Can Lance Armstrong Live Strong?
Lance Armstrong came clean and admitted that he had lied, bullied and annihilated people for the cause of winning sports events. Call it self-preservation, if you will, but it became apparent that to him that winning is not worth compromising everything.
In fact, as the stories unraveled, it became apparent that the admiration of fans, his economic stability, and his competitive opportunities were drying up as people came to realize they couldn’t trust him. In other words, winning isn’t everything.
Celebrities, politicians, leaders believe they have earned people’s trust and then too often betray it, with personal gain eroding personal integrity. The decisions and actions one takes reveal where anyone’s values lie.
Trust is funny that way. People want to trust those that have risen to stature and success. We believe that they share our work ethic, our sense of right and wrong, and our commitment to loyalty and integrity. We found out Mr. Armstrong did not.
Mr. Armstrong found out that what he values, namely winning and dominating at any cost, is not the primary value held by people who generally admired him. Fairness, loyalty, integrity once again has been proven to be more important to us as a society than even a disciplined work ethic, remarkable physical achievement and winning at any cost.
In the end, while being recognized world-over for his outstanding achievements and showered with millions of dollars, he’s actions revealed he was morally, relationally and ethically bankrupt.
The good news is that we are a forgiving people. If Mr. Armstrong turns and takes action to reveal personal remorse, nurturing personal values of loyalty, humility, service, and integrity people we be willing to trust him once again. Does he have the will to learn from this? Is he disciplined enough to change?
Tags: Brand, loyalty, values