In 1996, a famous Dallas Cowboy wide receiver was arrested for possession of cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia after an incident that occurred in an Irving, Texas hotel room. This football star was partying with two female companions when the police arrived at the scene. After the police sized up the situation they approached the NFL star with handcuffs. At that point, the football player reportedly said: “Do you know who I am?”
More recently, in November 2023, a U.S. representative from Colorado was escorted out of a movie theater in Denver following complaints from other patrons regarding vaping, flash photography, dancing and loud singing. After removing them from the theater, security asked this congresswoman and her guest to leave. At that point, she was heard to say: “Don’t you know who I am”?
I bet you know where I am going with these stories?
When fame or one’s position of authority leads a person to think s/he deserves special treatment for wrongdoings it just plain stinks. Why should it matter? Rank or status should be irrelevant when it comes to right and wrong. Unfortunately, that’s not how the world works.
As a society, we have a distorted track record of how the privileged get treated. And, it’s disturbing. What bothers me about these incidents is how brazenly the wrongdoers handled their encounters with security and law enforcement. Each immediately deployed the ‘status card’ in an attempt to quickly dismiss the situation. Each was fishing for a free pass. The proverbial ‘get out of jail’ free card. Their view of things was: After all, I’m important; and as an important person I deserve to be excused from this violation.
In your career, you are likely to ascend, to rise in the ranks. Over time, chances are you will occupy a position of some authority. You will be ‘the man’, the boss, the big kahuna. You may earn a fancy title and have lots of people working for you. My message: don’t let that get to your head. On a day-to day basis, stay grounded. You may be the boss, but that doesn’t make you more worthy. Your position of authority does not change the moral code you must live by.
And of course, do your best to avoid any wrongdoing. But should you find yourself in a situation where you flat out did something inappropriate, own up to it. Don’t pull rank. Don’t perpetuate the societal practice of looking for a quick dismissal of any repercussion simply because you are an important person. Suck it up. Take your knocks. Own up to what was done and do your part to set the world straight.
Ironically, when responding to a delicate situation with honesty and integrity, your brand will likely remain respectable. People will understand. They will forgive; they will forget. In contrast, your brand is sure to take a hit should you try to pull rank, to attempt to use your authority to get a negative situation dismissed. You come off as shallow, as cheap.
So, do you know who I am? In response, I like this quote from an unknown author: We are not the center of the universe. We are simply a part of the beautiful puzzle.
#leadership #leadership speaker
