TARGET 👀WHO APPROVED THIS? | The Leadership Debrief — Part 1

How does a controversial product make it through multiple layers of a major corporation and still reach the customer? That’s the leadership question. In Part 1 of The Leadership Debrief, I’m looking beyond the outrage surrounding the Target Halloween costume controversy and examining the organizational leadership decisions behind it. Because this isn’t just about one product. It’s about corporate decision-making, cultural competence, organizational blind spots, diversity of perspective, brand reputation, risk management, and leadership accountability. My biggest question: Who was in the room — and who wasn’t? When a product passes through concept, design, merchandising, marketing, legal, quality control, and other levels of review, leaders have to ask whether people inside the organization are empowered to challenge a decision before the customer does it for them. Diversity of perspective isn’t about checking a box. It’s about having people with different experiences and knowledge involved in decision-making — and giving them enough authority to say: “We need to take another look at this.” That is leadership. That is risk management. And that is brand protection. Watch Part 1, then come back for Part 2 because we’re going deeper: What happens when an organization removes safeguards but the risks those safeguards were designed to catch remain? What do you think: How does something like this get through an internal approval process? Drop your answer below. #LeadershipDebrief #Target #TargetControversy #Leadership #CorporateLeadership #OrganizationalLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #OrganizationalCulture #CorporateCulture #CulturalCompetence #CorporateAccountability #RiskManagement #BrandReputation #ExecutiveLeadership #BusinessLeadership