POLITICIANS SHOULD LEARN FROM NILAN

Nothing can be fixed until you admit that there is a problem.

Honesty is the best policy.

William Shakespeare said it. But it is in short supply these days. It seems as if corruption is everywhere. We make jokes about it like this one: Three contractors quote on a job. The first examines what has to be done and comes up with a price of $1,000 based on expenses and a decent profit. The second comes up with a price of $500, figuring he will do most of the work himself for little profit. The third comes up with a price of $2,500. When asked how come the price is so much higher, the third contractor says, “$1,000 for me, $1,000 for you and we get the second guy to do it for $500.”

We might laugh at the joke, but it isn’t really funny. It seems that the newspapers are full of new allegations every day and many of them involve people we trusted, people we elected and people who are accountable to us.

And all we hear them say over and over again is that they had nothing to do with it, that they didn’t know, and they can’t be held responsible.

I guess it is human nature to cheat a little if we think we can get away with it, and to tell little lies to keep ourselves out of trouble, or to avoid hurting someone we care about. We all make mistakes, but everyone knows that if you make a mistake, you must take responsibility for it and you must apologize and correct it as quickly as possible. Nothing can be fixed until you admit that there is a problem. This is true in our personal lives as well as in business and politics.

Let’s compare two athletes who have recently been in the news: Chris Nilan and Lance Armstrong. Both are dedicated to their sport and gave it everything they had. Both are using their positions to do good for others. Through the Livestrong Foundation, Armstrong has helped to raise millions for cancer support. Nilan speaks to kids about bullying and has set up the Chris Nilan Children’s Fund.

Armstrong will not admit to using performance-enhancing drugs, despite evidence that led to him being stripped of his titles. Nilan speaks of his use of painkillers and his road back from drug and alcohol addiction. Nilan has paved the way for others to share their stories and he is empowering others to take control of their lives. If Armstrong were to do the same, it might help other athletes avoid the risks of some of these drugs and perhaps help level the playing field in competitive sports. Most importantly, it would give him credibility.

“To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable, we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful.” (Edward R. Murrow)

Some of our politicians could take a page from Nilan’s book.