source: sportsbusinessdigest.com
Many stories have been appearing in the media recently that focus on poor decisions made by famous people. The most recent furor over the escapades of Tiger Woods is only the latest in a series of examples of a lack of integrity exhibited by people who live in the limelight. Perhaps my view is overly simplistic, but when did notoriety and riches become substitutes for personal integrity? Since I’ve never aspired to nor experienced fame, it’s hard for me to understand the “pressures” that one feels under those circumstances. I was raised during a time in which reneging on a promise or other commitment was not just frowned upon, it was considered most egregious, regardless of pressure.
“You make a vow, you keep it.”
“An honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.”
“Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
“A man’s word is his bond.”
All of these are old axioms that seem to mean little today, but where are we as a society if we don’t value integrity? Every celebrity who gets caught doing something wrong, publicly pleads for forgiveness, then admits themselves into a rehab center to treat the addiction-of-the-month simply undermines the concept of personal accountability.
Fortunately, the vast majority of the people who I know live their lives with quiet, consistent integrity. It’s not newsworthy, although it should be, and sometimes doing the right thing costs money instead of creating enormous profits. But in the long run, doing the right thing at the right time, as difficult as it may be, has much more lasting value.
Not long ago, a listing of the respectability of various careers was published. Near the top were professions such as physician, scientist, etc. Near the bottom was advertising, just below used car sales. Perhaps if we recommit ourselves to making integrity the focal point of our profession as well as our personal lives, we can someday move our industry towards the top of that list.
