I played golf with some of my UT folks today. It was a warm day after the powerful storm yesterday. We were a bunch of hackers hitting little white balls around a lush green course with a degree of frivolity. We played for fun with no one keeping a score tally seriously. However, it is not always like that.
Golf is an interesting game. It brings out the true integrity of the people you play with, and says a lot about them. You have the ability to nudge a ball to improve how your ball lies (we call it a foot wedge) or not counting all your strokes to improve your score. Of course, the guilty party always believes no one is watching, or counting. Well, do I have news for them.
Golf is a great analogy for life. That’s the thing about integrity. You may be faced with errors of omission (things you chose not to report) and errors of commission (manipulating the truth). Is one more severe than the other? Is one more acceptable than the other? I think an error of omission is forgivable. An error of commission — not so much. The important take-away? Whether you are at work or play, someone is always watching, and keeping score.
About Hemant Rustogi