Should executives be fired for personal failures?

Today's New York Times takes an interesting look at some recent cases of corporate executives losing their jobs over perceived moral and ethical failings. HBO CEO Chris Albrecht was asked to resign after he was accused of assaulting his girlfriend, and the head of Citigroup's global wealth management group left after questions were raised about his relationship with CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo. And the most interesting and scandalous case by far was that of Julie Roehm, the Wal-Mart ad executive fired for incidents surrounding her affair with a colleague.

According to some, the swift firings are motivated by fear of lawsuits and political correctness. While that may be part of it, I think there may be a better reason for dumping executives involved in questionable behavior: A person who behaves unethically is one area of his life is more likely to be unethical in other areas. How likely is it that a man who assaults his girlfriend treats his colleagues with respect? While some people are able to compartmentalize their lives exceptionally well, I just don't think a company needs to keep employees who have displayed huge moral and ethical shortcomings.