vulnerability? What do you see as the relationship between shame and vulnerability?
• What other behaviors have you observed in athletes? What do you think they mean?
• How does this story relate to body language in business settings? What gestures have you noticed in a work environment?

Barnes and Noble CEO Gets Fired

The Barnes and Noble board isn't giving any details about why CEO Demos Parneros was terminated. In a brief press release, the company cited "violations of the Company’s policies" and stated that the decision wasn't based on "any disagreement with the Company regarding its financial reporting, policies or practices or any potential fraud relating thereto."

However, the CEO's termination will result in a loss of severance pay, and he will no longer serve on the company board. Parneros joined Barnes and Noble in 2016 and accepted the chief position just a year ago. Given his short tenure with the company, the consequences seem reasonable.

Perhaps unusually, the statement emphasizes legal counsel:

This action was taken by the Company’s Board of Directors who were advised by the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. 

To me, this sounds unnecessary and defensive: of course a company would receive legal counsel in such a situation.

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Parneros image source.

Discussion:

• Why would the board of directors not say more about why Parneros was fired? Should they?
• What are the downsides of failing to reveal the reason for the termination?
• What are your thoughts about the statement, particularly the reference to legal counsel? Why would the board include this? Could it be self-promotional for the law firm?
• Which leadership character dimensions are illustrated by this situation? Which may be lacking?

Fewer Meetings at GE and the CEO's Reaction to the Dow

A Wall Street Journal article describes an interview with GE CEO John Flannery. GE was recently dropped from the Dow Jones Industrial Average (also called the "DJIA" or "the Dow"), an index of 30 companies on the New York Stock Exchange that, taken together, serve as a indication of the U.S. economy. Asked about the move, Flannery downplayed the impact on GE:

WSJ: How about the more recent news of being removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average? Does it mean GE has changed or is it the Dow that has changed?

Mr. Flannery: Yeah, there’s a lot of debate about that. Listen, you know being a member of the Dow is a big part of the company’s history, and I sent a note out to our teams just as that came out.

It is part of our history. It’s not going to be what defines us today or in the future. We’re going to define ourselves in the future. The teams and how we perform and how we deal with customers, how we invest in the things we do right now. That’s what writes the story for GE. The people inside the company are the people who define GE, not the people outside the company. So I’d say if anything, I certainly took it as a motivation.

During another part of the interview, Flannery discussed the company's goal of reducing meetings: "Little or no meetings wherever possible." The goal is part of a broader strategy for decentralization, moving the "center of gravity" to diverse business units.

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Discussion:

• How do you assess Flannery's response to the question about the Dow? It's a delicate situation.
• What, if any, leadership character dimensions did he demonstrate in responding to the question? 
• What is the value of decentralization? What is the value of having fewer meetings? Also consider the downsides: what could be lost when fewer meetings are held?

Email Edits at MSU

Emails at Michigan State University reveal interesting email editing regarding the controversy about Larry Nassar, the medical doctor who sexually abused hundreds of female athletes, including many during his post at the university.

The previous university president resigned, and the interim doesn't seem to be winning much support. John M. Engler drafted an email that included these statements, obtained by The Chronicle of Higher Education:

But his email was edited to the following, a watered-down apology if that:

The university continues to be criticized for a lack of empathy for survivors of the sexual abuse, and perhaps here we see an example of the administration's failures to offer a sincere apology.

While trying to keep his job, Engler did apologize for an earlier statement, implying that Nassar's first victim would probably get a "kickback" from her lawyer for encouraging others to come forward. The trustees voted to keep Engler despite the controversy.

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Discussion:

• What is the value of an apology, and what does an effective apology include?
• What is the interim president's responsibility for the final email after the editing process?
• Which leadership character failures are demonstrated by this example?

Analyzing Communications Around the USC Crisis

After the University of Southern California's president resigned last month, crisis communication experts analyzed university messaging. When a gynecologist was accused of inappropriate exams and comments over decades working for the university, 200 faculty called for President C.L. Max Nikias's resignation. Faculty wrote that they believed Dr. Nikias "has lost the moral authority to lead the University.” Although the Administration denies any type of coverup, the gynecologist was allowed to continue in his job even after many allegations in 2016. Dr. Nikias did resign.

A Wall Street Journal article chronicles the following university communications:

A May 21 statement from university Provost Michael Quick denied university leadership knew of the doctor’s improper behavior, stating: “It is true that our system failed, but it is important that you know that this claim of a cover-up if patently false.” Prior to that, the university issued statements about the matter from Mr. Nikias on May 18 and May 15, and statements from other university officials on May 15 and May 16. University administrators also are contacting students.

Criticism of the communication includes sounding defensive, not completing the investigation quickly enough, and failing to report investigation results to those affected. One writer complimented the statement by the chair of the university's executive committee.

Discussion:

• How does this situation illustrate character dimensions such as vulnerability, accountability, and integrity?
• Read the executive committee chair's statement. In what ways does the statement illustrate authenticity? What other character dimensions are illustrated?
• Assess the university's other statements. What's your assessment of each?
• What should the university do at this point to rebuild trust?

MSU's Denial as a Cultural Issue

A Chronicle of Higher Ed article blames Michigan State University's ambitions and culture for their leaders' lack of response to years of sexual abuse on campus. More than 12 people knew of complaints against physician Larry Nassar, but the abuse continued for years.

Lou Anna K. Simon's leadership is questioned in the article. Although clearly a committed leader to the university, Simon is criticized for focusing so much on "two decades of status-climbing" that a culture of denying any wrongdoing evolved. One of the trustees summed up the issue in a letter and emphasized "We must embrace our obligation to apologize and offer justice."

Apologizing may be a sore subject for the trustees because Simon avoided it in the case of Larry Nassar's victims, according to the Chronicle article:

She talked about how “it is virtually impossible to stop a determined sexual predator and pedophile, that they will go to incomprehensible lengths to keep what they do in the shadows.” She often used “regret,” “sympathize,” and “acknowledge” in her written statements, but not “apologize.” She emphasized that sexual assault is a societal problem, not a Michigan State one. She highlighted all of the steps the university had taken to prevent sexual misconduct.

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Discussion:

• Analyze the trustee's letter. What principles of business writing are followed? What are the strengths of the letter, and what could be improved?
• The trustee encourages MSU leadership to listen. What does he mean by this, and how would listening help the situation?
• What is the value of apologizing and admitting failure? What are the potential downsides, particularly for a university trying to improve its stature?
• This story illustrates several failings of leadership character. Which can you identify, and which do you think are most relevant here?

Instagram's New Bully Filter

Instagram has implemented a new technology that will not display comments considered bullying. The program, run by artificial intelligence (AI) technology, can detect “offensive and spammy” comments in English and in at least eight additional languages. Although the filter is set by default, users can "opt out" if they want to see such comments, or they can include specific words to screen out.

In an Instagram post, shown here, and in a longer post titled "Protecting Our Community from Bullying Comments," CEO and Co-Founder Kevin Systrom promised more diligence, particularly to protect young users: 

We also believe in promoting kindness — encouraging our community to support one another both on and off Instagram. On Saturday we will host a Kindness Prom to celebrate people in our community who are spreading positivity. These young leaders are inspiring their peers by helping kindness, acceptance and support grow on Instagram and in the world.

Research shows the danger of online bullying: of 2,000 middle schoolers in the study, those who experienced cyberbullying were twice as likely to attempt suicide than those who did not experience cyberbullying.

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Discussion:

• Analyze Instagram's announcement of the filter. Who are the audiences, and what are the communication objectives? How well does the message achieve those objectives?
• What's your view of Instagram's response to the problem of cyberbullying? Are the company leaders doing enough, or should they do more?
• How does this news relate to the leadership character dimension vulnerability?

Air France Grapples with Strike and CEO Resigns

Negotiations over pay aren't going well at Air France, and CEO Jean-Marc Janaillac has stepped down as a result. The last straw was a pay increase proposal that failed to win staff support. The company offered 7% increases over five years, but the union is holding out for 5.1% this year.

You may remember the last highly publicized conflict at Air France, in 2015, when employees angrily ripped clothing off two company executives after 3,000 layoffs were announced. Janaillac was appointed in 2016 to resolve the disputes, but they have continued, and investors have expressed their frustration: the stock is down 40% this year.

Air France says rising fuel prices and a strong euro will make the strikes more challenging for the airline, which managed to keep long-haul flights on schedule but cancelled about 20% of medium-haul and some short-haul flights because of staffing shortages.

In his resignation speech, Janaillac was emotional, clearly disappointed in the outcome. Unfortunately, his decision to step down didn't inspire investors, who responded by bringing the share price down another 14%.

French Prime Minister Bruno Le Maire refuses to bail out the company:

“If it doesn’t make the necessary efforts to be at the same competitive level of Lufthansa and other major airlines, it will disappear. I am not taking the money of the French and putting it in a company that isn’t at the required competitive level.”

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Image source (above).

Discussion:

• How can the airline manage through the current crisis? What type of communication could be helpful at this point?
• Janaillac put his job on the line with the latest pay proposal. Did he do the right thing by resigning? Why or why not?
• Which leadership character dimensions are at play in this situation?

MSNBC Correspondent Responds to Criticism

MSNBC Correspondent Joy Reid is trying to explain homophobic posts on her blog, which has been inactive for years:

"I genuinely do not believe I wrote those hateful things ... But I can definitely understand, based on things I have tweeted and have written in the past, why some people don't believe me."

Reid hired a security analyst to prove that her site had been hacked, saying that the breach was "part of an effort to taint my character with false information by distorting a blog that ended a decade ago.” But the investigation didn't uncover evidence. The hacking defense typically doesn't turn out well. Remember Amy's Baking Company in 2013?

On her show, "AM Joy,"  Reid apologized for past comments:

“I have not been exempt from being dumb or cruel or hurtful to the very people I want to advocate for. I own that. I did it. And for that I am truly, truly sorry.”

A Mediaite story details Reid's previous posts:

“I look back today at some of the ways I’ve talked casually about people and gender identity and sexual orientation and I wonder who that even was. But the reality is that like a lot of people in this country, that person was me.”

A Vox article acknowledges that people's views, particularly of same-sex marriage, have changed. In the end, Reid spoke about her personal development:

“The person I am now is not the person I was then. I like to think I’ve gotten better as a person over time — that I’m still growing, that I’m not the same person I was 10 or five or even one year ago. And I know that my goal is to try to be a better person and a better ally.”

Discussion:

• How could Reid have addressed the issue without the hacking defense?
• Watch Reid's video apology. How well does she handle the situation?
• People do change. Do you find Reid's comments sincere and believable? Why or why not?

More About the Starbucks Bias Situation

After the arrest of two black men in a Philadelphia store, Starbucks announced that 8,000 stores will close on May 29 for racial-bias training. But are some skeptical about the impact that one day of training will have, and the company seems to be imitating Chipotle's decision to close stores for food safety training. On the other hand, the company could have blamed the employee who called the police, a crisis communication strategy we have seem in many other situations. 

An article in the New York Times describes racial bias research in hospitality customer service and may tell us more about the incident in Philadelphia. In one study, researchers sent emails to hotels using different names that reflected gender and race, asking for restaurant recommendations. Responses indicated racial bias, as the authors describe: "Hotel employees were significantly more likely to respond to inquiries from people who had typically white names than from those who had typically black and Asian names."

In addition, researchers analyzed "politeness," for example, whether employees wrote "best" or "sincerely" before signing their name. They were more likely to use such words when responding to guests with names that sounded white, and the authors describe another finding for this group: 

They were three times as likely to provide extra information — even when the initial inquiry was just about restaurants — to white than to black or Asian people.

In addition to training, the authors suggest periodic customer service audits and consistent scripts and policies.

In a turn, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross has apologized to the two men who were arrested. In his original video, Ross defended the officers actions and said, based on a sergeant's experience at Starbucks, "they are at least consistent in their policy." But in the news conference, Ross says, "shame on me" and "I have to do better." 

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Discussion: 

• What's your view of the research about customer service at hotels? What does the research potentially say about the situation at Starbucks?
• Have you experienced bias in a customer service setting? What was the situation, and how did you handle it? 
• How well does Ross handle the apology in the news conference? How does his identity factor into his response? How does he demonstrate authenticity, vulnerability, and other leadership character dimensions?

Starbucks Apologizes, Again

Two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks. Witnesses say they were just waiting for a friend and asked to use the restroom. The reason for calling the police seemed to be the same: that they were just waiting for friend. But because they didn't order anything, they were asked to leave and did not. Other customers say this is common at Starbucks, and the only reason the police were called was because the two men were black.

The company, at first, gave a weak apology using unclear pronoun references (see "this" and "these"). A longer apology came from the CEO Kevin Johnson later. In the statement, he identified steps the company would take and closed with this paragraph:

Finally, to our partners who proudly wear the green apron and to customers who come to us for a sense of community every day: You can and should expect more from us.  We will learn from this and be better.

Johnson also posted an apology video.

In a video statement, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross explained the situation from his point of view and defended the officers' actions. He also said that all officers get implicit bias training and gave an example of a police sergeant who was also denied access to a Starbucks bathroom. Ross's conclusion was that "they are at least consistent in their policy." Of course, not everyone agrees.

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Discussion:

• Analyze Johnson's statement. Who are his primary and secondary audiences? What are his communication objectives, and how well did he achieve them?
• What organizational strategy does Johnson's statement illustrate? How do you assess his tone and writing style?
• What is an unclear pronoun reference, and how are they used in the first apology?
• What's your view of the situation? Did Starbucks do wrong? If so, at what point(s)? Are you boycotting Starbucks, as some promote, as a result?
• Which leadership character dimensions are illustrated by this example?

"Nut Rage": The Sequel

You may remember the so-called "nut rage" incident at Korean Airlines in 2015, when a company executive became enraged about how macadamia nuts were served on a flight. Cho Hyun-ah, a daughter of the company chairman, threw a document at the head flight attendant, forced him to kneel and apologize, and ordered the plane back to the gate so the flight attendant could be removed. Cho didn't know that the rules had changed: nuts were served in the bag instead of on a plate, as she expected, because of nut allergies. In February of this year, a Washington Post article details how the flight attendant has suffered since the incident. 

At the same, people were incensed by what they considered entitlement of the chaebol families, who run Korea's powerful conglomerates. Some believe they act as if they are "above the law," and this situation was symbolic of that criticism. 

This week, Cho's younger sister, Hyun-min, is criticized for losing her temper during a marketing department meeting. Some say she threw water at an employee's face, but the airline reports that she threw it on the floor.

Either way, unlike her sister, Hyun-min immediately apologized via text message to the employee and on her personal Facebook page: “I apologize with my head down for my foolish and reckless behavior."

Discussion:

• How else should the company respond to this incident? What should executives have learned from the 2015 situation? 
• How could you relate this incident to communication and character issues such as civility in the workplace, conflict management, and humility? 

Volkswagen Replaces Chairman

Three years after the emissions scandal, Volkswagen is replacing another chairman. Matthias Müller replaced Martin Winterkorn, who was ousted soon after the news broke in 2015. But Müller was another insider and hasn't led the turnaround the board expected.

Like Winterkorn, Müller struggled with public relations. During a 2016 NPR interview, Müller claimed the company misunderstood the American environmental law: “We didn’t lie. We didn’t understand the question [at] first.” After much criticism, VW’s communications department asked for another interview, which was granted. He delivered a better apology but blamed the first interview on “all these colleagues of yours and everybody shouting.” In other words, it was noisy. 

As is customary in corporate change announcements, Chairman of the Supervisory Board Hans Dieter Pötsch spoke positively about the outgoing executive:

“Matthias Müller has done outstanding work for the Volkswagen Group. He assumed the chairmanship of the Board of Management in the fall of 2015 when the Company faced the greatest challenge in its history. Not only did he safely navigate Volkswagen through that time; together with his team, he also fundamentally realigned the Group’s strategy, initiated cultural change and, with great personal commitment, made sure that the Volkswagen Group not just stayed on track but is now more robust than ever before. For that, he is due the thanks of the entire Company.”

The new chairman, Dr. Herbert Diess, offers more hope. Diess joined the board in 2015 and is known for having conflicts with the union and for cost-cutting. He may shake up the status quo at VW and inspire real action. The company has aggressive plans, including building greener cars—for real this time.

Image source (VW cover).
Image source (Diess).

Discussion:

• Assess the company's statement about this change. Who are the primary and secondary audiences? What are the communication objectives? How well does the statement meet those objectives?
• Why do these statements typically include positive quotes about outgoing executives, even if they are asked to leave or, as this statement indicates, they leave "by mutual agreement"?
• What lessons do you think Volkswagen learned since the scandal?
• Why would the board appoint someone who is considered divisive?

Mariah Carey Talks About Having Bipolar Disorder

In 2001, singer Mariah Carey learned she had bipolar disorder, and now she is admitting it to the world. In an People magazine cover story, Carey talks about her initial denial and her decision to open up about her diagnosis:

“Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me. It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn’t do that anymore. I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love — writing songs and making music.”

“I’m just in a really good place right now, where I’m comfortable discussing my struggles with bipolar II disorder. I’m hopeful we can get to a place where the stigma is lifted from people going through anything alone. It can be incredibly isolating. It does not have to define you and I refuse to allow it to define me or control me.”

Bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive disorder, affects about 5.7 million adults in the U.S., which is about 2.6% of the population.

Reactions to the news seem mostly positive, with comments such as this on Twitter:

This story reminds me of a TedX talk, "Everyone Is Hiding Something" about a woman's struggle with an eating disorder.

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Discussion:

• What are the potential personal and professional consequences to Mariah Carey of going public with her diagnosis?
• What do you hide about yourself that might be useful for others to know?
• What is the value of admitting personal struggles in the workplace?
• How does Mariah Carey's story demonstrate leadership character dimensions, such as courage, compassion, authenticity, and vulnerability?