We’ve spent the last month examining the corporate cons, the disingenuous apologies, the utter lack of follow-up — but as the leaves turn and the weather cools, we want to reflect back, to understand what we’ve learned about how companies can do better. Hope, after all, springs eternal, and there are at least some shining examples for us to look to.
Take Airbnb. When incidents started cropping up regarding discriminatory Airbnb hosts, Airbnb took ownership of the problem. They could have easily shunted it off as “not their fault.” Instead, they took a different approach. Read this statement from Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky:
“Discrimination is the opposite of belonging, and its existence on our platform jeopardizes this core mission. Bias and discrimination have no place on Airbnb, and we have zero tolerance for them. Unfortunately, we have been slow to address these problems, and for this I am sorry. I take responsibility for any pain or frustration this has caused members of our community. We will not only make this right; we will work to set an example that other companies can follow.”
Ahem—”I am sorry”?! “I take responsibility”?! From a CEO?!
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To hear more of my thoughts on this, head over to my article on LinkedIn to read the full post.
