NBC’s plans to return late night host Jay Leno to the 10:35 pm CST spot while pushing co-worker Conan O’Brien back a half hour to 11:05 pm has caused quite a ruckus – creating good entertainment all in its own right. In fact, who needs to tune into the Tonight Show for a laugh when Conan issues a statement addressed to “People of Earth.” His statement continued, “In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me.” Blah, blah, blah.

 Well, I don’t feel sorry for Conan. NBC owns the Tonight Show property and they can pretty much do with it want they want. However, I do feel sorry for the other employees that must work in this mess.

 It’s no laughing matter when an employee airs grievances publicly. Sure, most companies don’t deal with mega stars like Conan and Leno, but most companies do have a couple of super-talented, overly confident employees. You know who they are. While stars like Conan have instant access to the national media, your employees now can make a similar impact through Facebook, blogs, Twitter and the like. Without defined expectations and an established culture, these folks’ energy can migrate to advancing themselves rather than working for the common good of the enterprise. The results can be devastating both financially and culturally. The financial element for NBC could likely run into tens of millions but what of the untold cost to the culture or its brand?

 Again most companies’ playing field is much different than this situation at NBC, but the network’s plight is still instructive. Does your company have guidance in place to filter out the Conans before they begin destructive behavior. Do you rally the troops around the common cause with their every action every day? Establishing a shared values culture provides just that. While morally neutral, these values define expected behavior and enhance each individual action. The shared values provide customers with a consistent experience from shipping to sales, and allows a company to more readily achieve it goals. Investing in internal communications and the culture is often a tough sell, but take note; it ALWAYS provides a positive financial return.

 We know NBC has worked hard in developing its cast of employees over the years and maybe its culture. In entertainment, a guy like Conan probably seemed liked a great talent who could connect with audiences and advertisers. But I’m not sure the People of Earth (including those who watch late-night television) hold Conan in higher regard now that they know of his grievance with his employer (a clever ploy to distribute his resume broadly) or how he feels about his hair.

 -Pat Henning

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