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02/10/2002
Integrity Lost
I got the word last week (we live a country apart) that my daughter was expelled from high school. It took me by surprise. She’d been an honors student, star athlete and sold Girl Scout cookies. Befriending stupidity was something new. I was told they might give her a break. The father in me thought that was a good idea. The leader in me carried a different emotion.
This country was built on a premise that being proud of what you do makes you proud of who you are. That good work is its own reward. That doing better is more important than becoming better off. Words like duty, honor, trust, care, kindness and commitment were the building blocks to a behavior that has served us well--Integrity. It was Integrity that allowed ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things. Integrity turned a frontier into fantasyland. Integrity was a word to live by, a word to die for-and many have. It seems nowadays integrity has less meaning than before; at least with some.
Not a day goes by that we aren’t exposed to individuals who have chosen to crawl the low road. It has always been that way, but never has deviant behavior been so accurately and readily exposed. And yet, our willingness to accept the evil that exists, has grown to appalling levels. Cheating gets you the big house. Lying delivers a fast car. Killing is rewarded with prime time. Deceive a country and some blockhead, at a financial services company will pay you six figures to schmooze. Sometimes I think that I have entered the Twilight Zone. The circus has come to town and will not leave. Everywhere I gaze, clowns are running free. The nightmare continues. Suddenly I awake. How did this happen? I ask myself. The answer is clear.
So be thankful my daughter that you have been held accountable at an early age, and given a valuable lesson in life.
Steve Sullivan is a two time best-selling author and internationally recognized authority on Selling, Leadership and Performance issues. His most recent work is the Novel-Unquenchable Thirst. www.stevesullivan.com
Source: Steve Sullivan
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