Greed, Games, and No Responsibility

Listening to people talk about the current economic crisis who were involved in it has got me fired up. I do not think that the real cause of what happened is being talked about. We are missing (again) what the real crisis is.

People say that they did not know what was going on.
People say they were just a cog in a bigger wheel.
People say they were just playing by the rules trying to get an edge.
People say that they were being opportunistic.
People say a lot of things but they do NOT say, I apologize. I knew what I was doing was lousy and I should have stopped.
They also do not say, I know that many innocent people lost a lot of money because of my actions and I would like to do something to make that right (here, you can have my boat, or would you rather have my beach house?).

They avoid responsibility.

As they explain, they are either lying or we have a much bigger problem on our hands. If people are not able to determine whether what they are doing is gaining for themselves at the cost of others, then we are missing something fundamental in the kind of people we are.

What do we do about it?
Well, I propose a couple things.
First we have got to slow down. I watched a guy clean an awning at a business the other day. He was maintaining the foundation of the business - cleanliness, infrastructure, the basics. We are so busy that we are missing out on the basics.

Second we have to get back in touch with the basics. The basics we are missing? Human connection “I am too busy to see my friends.” Treating people with respect and dignity - answering our cell phone when talking to someone. Being conscientious of others - driving while you talk on the phone endangers yourself, people in your car, and other people (80% of accidents are caused by distracted driving -- not drunk, distracted). Taking care of our health - eating fast food, not exercising, relying on pills to alleviate our health concerns.

Third is we have to take responsibility for our actions. We have got to Play Above the Line (to learn what I mean by that, you can visit my site at www.playhugecoaching.com), and stop making excuses, justifying our behavior, denying that we are doing something wrong, or bailing out and not cleaning up our mess.
We have got to begin living with integrity, compassion, and confidence, while treating people with dignity and respect.

There is a way out of this mess, but it is not about financial models, bailouts, and economic gymnastics. The solution is looking out into the future and remembering some things that no one can take from us and will be the foundation of our future success.
People. Relationships. Honesty. Care of others.