Join MVP Seminars
Subscribe to RSS Feed 
I Don’t Do It All the Time
“Mommy, can I please have this dog?” Joey shouted. He pointed to the small brown terrier in the rusted cage at the local shelter. “Let me ask the attendant”, she said. “This dog is not suitable for young children,” the woman stated. “He sometimes bites.” “But he doesn’t do it all the time, does he?” the mother inquired. “Well, no but…” “We’ll take him,” the mother declared.
The husband helped his wife up off the floor, wiping the tears from her face. He applied pressure to the open gash connecting her hairline to her eye. “Leave me alone” she sobbed. “I’m tired of you hitting me. I want a divorce!” “But I’m a good husband”, he stated. “We have fun times together. I don’t do this all of the time.” “You’re right,” she said. “It only happens when you’re angry. You can stay.”
She stood before the judge in a packed courtroom. “The charges against you are serious. What do you have to say for yourself?” “Your Honor, I know I had too much to drink and lost control of my car. But it’s not like I do it all the time.” The judge glanced over at the family of the 14 year old boy who was struck and killed by her vehicle. “As long as this is not a regular occurrence it’s ok,” the mother stated. “Alright,” declared the judge. “Since you’re basically a good driver you’re free to go.”
“Sharon” sat down in my office. Her annual company review was approaching. It was not looking good for her. In her desk was an envelope of complaints filed against her by customers. She could be rude, nasty and disrespectful. Outraged at the prospect of being terminated, she complained vehemently about the unfair and prejudice treatment she received. “They don’t like me because of the color of my skin,” she complained. “You don’t think it has anything to do with the rude way you treat people?” I inquired. “No!” she shouted. “I’m basically a nice person. I only treat customers bad when they act like idiots and piss me off. It’s not like I do it all the time.”
Given the choice, who would you hire an attorney who doesn’t loose cases all the time or one who wins cases consistently; a neurosurgeon who doesn’t cause permanent brain damage in his patients all the time or one who has a 100% success rate? It’s a no brainer.
It’s easy to make excuses for our own bad behavior claiming as long as we don’t’ commit an offense all the time it can be overlooked. Every act, no matter how small or insignificant, becomes a part of who you are and impacts the lives of those around you. None can be frivolously dismissed.
I informed Sharon that while I like certain qualities about her, I would never employ her in my company nor would I ever invite her to become a close personal friend. In order to fill those positions, her behavior needed to be consistent.
People of integrity do not make lame excuses. They closely monitor their behavior making certain it is in harmony with their high moral standards. Being honorable is something they do all the time.