Performing With Integrity Matters

i’m a huge yankess fan and what derek jeter pulled last night rubs me wrongly — and not just a little. this is the leader of the most successful sports brand of the last 100 years. you don’t make cheating a part of how you perform and communicate it’s ok because it’s in the spirit of winning. you set a higher standard by performing at a high level AND doing it with integrity. this is more important than ever in a society where “gray areas” get more attention than they actually deserve. things mostly are or they are not. so — what did jeter do specifically? he faked getting hit by the pitch at a critical situation in a game between the two best teams in baseball. this placed him on first base without cause, forcing the opposing team’s manager to argue the call (he was ejected from the game) and extended the inning long enough for the next batter to homer — which gave the yankees a one run lead late in the game. in the post-game interview, an interviewer asked if the pitch hit him (making the reward of first base justified). jeter said it did not, but that he wasn’t going to argue once the ump made the incorrect call. there is more wrong with this than i care to write about here. ambassadors — mind your brand and don’t treat consumers like they’re stupid or without values. this is bad business.