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  Athletes and Authenticity: The Freedom of Honesty
Written by Bill Guertin   

A sign of the times is the abuse of illegal substances to outperform others in their field. It happens in more places than you might think... and you may be guilty yourself.

Would you do business with a cheater? Marian Jones, superstar sprinter and Gold Medal winner in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, is one of the latest to admit to taking performance-enhancing steroids. She joins an increasingly disturbing group of highly revered and accomplished athletes who have achieved major success in illegal ways. Nearly every professional sport has been tainted with allegations and/or convictions of the use of illegal substances, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball, professional wrestling, the Tour De France, and even NASCAR. NASCAR mechanics have been quoted off the record as saying part of their job is to try to figure out ways to bend the rules. More NASCAR rules infractions and penalties have been handed out this year than any other year in its history, and the mechanics’ unofficial mantra has become, “It’s not illegal unless you get caught.” Is it also true in business? Jose Canseco is a former pro baseball player and author of the book ”Juiced”, which began the public outcry and large-scale investigation of illegal substance use in professional sports. He believes that all people that have broken world records or achieved unusually outstanding athletic feats should be checked out. “Anyone who has done something that’s far and away better than anyone else in their sport should be a red flag,” said Canseco in an interview aired on CNN. “We should investigate them all.” Is it any wonder that people have become less trusting of everything… including those with whom they do business? In today’s economy, people want to know more about the companies they choose. They want to be sure that their money is being spent with someone who is genuine, who cares about the things they care about, and isn’t bending the rules to gain an unfair advantage. How can you spot an Authentic company? And is yours considered one that is Authentic? Here are a few things others are looking for today: - Guarantees. Is your company willing to stand behind what they do or sell? Are there assurances that what you buy has a promise attached to it? A guarantee gives a customer Freedom from the fear of making a wrong decision. - Testimonials. Do they have written letters of recommendation or praise from past satisfied customers? Are there people willing to stand up and say, ‘I do business here, and you should too’? - Reputation. Advertising can be written to say almost anything, and it’s usually written by the company itself. What do others say? What is the word on the street about the company that doesn’t have the company’s own spin on it? - Good questions. Is the company interested in selling you what you need, or do they want to move a particular product out of their warehouse? Authentic companies will make sure the product or service you buy is a perfect fit for you, even if it’s not what you originally came in asking for. - Admitting what they don’t do. If a business recognizes that they aren’t the best one to serve your needs, and suggests another company (or a competitor!), they are the cream of the Authentic crop. Stick with them whenever your needs match what they can provide. Authentic athletes have the same qualities as Authentic businesses. Motivational speaker Kevin Lust quotes a Chicago Tribune story about pro golfer Jeff Sluman. Sluman was in a tournament where he was one of the leaders going into the third round. On the very first hole of the third round, he noticed that his golf ball was not properly stamped with the “V1” mark that Titleist puts on their “official” tour balls. He immediately knew that even though it was the manufacturer’s fault, and extremely rare, his ball was officially “nonconforming” to the PGA’s standards. He told the PGA right away, and continued to play the round. PGA officials came up to him after the fourth hole and unfortunately had to inform him that he was, indeed, disqualified from the tournament – right after he had eagled the fourth hole! Sluman could have easily ditched the ball after he noticed the error, and no one would have known at all. But he would have known, and to Sluman, that was the difference. In an interview afterward, he said, “I couldn’t have looked anyone in the eye after that if I had just thrown the ball to a kid and walked off. That’s just not me.” Don’t we all want to buy from companies that are as honest as that to us? It starts by being the kind of Authentic employee—and the kind of Authentic business owner—that we want to buy from.