The power of shame!

All week I've been fascinated by the actions of one of our biggest retailers here in Australia.

As many of you will be aware the ACCC is taking Coles to Federal Court, alleging they deceived customers by briefly inflating prices on hundreds of products before advertising them as "Down Down" discounts, making fake sales look like genuine savings.

What happened to the power of shame? At its best, shame is a civilising force. It keeps power in check. It makes people think twice. It creates the invisible contracts that hold institutions, professions, and communities together.

Not so long ago, we used to care what people thought.

Not in a weak way. In a human way. The awareness that our actions had consequences. Social, professional, and reputational kept a quiet order. Shame, for all its baggage, was a regulator.

Things have changed - that regulator is breaking down.

Look around. The loudest figures in business, politics, and culture model something different now. Deny the obvious. Blame everyone else. Move on without apology. And watch. Nothing happens! No consequence. No reckoning. Just continuation. Often even reward. I cannot tell you how many times I shake my head in utter disbelief these days.

But remember, we model what we see. People are learning. If shamelessness works up there, why not down here?

This isn't a moral panic. It's a leadership problem.

When accountability becomes optional, when lies replace honesty, when self-preservation trumps collective responsibility cultures rot quietly from the inside. Not all at once. Meeting by meeting. Decision by decision.

So what do you do?

You don't lecture. You don't post values on the wall. You model something different. Visibly. Consistently. Uncomfortably, sometimes. You show what GOOD looks like.

You say: I got that wrong. Not: here's why it wasn't really my fault.

You say: I don't know, but here's how we'll find out. Not: everything's fine (when it clearly isn't).

You tell the truth, you show authenticity, you have respect for those you are communicating with.

In a world where shamelessness is everywhere, accountability has become rare. And rare things have power.

Shamelessness is contagious. But so is integrity.

Watch what happens when you demonstrate the new norm.