Failed Leadership on Multiple Levels
When I heard about the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal and cheating, I was as shocked and upset as anyone. I played baseball through elementary, middle, and high school. From there, as a top player, I was recruited by seven different colleges and universities to play. I ended up playing baseball at the collegiate level through age 21, including a year playing abroad across Europe my junior year of college.
As a long-time player and lifelong baseball fan, I was so happy to see the Houston Astros succeed and become one of the best teams in the league. They weren’t my favorite team in baseball, but I was specifically happy for the inspirational stories of some of the players on their team. Like everyone else, I thought their success was well-deserved.
When I found out they cheated – to the extent they went, the number of players involved, and the amount of time they were stealing signs (over several seasons) – I felt like my heart was ripped out from my body. I agree with Derek Jeter wholeheartedly when he said that the Astros cheating scandal is a black eye for baseball, as it damages the integrity of the game.
MANY MLB players were enraged. Legend Mike Trout had some words to say for the Astros and the way the situation was handled by the league. The Los Angeles Dodgers understandably feel robbed of the 2017 title. The Yankees feel cheated out of a couple of pennants. Careers are ruined. Coaches lost their jobs. And not to mention other teams are suspected of cheating as well, like the Boston Red Sox.
What this all comes down to is a lack of authentic leadership. The fact that this cheating went on for as long as it did without someone stepping in and firmly putting an end to it is disgraceful. It takes courage and guts to do something like that, to stand up to cheaters. That’s why I’m so grateful for Mike Fiers, who brought the scandal to light.
Leadership is about doing what you know is right, even when others disagree with you.
Apparently it was a player-run cheating scheme. Even so, the moment the head coach Andrew Hinch found out about these disgraceful actions, he should have taken immediate disciplinary action. But he didn’t have the balls to do that. On top of that, I’m SO incredibly disappointed that none of the players involved put an end to this or had the self-awareness needed to question their flawed actions.
These are guys getting paid huge salaries, at the very top of their sport, and who are supposed to be role models for others. What kind of message does this send to youngsters who look up to them?
As a leader, your actions matter and you set the example for others. The way to stop cheating in its tracks is to have a strong set of values that you live by.
To add fuel to the fire and salt to the wound, the Astros’ team apology was weak and half-hearted. Their half-assed apologies sent a clear unspoken message: alright, we got caught, so we have to apologize, but we’re only apologizing because we got caught, and we don’t really mean it.
No authenticity. No integrity. No genuine remorse.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred fined the Astros’ organization $5 million, among a few other very small issued penalties. The players weren’t fined at all. It was a very minor slap on the wrist, at best, for a scandal that’s arguably even bigger than the 1919 Black Sox Scandal (the players involved in the 1919 scandal, by the way, were banned from the game for life). Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were both fired by Astros owner Jim Crane, but the players were given immunity by MLB in exchange for their cooperation.
In my opinion, the players most closely involved in the scandal need to be banned from the game for life. Also, the Astros’ 2017 World Series Title needs to be vacated. Commissioner Manfred failed in his duties, refusing to stand up for the game of baseball and what is right. In essence, Manfred is saying the Astros cheated, but it’s OK and they can get away with it while keeping their championship title.
Beyond ridiculous. Manfred’s lack of leadership is almost as bad as the scandal itself.
This is why I do what I do. This is why I write about authentic leadership, and speak about it to companies and organizations around the world. A lack of authentic leadership and a lack of integrity is pervasive in our society. From bad parenting, to the corrupt media, to pervasive unconsciousness, people are being taught that cheating is OK. This kind of disgraceful thinking has made it all the way to the top of professional sports, in addition to other kinds of organizations worldwide.
It makes me sick and it needs to stop. I’m not saying I expect people to be perfect – no one is – but there needs to be some degree of integrity and sincerity. And if you are caught doing something wrong, be an adult and fully own up to it instead of giving the world a fake, half-assed apology. There’s nearly nothing worse than someone who pretends to be sorry but deep down doesn’t really care.
Things need to change. Authentic leadership needs to become the norm, not the exception. That’s my mission: to make authentic leadership an accessible way of thinking, acting, and being to as many people as possible. Will you join me? It all starts with you leading by example.
Jeff Davis is the author of The Power of Authentic Leadership.
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