The Bigger They Are
Getting ahead in this world often depends on what you bring to the fight, the competition one must endure and the favorable perception of those that would be accepting you. The processes that force individuals to climb the ladders of success can be wrought with challenges from exams, degrees, and certifications to finances, applications, and interviews. If and when these individuals become the top of their game, they would have already experienced enough time proving themselves worthy of the advances and promotions attained in their field that many micro-sacrifices made have become the norm for them. Unfortunately, these norms or habits occur without any foresight or questions as to whether or not those decisions ought to have been made. Kramer (2003) shared, "They prove adept of overcoming whatever obstacles they encounter along the way...Yet just when they appear to have it all, these A-list performers demonstrate uncharacteristic lapse of professional judgment or personal conduct...Her (Peel) previously conservative tastes and modest habits went out the window; Ultimately, Peel's change in habits proved fatal."
In society, this can be seen every day in the news. Watching and reading about President Clinton's escapades while in the Oval Office were confounding. Obviously, he had what it took to sell himself to the public with his education, accomplishments, and ability to persuade, however, to hear him confess indirectly about when he may have had sex "of any kind in any manner, shape or form." A mere case of "genius-to-folly syndrome" (Kramer, 2003). It was hard to believe, but if the President of the United States can succumb to the pressures, the glamour, the power, and opportunities to make poor judgments, who would be exempt? The truth is, no one is exempt from falling down the slippery slope of moral judgment and ethical decisions. The question is, can we protect ourselves from falling in the first place (Welch, 2016)?
Often I am witness to a variety of infractions in the military. To see the lapse in judgment tends to reveal that some operators feel the rules do not apply to them, or that breaking the rule(s) will get them what everyone else wants, thus justifying their decisions. In a reported case when a Special Operations Forces (SOF) operator conducted an interrogation without the proper credentials which led to the death of the detained individual, it was this that spawned an ethics inquiry into how SOF conducts operations. Here, in order for this operator to get ahead, he "believed that getting ahead means doing things differently than ordinary people," and determined he can circumvent the rules without paying the consequences because of his misperceived community support of the egregious act. (Kramer, 2003).
As a member of the United States Navy, I have spent the past 19 years training, teaching, deploying, traveling, learning and having a family of my own far away from my biological family of whom I am very close with. Though I have personally never experienced reaping rewards by sacrificing ethical standards in my job, in 2009, I was called off of deployment to be with my father who was reportedly on his death bed. Once I had arrived by his bedside and learning of his poor health, my spouse and I decided to move him in with us so that he can be properly cared for. Six years later, his overall health had improved immensely, visiting his grandchildren and other extended family members along the way that was once estranged to him. In 2015, my family and I were offered the opportunity to move to Germany for a three-year tour. While my father was sad to hear that, he was also happy for us. I told him we would be right back living near him in three years. For a man of his age and a lack of will to live, it was extremely difficult to choose to leave him for Germany. Although we stayed in touch very often, his health appeared to decline. One year later, upon visiting family in the States, my brother brought our father to where we would be spending Thanksgiving. Upon his arrival, it was determined he should be hospitalized. Ten days later, my father had passed away. I often ask myself knowing my values towards family if it was worth moving to Germany.
References:
Charan, R. & Colvin, G. (n.d.). Why ceos fail. [Fortune Archives]. Retrieved from http://www.pycco.com/why_ceos_fail.pdf
Kramer, R. M. (2003, October). The harder they fall. Harvard Business Review, (81)10. p. 58-66. Retrieved from https://web-a-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=2527021d-c8af-4af8-b33f-a674504aa3a6%40sessionmgr4008&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=10986098
Welch, J. N. (2016, October 13). What did bill clinton mean when he said, it depends on what the meaning of 'is' is. Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/What-did-Bill-Clinton-mean-when-he-said-it-depends-on-what-the-meaning-of-is-is
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