Target Shows Why Being An Exemplar Is Extremely Important

Target recently made its way on the news.

After threats that employees received over Target's "Pride" collection, they decided to remove items and displays in many of their stores.

Now, I'm not here to debate morals around this - many people have EXTREMELY different opinions on the matter, which I would be unable to cover in this article.

What I want to touch on, specifically, is why this decision has led to a loss of $10 Billion in value in a matter of 10 days.

Now, protecting your employees is extremely important, and I will say that the "intention" to keep employees safe is positive.

However, the specific actions Target took to resolve this challenge alienated every side of the debate AND led to huge losses in valuation.

Let's Dive In!

The Problem

What does it mean to be an Exemplar?

Simply, it means to live out your beliefs in your actions and in everything that you do.

People cannot debate your beliefs and integrity when your actions prove exactly what you believe.

Often, the biggest problems that occur in business is when there is a disconnect between what you "say" and what you "do".

So, Target has made a statement by having a "Pride" collection.

That statement tells others that Target has made the decision to stand with the LGBTQIA+ community and ALL of the challenges that they face.

However, a group openly challenged Target's stance, with the threat of violence (one of the challenges that the LGBTQIA+ community faces frequently).

What was Target's response?

Instead of standing with the LGBTQIA+ community during a challenge they commonly face, they decided to give in to the pressure of violence and get rid of their Pride collections in many of their stores.

The Results

Due to this decision and their "actions", they have told the world the truth about their stance.

➼ They don't truly stand with the LGBTQIA+ community when push comes to shove on a very common issue

➼ Their decision when pushed is to give up and go with the loudest voice

➼ They have empowered the other side of the argument and hurt the LGBTQIA+ position they supposedly supported

➼ By this empowerment, there will likely be more protests and threats of violence across more markets as it "seems to have worked" which will further hurt the LGBTQIA+ position

➼ Their "Pride" stance is heavily implied to be Virtue Signalling - it was "ok" to signal being pro-Pride until it wasn't "ok" and they switched their stance depending on the region

➼ Their official statements still continue to say they support the LGBTQIA+ position, which means the opposing side will continue to fight

➼ Both sides have become alienated because in some places it "worked", and in other places it "didn't work"

➼ Both sides will likely continue to fight over their beliefs with Target getting slammed at all angles

➼ This alienation of both sides has scared investors leading to huge and fast losses for Target's valuation

Target's stance shows that they are not Exemplary of what they claim their beliefs are.

Due to this, they are now caught in a position where they will likely only continue to lose.

How It Could've Gone Differently

The sad thing is that this could have been avoided simply by being an Exemplar of whatever their true beliefs are.

If they don't actually care about the LGBTQIA+ fight, they simply should never have had a "Pride" collection in the first place - the debate would have never been an issue then.

They may have lost some "Profit" from not having the collection, but their Integrity would never have been challenged either.

If they do truly care about the LGBTQIA+ fight, they should have recognized that this is a common struggle of taking this position and taken measures to stand firm in their beliefs.

This also isn't difficult, they could easily hire security guards for stores that are being threatened, showing that the collection isn't going anywhere and at the same time stating they will do what is necessary to keep employees safe.

It likely would have led to more protests, but by taking the stance and sticking to it, it would likely have empowered Target in the long run - much like how Chick-Fil-A has greatly benefited from standing firm in their beliefs despite protests and hatred.

Either way, Target ended up failing everyone involved because they were not Exemplars of their beliefs.

This is the importance of being an Exemplar.

When you take any stance, it will be challenged.

Those that stand firm end up respected because it takes courage to stand for your beliefs while being openly challenged.

Those who try to make everyone happy by showing different faces always end up losing because no one is able to trust them.

Always be an Exemplar of your beliefs, especially when you are challenged.