Integrity: Doing the Right Thing Even When It Hurts!

Stephen M. R. Covey, in his book, The Speed of Trust, tells a great story that really demonstrates and defines integrity. The story is about the tennis champion Andy Roddick. Roddick was playing in the 2005 Italia Masters tournament in Rome. His competitor was Fernando Verdasco. In the third round it was game point in favor of Roddick. On the second serve by Verdasco, the line judge ruled the serve shot “out.” Victory Roddick! The spectators began to cheer wildly for Roddick and Verdasco began his walk to the net to congratulate Roddick. With Roddick’s up close view he knew the shot was in and he refused to accept the judge’s call. Instead he pointed out to the judge’s attention a small indention on the clay court that the ball made as it bounced away. The judge agreed based upon the indention that the shot was indeed in play. He reversed his call, the point was given to Verdasco and the match continued. At the conclusion of the match Verdasco defeated Roddick.


Everyone was shocked and amazed at Roddick’s action. Tennis is a game that is not typically played upon the honor system but on the umpire’s judgment calls. Fans could not believe what they just saw. Roddick obviously did not want to win at any price. The price for him to accept the judge’s initial call and claim victory would have been a loss of personal integrity. He could have easily accepted the initial call and taken the victory. If he had, no one could have accused him of failing to follow the rules of the game or cheating. What he did was extraneous to the rules and ethics of tennis. But to have done differently he would have violated the rules of the game of life that he had chosen to live by. To accept the bad call by saying nothing, he would have lost self respect and self credibility. For Roddick the price was too high to pay.


As leaders it is important to do what is right, always, every time. Likewise we should understand that doing “what is right” is not always the same as doing “the right thing.” Warren Bennis who consulted with the Los Angeles Police Department years ago on police effectiveness determined that one of the biggest problems within the law enforcement profession was that police officers were so concerned about doing the right thing that they often failed to do what was right. I would say that is something worth thinking about and considering. Is this observation by Bennis true today in our organizations? Is it true of our own leadership behaviors?


I believe as does Bennis, that there is often a world of difference between “doing what is right” and “doing the right thing.” The Roddick example above clearly demonstrates that. Roddick could have chosen not to say anything to correct the bad call by the umpire. It was not a requirement of the game. If he had chosen not to say anything, based upon the ethics of the game of tennis, no one could contest that he won by doing the right thing. In other words, he would have won by following the rules of the game. He did not cheat. But, would he have truly been a winner? Roddick did not think so. I do not think so either and I am glad he chose the high road and did what was right rather than the right thing. What a wonderful example of integrity he gave us by choosing the hard right over the easy wrong, or perhaps I should say over the easy right. By doing “what was right” instead of doing “the right thing” he became a winner regardless of the outcome of the match. Following the rules of the game consisted, in this situation, “doing the right thing” but correcting the error and following the higher moral value of absolute personal honesty was a tremendous example of “doing what was right.”


Another example of doing what is right and doing the right thing is a scene from the Robert Redford movie, The Legend of Bagger Vance. The movie’s main scene is the golf tournament finale between two golfing greats Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen and a third unknown and underdog player, the fictional Rannulph Junah. Junah had a chance at the end to pull off a miracle and defeat two of the games’ greatest players. But as he was preparing for a shot he accidently moved his ball about an inch. No one saw it except Junah. He could have chosen to not mention it, played the shot and perhaps won the tournament easily. Instead he reported it to the officials and was properly penalized a stroke. He did what was right and the right thing according to the ethics of golf.


I remember watching this scene and seeing the small boy who had befriended Junah standing nearby. He was crying and asking Junah why was he going to report the incident knowing it could very well cost him a victory. Junah explained that it was the right thing to do and that winning is not everything or the most important thing. Winning with honor, fairly and squarely, is the only way to win. It is the only way to live, too. What a great but difficult lesson about personal integrity that young man learned that day along with the many thousands who watched the movie.


The great basketball coach John Wooden tells us, “A person who values winning above anything will do anything to win. And such people are threats to their organizations.” To Wooden character mattered greatly. He taught his coaches and players to, “Never lie; never cheat; never steal. Don’t whine; don’t complain; don’t make excuses.” A great lesson, one perhaps many athletic programs and organizations today could benefit from and should follow.


Remember to always “do what is right”, even when it hurts. It might not always be the same as “doing the right thing”. Learn to discern the difference and become a more credible and trustworthy leader.


Leaderup and have a great and safe week.


Esse Quam Videri!

Carpe Diem

Arete'

The Speed of Trust

Do you trust your immediate supervisor? What about the next level of supervision? Do you trust your chief, sheriff, or colonel? Do they trust you? Do your followers trust you and do you trust them? Does it matter? Does trust between people within an organization act as a lubricant that leads to all parts working together effectively and efficiently for the betterment of all and the achievement of individual and organizational goals? If you believe it does, as I do, then we must believe that the absence of trust must have the opposite effect. Lack of trust causes friction within an organization that tends to slow down all the moving parts and thus slows down the entire system. The result is the individual and the organization fail to meet their established mission and goals or at best, fail to accomplish them effectively and efficiently. Listen to the quote by Stephen R. Covey from the foreword section of his son’s (Stephen M. R. Covey) book titled The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything (2006).



Stephen M. R. Covey





Stephen R. Covey



Low trust causes friction, whether it is causes by unethical behavior or by ethical but incompetent behavior (because even good intentions can never take the place of bad judgment). Low trust is the greatest cost in life and in organizations, including families. Low trust creates hidden agendas, politics, interpersonal conflict, interdepartmental rivalries, win-lose thinking, defensive and protective communication-all of which reduce the speed of trust. Low trust slows everything-every decision, every communication, and every relationship.

Does your organization suffer these above mentioned ailments of low trust?


Covey makes the point in his book that trust means confidence and the opposite of trust is suspicion. When we work with people we trust we do not have to filter through the muck and mud before moving forward with our duties. Not so with those we do not trust. Dealing with those whom we do not trust and hold in suspect we have to wade through all sorts of clutter before we march forward. Think of it this way; our mission is to march from one destination to another. Marching with those we trust is akin to walking along an already cleared, straight and level path. You can begin immediately without any hindrances in your path. Not so with those you mistrust. Your path, in this situation, is cluttered with vines, rocks, cliffs and gullies. For you southern country folk reading this it is similar to walking uphill across a kudzu field. You either proceed forward slowly or you take precious time to clear the path and then proceed forward. Either way you choose it is much slower that traversing the clear path of trust. Edward Marshall says it best in that “Speed happens when people truly trust each other.” Jack Welch states, “If you’re not fast, you’re dead.” All very true!


Covey explains in his book that trust is a matter of economics. As the speed of trust evaporates speed decreases and cost increases. The opposite is true in that as trust increases, speed increases and cost decrease. The formula Covey uses is as follows:

↓ Trust = ↓ Speed ↑ Cost

↑ Trust = ↑ Speed ↓ Cost

Since we, in the law enforcement profession, are not in the profit creating business this model has limited value to us, except for those at the pinnacle of the organization who handle budgeting. The majority of us at the bottom and middle of the organization are more concerned with reducing crime, preventing collisions, and saving lives. We live and work where the rubber meets the road. Therefore our formula might look more like this:

    ↓Trust = ↓ Speed ↑ Crime    

↑Trust = ↑ Speed ↓ Crime

or

  ↓Trust = ↓ Speed ↑ Collision
    
    ↑Trust = ↑ Speed ↓ Collisions

or

   ↓Trust = ↓ Speed ↑ Fatalities 
   
   ↑ Trust = ↑ Speed ↓ Fatalities

Think about the things within your organization that you have to do most days before you get to the “real police work.” I am talking about the things, the paperwork, and the bureaucracy that is in place because of low trust. When I was a district first sergeant and captain I was always urging those under my command to maximize preventive patrol time. Preventive patrol time, the seeing and being seen part, and the taking of proper enforcement action were the collision reducing and life saving part of our jobs. It was the central mission and primary goal of our organization. But too often the supervisors and troopers were “stuck” in the office or elsewhere doing paperwork or other low impact things. There were always non-mission centric demands upon their time; always something to do which took away from preventive patrol time, from saving lives. Time away from preventive patrol equated to an increase in collisions and personal injuries and fatalities.


There were many examples of “slowing down” the mission that we had to contend with. One primary example I will mention here is that there were forms and reports upon forms and reports that had to be written and forwarded up the chain of command. Reports that had to go through so many hands that it was virtually impossible to get a report through the first or even the second try. Because of a lack of trust within the organization the reports themselves were cumbersome and burdensome and slow down our efforts to prevent collisions and save lives. The fact that some had to be completed at all and others had to go through so many people and before so many boards were the result of a lack of real trust within the organization. I am not against report writing; it is a necessary part of every job, but should be managed carefully. I understand the managerial and legal necessities of reports. But when they are based upon a lack of trust and slows down the organization so that the mission and goals of the organization are detrimentally affected (fatalities and injuries increase), then I question their value as used. I suspect many organizations can identify with this dilemma if they are truthful and have a realistic self perspective.


Lack of trust also leads to micromanagement within an organization. Cohen quotes G. K. Chesterton, the famous British author as saying, “When you break the big laws you do not get liberty; you do not even get anarchy. You get the small laws.”  Often a member of an organization will make an error in judgment and something negative happens. It happens in every organization. Too often administrators overreact and immediately jump in before thinking through the long term consequences of their actions. They demonstrate a lost and lack of trust in everyone by sending down the chain of command new and burdensome actions to prevent a recurrence. New policies, reports, and procedures that only slow the organization down more. Too often it amounts to killing a flea with fire hose. This micromanagement becomes, over time, the way of doing business. Trust evaporates and organizational goals become difficult to reach. If your organization micromanages in this manner, it is a sure sign that there is a lack of trust present and that speed and efficiency is absent. If this is the case, then you can be sure it is affecting the true mission and bottom line of the organization.


The gold nugget take away from this post is to find ways within your circle of influence to build trust. Eliminate all the things you control that diminish trust and create suspicion. Eliminate the things that slow down your ability to get to the front lines quickly and effectively. Search out and eliminate anything that negatively affects the outcome of your mission.


Have a great and safe week. LeaderUp!


Esse Quam Videri!


Carpe Diem


Arete'

Tom Peters' Excellence Always



Tom Peters

One of Tom Peters’ well known phrases is Excellence Always. You know who Tom Peters is, right? For those who haven’t heard of him, he is the Excellence guru and author of quite a few books on personal and organizational excellence. One of his most famous books is In Search of EXCELLENCE: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies. One of his more recent books is The Little BIG Things. I promise you that any publication by Tom Peters is worth your time and money to have and study. He recently published an interesting article in the November issue of Leadership Excellence, titled Excellence Always. I will use this post to discuss this article and the subject of providing excellent service.

Peters begins his article with the thought provoking idea that many leaders in our society have adopted. It is the concept that we cannot and perhaps should not pursue excellence in everything we do. The argument they make is that with the work overload we all experience daily, if we try to do everything excellently we would never survive or be very successful in our jobs. The thinking is premised on the idea that to excel in everything is to excel in nothing and that some things are just not worth doing excellently. “Just getting through the next hour is challenge enough”, as Peters quotes a work-at-home mom as saying.


Peters agrees, as I do, with the seemingly never ending in-box challenge that we all face in our jobs. It can be very over whelming and disconcerting to say the least. I use to say it was like drinking water out of a fire hydrant. Yet, neither Peters nor I are “ready to throw in the towel” and “throw excellence out of the window." Peters puts it all in perspective when he asks, “if not excellence, then what? If not excellence now, when? Excellence is not an aspiration; Excellence is the next five minutes.”  Man, I love that statement! Believing that you are too busy to be excellent is a recipe for mediocrity and an unfulfilling career. If leadership were easy then everyone would be doing it. I say leaderup or get a job stocking shelves at Wal-Mart!


What do you think Peters means when he states, “Excellence is not an aspiration - Excellence is the next five minutes?” To me it means that excellence is not a destination or an end goal, but rather a continuous, immediate and difficult journey. It is a journey where you never arrive. To use a sports analogy, you are no better than your last game. We never arrive at excellence because as long as we are breathing, living and engaged the “next five minutes” is always just ahead of us. With it arrives there is another opportunity to choose between excellence and mediocrity. So you see excellence is not a sometime thing, it is truly an always things. The opportunity to choose excellence or to dismiss it is always there.


If we make exceptions to excellence and choose mediocrity, overtime our exceptions and easy choices become habitual, ingrained and our way of life. It becomes who and what we are. What we have become, our very character. Whether we choose excellence or mediocrity we must wear its outward markings as badge of honor or as a scarlet letter. The choice is always ours and it is always present. I hope you will choose a life premised upon excellence. Be excellent and survive five minutes at a time.


As leaders we should all strive diligently to develop personal excellence as an example to others. We usually do not accomplish this doing great and important things. Modeling excellence is more often accomplished in the small and mundane duties. Peters quotes Helen Keller who sublimely said, “I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as thought they were great and noble.” Mother Teresa also stated that “We do no great things, only small things with great love.” Pretty good stuff, huh!


Peters also mentions the Football Hall of Famer and San Francisco 49ers’ coach Bill Walsh along with World War II General George Patton as examples of how success is found in the way small things are habitually done excellently. When Bill Walsh took command of the pitiful 49ers he began by creating a culture of excellence in his organization. The point Walsh makes in his book, The Score Takes Care of Itself, is that “the culture and preparation, finished before the opening kickoff, determine success or failure.” Bill Walsh’s goal was to establish 24/7 habits of excellence with his team. He did and turned a losing team into Super Bowl champions. It was a combination of many small things such as seemingly insignificant rule requiring proper attire while traveling with the team to name one. Pride in appears was one factor that led to pride in on-field performance.


General Patton, upon accepting command of his army in Europe, began with enforcing rules of better hygiene and the wearing of clean and sharp uniforms by his soldiers when possible. He turned a ragtag army around as they began winning battles and moving across Europe with lighting speed. Excellence and pride in appearance was a means to excellence and pride on the battlefield. Peters correctly points out that just as “the devil is in the details, so too is excellence.” Be excellent in all things and the score and the battle will take care of itself!


I will close with this comment by Tom Peters. “Anyone who takes on any leadership job, minor or major, assumes a Sacred Trust to practice Excellence Always.” Chose excellence in all of the “five minutes” of your life and wear the badge of honor with great pride. You will have earned it!


Leaderup and have a great and safe week!

Esse Quam Videri!

Carpe Diem

Arete'

Michael Josephson Commentary: The Cowboy Code 695.1

Gene Autry

This is another good post by Michael Josephson. The link is at the bottom.  It is a list of principles written by one of the great TV cowboys of all time, Gene Autry. If Gene said it, it must be right! There are far too few men like Gene Autry these days! I hope you enjoy it.

There is also a book by James P. Owen about cowboy values and western ethics that I would highly recommend to you. It is titled, "Cowboy Ethics: What Wall Street Can Learn from the Code of the West." The book has very little to do about Wall Street except that the author is a Wall Street veteran. It is applicable to any industry or profession. It is full of beautiful photographs by David R. Stoecklein, a renowned western photographer. Also it has wonderful poems by Red Steagall, the excellent cowboy poet. The Code of the West written about in this book are:

1. Live each day with Courage
2. Take pride in your Work
3. Always Finish what your start
4. Do What has to be Done
5. Be Tough, be Fair
6. When you Make a Promise, Keep it.
7. Ride for the Brand
8, Talk Less and Say More
9. Remember that Some Things Aren't for Sale
10. Know there to Draw the Line.

It is worth the time and money to get this book.  The beautiful pictures are worth the cost. 


Michael Josephson Commentary: The Cowboy Code 695.1

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Michael Josephson Commentary: Eight Laws of Leadership 695.5

This is a very good post from Michael Josephson on leadership laws. It is worth the read.



Michael Josephson Commentary: Eight Laws of Leadership 695.5

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