“Nice guys finish last.” - Leo Durocher, baseball manager

Leo Durocher may have been a statesman, but he was definitely not a poet. Nor was he a philosopher, a religious leader, or a political influencer. He was a baseball player and manager. Durocher was known as “Leo the Lip” during his baseball days for the volatile, and often insolent, use of his lips directed toward opponents, teammates, umpires and even fans. Look up the word tirade in the dictionary and old Webster just may have included a photo of Leo nearby. It is safe to say that few of his contemporaries would have used the word “nice” in any description of Durocher.

Sadly, from the mouth of a colorful, yet mildly successful player/manager of what was once America’s pastime, one four letter phrase has become as powerful as most four-letter words in our national psyche. Its impact has lasted some 50 years. Yet now we can clearly say that it has been a total farce. A façade. A charade, sham, scam.

Nice guys don’t finish last. Not in sports and not in life.

Nice guys do, in fact, often finish first. It may be we don’t always recognize that because they are too nice to boast about it. Too nice to take credit. Too nice to direct the spotlight to them, to fight for the headlines or sign an endorsement deal because of it. Maybe it is because they are too busy being nice.

Look at some of the “nice” guys who have graced the sports landscape over the past 75 years: Jackie Robinson, Oscar Robertson, Ernie Banks, Barry Sanders, Kurt Warner, David Robinson, Albert Pujols, John Smoltz, LaDainian Tomlinson, Mariano Rivera, Tony Dungy, Joe Gibbs, Chris Paul, Tom Landry, Roger Staubach. Need I continue?

If you are looking for more proof that this notion of gentlemen performing at an inferior level being an unsubstantiated fabrication, just look the way of the Orlando Magic: NBA Eastern Conference champions and into the finals by way of nice guys.

The star of the Magic, Dwight Howard, may just be one of the nicest guys on the planet. When asked upon entering the NBA 5 years ago what he aspired to be, he told the media that he wanted to become “the next David Robinson.”

Uh-oh.

Upon hearing that, the media all heaved a collective sigh. Who can write Pulitzer type articles on a nice guy?

Like his predecessor, Howard has proven that nice guys can dominate on the court. They just don’t have to be complete barbarians in doing so.

All-star and slam-dunk champ, Howard is anything but soft. He is the youngest player in league history to reach 5000 rebounds and to lead the NBA in blocked shots. Youngest to grab 20 rebounds in a game, youngest to average a double-double for a season…he is in the nicest sense of the word a beast on the court. Yet Howard is also nice.

He comes from a great family. He is a man of faith who embraces the opportunity to be a role model. He has stated he believes in reaching out to his community and fans and has done just that. He has demonstrated a commitment to using his influence and resources to help make the Orlando community a better place. He is a genuinely nice guy.

Howard’s pedigree matches that of the pillars of the Orlando franchise. Just look at Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, Senior Vice President Pat Williams and owner Rich DeVos. All nice guys.

DeVos is a philanthropist at heart. He and his wife have blessed their community with some $400 million in contributions to education, health, the arts, public policy and faith-based causes over the years.

Williams is basketball’s version of Zig Ziglar. A positive thinker and motivational speaker who has inspired many inside and outside of sports over the years, his impact is far beyond the game. 

And then there is Van Gundy, the humble and oft under-appreciated maestro of Magic m. A career coach, he has worked his way up from Castleton State College to UMass-Lowell to Wisconsin over 22 long years. He comes across like a human being, real, insightful, and self-effacing. He doesn’t claim to have all the answers. He’s been known to give a shout-out to a family member to begin a post game press conference.

Like Howard, DeVos and Williams, Van Gundy values, well, values. And people. These Magic men are men of character who see the impact of what they are doing beyond basketball and recognize their responsibility to use their platforms and resources to influence others and make a positive difference in the world. They are champions of the Eastern Conference, yes. But above all, they are nice guys.

Nice guys finish first. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

“Leo the Lip” as he was not so affectionately called, could not have been more wrong. At least not this year.

As football fans watched intently for the results of the 2008 Heisman Trophy voting last Saturday night, the winner had already been determined: us.

Not in years have we been given us three such players to root for. Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy and the recipient of the award, Sam Bradford are throwbacks. Not just in the way they play the game, but in the way they live their lives.

Older reporters at the Heisman ceremony had to pinch themselves, thinking they were in some sort of 1930’s, ’40’s, ’50’s or ’60’s dream, reliving the days of Nile Kinnick, Doak Walker, Pete Dawkins and Roger Staubach. But this was not then, this is now. And these men are the real McCoy, Tebow and Bradford.

All three wowed us on the field with their amazing exploits: Bradford’s 48 touchdown passes, McCoy’s 77% completion rate, and Tebow’s air precision (only 2 interceptions) and ground assault made them the three best players in America.

And winners.

Just one loss marred the season records of each of their teams. If three teams could play in the BCS national championship game (which actually might be better than the current BCS system), these would have been the three; finishing 1-2-3 in all of the polls. Bradford’s Oklahoma Sooners and Tebow’s Florida Gators got the two spots, in a decision that was as hotly debated as the Heisman voting. Any of three there could have won the award, and their play demonstrated that all three were worthy.

More than that, each could have been the model for the Chip Hilton books of the 1950’s. The book series written by late Hall of Fame basketball coach, Clair Bee, depicted a mythical schoolboy athlete who was everybody’s All-American. Great on the field and in the classroom, Chip Hilton was the penultimate hero who threw touchdown passes, kissed his mom, patted the dog and befriended everyone. He was Bee’s ideal for what a scholar-athlete should be.

For decades no one thought Chip Hilton existed, or could exist, in the current landscape of college sports…until this year, when he was resurrected in Tebow, McCoy and Bradford.

Already a legend at the University of Florida, Tebow is the son of Christian missionaries. Rather than hitting the south Florida beaches, he spent his spring break in the Philippines helping doctors perform surgery and sharing his personal story of faith with the masses. Defying the long-held stereotype of the Christian athlete as being soft, he met the press following the team’s upset loss to Mississippi and told them they would never see a player work harder to help his team succeed, nor see a player help push his teammates to be successful. He was right. They hadn’t. His will and his play carried the Gators to the championship game.

McCoy is from Tuscola, TX, population 750.  That’s right 750. More people live in his dorm at University of Texas than live in his hometown. The Church of Christ kid has already saved a man from drowning and helped Longhorn fans get over the fact that Vince Young couldn’t continue his professional career at UT. He also dedicated the season to his cousin, Grant Hinds, a marine who passed away after returning from active duty in Iraq.

Bradford is the quarterback who helped Oklahoma shatter the modern single-season scoring record. He is also part Cherokee Indian and has given the Cherokee nation a new role model; and deservedly so. He was self-effacing upon receiving the Heisman. He first thanked God, then his parents, his extended family, his coaches, his teammates, high school coaches, his friends…the equipment manager, the waterboy. It was a remarkable display of selflessness.

John W. Heisman would have stood and cheered had he been there to see it all. What the man who gave the trophy his name would have seen is three young men – each a model of humility, character and goodness. They are three young men who live the Brian Piccolo motto: God is first; others are second; I am third; three men who demonstrate the true heart of a champion by placing team above self, people above possessions, and honor before honors.

It is a dramatic turn from a 30-year period in which the focus was on the individual, who did nothing to discourage drawing attention to himself. The Miami Hurricane teams of the ’80’s, the Boz, Heisman poses, and so many other demonstrations over the years that said “Look at me”, became the norm. When we look at the soap operas that exist at the NFL level today, is there any wonder why?

While the Heisman Trophy is not an indicator of future football success, nor are the runner-up positions, it would be hard to argue these young men have not already achieved an even greater success.

This year, three 21-year olds from “middle America” have changed the landscape. This year, nice guys do finish first.

Chip Hilton lives. And it is great for college football, great for sport in general and great for us.

When the 2008 Summer Olympic Games opened on August 8, all of the competing 10,500 athletes from the 204 participating nations heard the recitation of the Olympic creed.

The creed, which was first spoken at the 1908 Games, states: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”

Perhaps at no time was that creed lived out more vividly than during one of the greatest moments in Olympic history that you most likely have never heard of. The year was 1968. The place was Mexico City. The event took place late one night, in the main track and field stadium.

Out of the cold darkness, John Stephen Akwari, a runner from Tanzania, entered the stadium at the far end. He hobbled slowly, and unsteadily. Pain filled every step. Blood ran down his bandaged leg. His dreams of Olympic glory faded in the shadows of the night.

Over an hour earlier, the winner of the Olympic marathon had already been declared. All other runners had completed the 26.2 miles shortly thereafter. Only a few spectators remained in their seats. There was no cheering, no flag waving. Yet, the lone runner pressed on.

As he neared the Olympic Stadium, word circulated that there was one runner still on the course. Other Olympians and spectators quickly came back to the stadium to watch the scene unfold. The stadium lights flickered back on again. Akwari entered the stadium and began to wearily pound out his final lap around the track. As Akwari neared the finish line, the small crowd that had gathered began to roar with appreciation. They stood and cheered the lone runner all the way to the finish line. After crossing the white stripe, an exhausted Akwari nearly collapsed. Yet in his anguish, he managed to exhibit an expression of determined achievement as he acknowledged the faithful few who had witnessed his final steps.

After it was all over, a reporter asked Akwari why he had not retired from the race, as he had fallen so far back and had no chance of winning.

Akwari seemed confused by the question, but finally answered.

“My country did not send me 5,000 miles to Mexico City to start the race,” he said. “They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”

Clearly, Akwari understood what the spirit of competition is all about. It is not the winning that is so vital, but the finishing. For most of us in life, success and accomplishment are simply about finishing.

In life, as in sport, there can only be one winner. Yet, there can be multiple victors. Victory is defined by much more than who crosses the line first.

So, press on, my friends – no matter the road – and finish the race.

Not just a sports story.

A human interest story.

It is the story of Josh Hamilton. If you are not familiar with him, Josh Hamilton is a baseball player for the Texas Rangers. At least that’s what we’ve been told.

It may be that he actually stepped right off the pages of Bernard Malamud’s novel, The Natural. If you’ve never read the book, perhaps you saw the movie starring Robert Redford. It is a classic story. Teen phenom who possesses a blazing fastball and the ability to hit the ball a country mile is discovered by the pros. Yet, on the way to stardom, bad choices result in serious adversity. The dream is derailed and the phenom is a broken man. Years later, the now semi-grizzled veteran makes a comeback, reaches the pinnacle of the game and ends up a hero.

Those who know the story of Josh Hamilton, and say a book and film should come next, may not realize they may have already been done by Malamud and Redford. This guy is the Natural.

Hamilton’s story is one of the most amazing we’ve seen in the public arena in our generation. Baseball’s #1 draft pick by Tampa Bay in 1997, he was touted by scouts as perhaps the most gifted player in over a decade. Yet, a not-so-funny thing happened on the way to the Hall of Fame. A series of bad choices led to a substance addiction that cost him his career and nearly ended his life. He received an indefinite suspension from baseball after only reaching Class A ball. It was three strikes and your out – in more ways than one. Hamilton’s road was the one that for so many has a very unhappy ending; the kind that includes terms like sentencing or eulogy. At the end of his proverbial rope, through the persistence of a praying grandmother, Hamilton found hope through faith. After his basically seeing his talent, multi-million dollar bonus, and unlimited future go down the drain, Josh looked up and began an incredibly long journey back…to life.

In 2007, after nearly four years away from the game, now clean and sober, Josh Hamilton came back to the game of his youth. It looked like he had never left. The Natural was alive and well; smashing 500 foot home runs and making seemingly impossible catches in the outfield.

This season, Hamilton’s legend has grown. He’s become a human highlight reel, and accomplished something by the All-Star game that only 5 players in baseball history have ever done. Players, coaches, and scribes have already called him the best player in the game today.

At the All-Star festivities, he had center stage, putting on a show for the ages in the home run competition and then humbly thanking God, his grandmother, his family, friends, teammates, and his 71-year old former youth league coach he brought with him to the event. Announcers praised him, peers paid homage, fans watched in astonishment. It was as if they were witnessing an incredibly rare occurrence. Indeed they were. No one had ever been away from the game for so long and come back with such success. And perhaps no one has had such a story to tell.

The All-Star celebration was really one big Josh Hamilton coming out party – and why not? The man has conquered his demons, figurative and literal, and from the brink of oblivion – no, from the brink of obliteration – had made it all the way back. His is the ultimate comeback story.

So, why have I spent so much time on this story? Well, not only is it incredibly uplifting to see the man come back from the ashes and reflect all honor, but there are also two critically important lessons from Josh Hamilton’s story.

One is that addiction will take us farther than we want to go, cost more than we want to pay, and keep us longer than we want to stay. It is best we never begin a dance with this demon, rather than have her extract a price from us way beyond what we ever could imagine.

The second lesson is that no matter how far down one goes, or what one goes through, there is always the opportunity for redemption. Fittingly, this is the message of Redford’s interpretation of The Natural. No matter how far we fall, we can always get back up one more time…and eventually be a hero.

While we may not be able to recapture the days gone by and opportunities missed there is always a second chance. And life is often a series of second chances.

Josh Hamilton is a model – both for what not to do, and what to do after doing what not to do. He reminds us that there are consequences, often harsh, that come from our choices. More than that, he is a human billboard that demonstrates there is always hope for that second chance we all need.

I know what you are thinking: Oh great! Here comes another one of those pieces packed with a plethora of patriotic platitudes and political propaganda!

Well, no, not quite. And it wasn’t just an excuse for a little alliteration.

The three thoughts actually did revolve around red, white and blue, but these thoughts may be a bit different than you might expect. And being the backward thinker that I am, I thought about them backwards. Blue, White and Red. Kind of a dyslexic approach I know, but it seemed to work for me (or at least for this column).

My first thought was of how incredibly fast the last year has flown by. Can it really be 365 days ago I sat here on this same beach watching my brother-in-law turn his thumb to cinder while doing his best Clark Griswold imitation in giving us a great fireworks show? In anticipation of this year, I’m thinking of bringing him a pair of gloves with steel reinforced tips. Either that or a really long lighting device.

So that is the blue of this day, as in feeling a bit blue. The sudden realization, once again, of just how fast time goes is startling and a bit of a downer. Yet, it is a realization that should cause us all to pause (pause…ok, good) and evaluate how we are making use of our time. In the grand scheme of things, our days are few. Yet we are presented the opportunity to use every one of them in meaningful ways.

OK, so Action #1: Don’t be Blue. Make the best possible use of each day, drinking in all that the day has to offer, investing into people and relationships, and seeing to it that every ounce of what I have to offer is emptied out on the things that matter most – like my wife, and kids, and seeing the culture changed, and working toward the lives of others being bettered, and…(fill in your own thoughts here).

So, now you are getting engaged in this piece, and you are thinking what about the white, right? When I thought of white, I thought about purity. The purity of thought, purity of heart is such a great need in our culture today. So much revolves around the profane – both in speech and in innuendo.

Webster’s defines profane as:

1: to treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt : desecrate; 2 : to debase by a wrong, unworthy, or vulgar use

Unfortunately, in our current culture too few things remain sacred. So much that was once private is now unabashedly in-your-face, and has obliterated a sense of virtue. We need a return to personal and corporate purity. We need to remember that “we are not our own”. Our actions and words do affect others – sometimes greatly. In a return to purity of heart, we would all look to the interests and concerns of others, and how what I do will affect them.

Action #2: “Paint” my heart White again. Remember that I am not my own. I am connected to a family, community, society of others and what I do and say has an effect on all of them as well. If I uphold virtue, then I will help my family, community and society become a bit more virtuous. And if we all did this? (Rhetorical)

So what about the red? (Get ready for the partially patriotic portion of this piece, which is part and parcel of the primary point. Ugh! It’s that dreaded alliteration thing again!)

When I thought of red, I thought of sacrifice. Yes, I did think of the blood that has been spilled by red-blooded young men and women who have sacrificed to protect our freedoms. I also thought of the not-so-young men and women, also red-blooded, who spilled that blood to initially gain us our freedom, when all they had to hold onto was a vision. But I also thought beyond that.

Vision requires sacrifice. It requires a willingness to give up what might stand in the way of that vision being fulfilled. What are you willing to sacrifice so that the vision you have for your life, your family, your marriage, your job, your impact on this world, can be fulfilled? Are you willing to lay some things down in order that the greater things can be achieved? Often it is the thing that seems to be good which keeps us from what is actually best. Forfeiting the “good” so that we can attain the “best” requires sacrifice.

Personal freedom also requires sacrifice. In order for me to truly be free, I will have to sacrifice the things that would otherwise bind me – whether physical or emotional. I will also have to sacrifice of my self for others. True personal freedom comes when I am willing to lay down my wants and desires so that I can lift up others. When I desire to see others become all they can be more than I desire to acquire more “stuff”, I will have to sacrifice something. Yet, the rewards are always greater.

So, Action #3: Go Red. Determine to lay my self interests down so that others may be lifted up. Contrary to our current me-first culture, I have learned this way to be the way of real freedom. It was once said, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend.” I have found that to be true.

Action #4: Enjoy the 4th of July from my spot on the beach again…while helping my brother-in-law keep what is left of his thumb this year.

Action #5: Vow to stop using the string of P alliterations…at least for the rest of this commentary.

So what are the keys to personal happiness? Where you live? How much money you have?

According to the study, these are not the key contributing factors. If they were, we would all move to Hawaii, right? Well, actually, Hawaii ended up in 2nd place among the happiest places in the U.S. to live (And you thought Disneyland was the happiest place on earth, didn’t you?) In fact, the happiest people in America actually live in South Dakota.

Now, I suppose you would like to have me explain that one. Well, okay, here goes. We can only conclude from the results of this study that happiness has nothing to do with climate, material wealth, or fame and popularity. So there must be something else to it. According to Dr. Ron Inglehart, director of the World Values Survey, there is.

Dr. Inglehart has discovered 10 keys to happiness, as evidenced in the findings of the survey. They are:

1. Genetic propensity to happiness
2. Marriage
3. Strong friendships
4. Desire less
5. Do good
6. Have faith
7. Stop comparing
8. Make more money
9. Embrace age
10. Don’t worry

Notice how far down making more money placed on the list? And since most of us have no idea whether or not we have a genetic propensity to happiness, we know can’t control that (oh-oh, one more thing we can blame on our parents), however, we can focus on the other factors that appear to bring about happier lives. According to the study, the happiest people living in the U.S. don’t just reside in South Dakota. Regardless of the part of the country in which they live, they are: married, have children, attend a place of worship regularly, and adhere to a set of moral values. And according to Dr. Inglehart this not only makes up happier, but also makes us healthier.

Case in point is a study reported in the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, in which Dr. Sheldon Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University examined happy people, sad people, and the connection of each to the common cold.

Dr. Cohen injected 334 participants with the rhinovirus, the germ that causes the common cold. Sad people got the cold while happy people had no change in initial status. Cohen’s reasoning was simple: symptoms of a cold are caused by a release of chemicals that makes us sick; yet happy people naturally combat the release of these chemicals because of increased levels of so-called “happy” hormones which offset the common cold. According to Cohen’s study, those who are happier are indeed healthier. Perhaps laughter is indeed the best medicine after all?

So, I’ll go back to my initial question: Are you happy? If you are, then either you are tracking well with Inglehart’s 10 keys (or you recently moved to South Dakota!). If not, and you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, then maybe it’s time to pursue real happiness by pursuing those 10 keys.

Throw your energies into strong, significant relationships. Make do with less. Give more of yourself, and your resources, to the benefit of others. Embrace faith and your age – one will change you and the other you can’t change anyway. Stop comparing and worrying – you cannot gain one good thing from either.

You have the right to pursue happiness, so go after it and live healthier, longer and with greater peace.

…or you could always check out those real estate prices in South Dakota.

What the local told my friend is so pertinent to us today. He said that the trees on the beach were accustomed to wind. They were constantly hit with the strong winds that blew off the ocean, which caused them to bend and sway. This also caused the roots of these trees to grow stronger to keep them anchored to the ground beneath them. Conversely, the inland trees rarely were hit with much more than a breeze. Therefore, they had not been bent back and forth, nor had their root structures grown stronger. Simply put, they could not endure the winds the hurricane brought in the same way the trees on the shoreline could.

What, you ask, is this a lesson in botany this week? No, I am clearly not a botanist; hardly able to keep my grass alive without help. Rather this story illustrates a great lesson in perseverance.

While none of us look forward to the strong winds of adversity that hit us from time to time, we can be certain of one thing: If we can stand in those winds, the chances are great that we will be able to stand when the unexpected hurricane hits.

The winds of adversity, while challenging, test us in a way to make our roots deeper and stronger, as it is in adversity that you clearly determine the principles and ideals you have based your life on. If these are solid, they grow even stronger during hard times. The winds of adversity also bend us back and forth – much like the trees – without breaking us, and enabling us to develop a much greater flexibility to deal with the trials and challenges of daily life. All of you reading this know this first hand. As you have been hit with various challenges, your have undoubtedly become much more flexible.

The result of the wind that we face in our lives is not only do we grow stronger and more flexible or adaptable, but we also gain hope that we can face – and endure – the storm that hits us next.

As my 17-year-old daughter has learned through high school track meets when she has run three grueling races – the 400 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meter relay – all in about a 45-minute time span, the idea of “If I can get through this, I can get through just about anything” quickly becomes an object lesson of great reality.

So, I ask you, is what you are facing truly a hurricane, or is it just wind?

If it is wind, then take heart in the knowledge that you are being made stronger and more capable to face the next thing that life brings your way. And be thankful that your life is lived on the shoreline where the real action is.

“I gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which I must stop and look fear in the face. I say to myself, ‘I’ve lived through this and can take the next thing that comes along.’ We must do the things that we think we cannot do.”
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Whether you are dealing with adversity, facing seemingly insurmountable odds, have experienced failure, or are working through challenging emotional issues, stand firm. Look fear and obstacles in the face and press on. You will gain strength and confidence from the experience and know that in standing firm in this one, you will have confidence to stand when the next one comes along.

Last week, at the U.S. Olympic media summit in Chicago, sprinter Allyson Felix and decathlete Bryan Clay – both favorites to win gold medals in their events at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games – announced they have been undergoing an extraordinary number of voluntary drug tests each week. Their actions come as part of Project Believe, a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency program that has not yet been officially launched or explained.

In participating in the program, Felix and Clay submit to urine and blood tests in addition to mandatory in-competition and random, no-advance-notice tests. While the process is undoubtedly both inconvenient and unpleasant, the two athletes have been clear this is all about restoring credibility in the aftermath of the recent steroids scandals, and more importantly, a way of living out their personal convictions.

“I just felt like whatever I can do to prove I’m clean, no matter what time I have to wake up or where I have to drive, I’m willing,” Felix told the Los Angeles Times. She is favored to win both the 100 meter and 200 meter runs in Beijing.

Clay also determined he wanted his nutritional supplements tested to provide documentation of the absence of performance enhancing substances. “I want people to know I’m clean and I want people to know I’m doing everything in my power to make sure I stay clean,” Clay told the Times.

“It’s more of a pain for me and it might end up costing me money,” he said, “but as long as I can say I’m clean and can take that doubt away from people, that’s my No. 1 goal.”

Both athletes are known as people of faith, who exemplify integrity in their approach to athletics and life. With this step, Clay and Felix have shown they are also people of serious conviction, who are willing to be accountable for their words and actions. For this, they are to be applauded.

Said Felix: “I feel more responsible myself to be a role model for younger kids…that’s important to me.”

Spread the word about these two athletes who have determined they will do all they can to stem the tide of cheating in sport, and in doing so are willing to become spokespersons for competing the right way – with integrity and honor.

Now if we can just encourage more men and women like them to stand up – in whatever field they are in – and do the same.

“It’s not my fault.”  “If they had just done their job better, this would not have happened.” “There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Each of the above responses has become all too common in our current culture; a culture that grows increasingly more determined to avoid responsibility and accountability.

That is why, then, the words that crossed the lips of American Airlines CEO Gerard Arpey last week seemed so shocking.

In the aftermath of grounding some 300 MD-80 planes last week, which caused the cancellation of 3,000 AA flights and the stranding of some 150,000 passengers, Mr. Arpey uttered these words to the assembled press: “I run the company, So if there’s any blame to be had, it is my fault, and I take full responsibility for this.”

Wow, what a moment. The head of a large corporation actually took responsibility for his company’s failure. Immediately following Mr. Arpey’s remarks, it’s entirely possible that the sound of the cheer emitted from my living room was heard from coast to coast.

Responsibility is a big word with a simple meaning. Responsible people do what needs to be done, fulfill their obligations, are accountable for their actions, use good judgment, and don’t let people down. This is how Mr. Arpey responded last week, and in doing so, set himself apart from a generation of public leaders who have consistently “passed the buck.”

Aldous Huxley said, “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” The facts are all around us, yet many leaders simply choose to turn a blind eye to them. Not Mr. Arpey. He showed us what it means to accept responsibility for the performance of his company, As such, he should be hailed for his example and, at the same time, be held accountable for the failure by shareholders.

Whether the response was heartfelt or calculated, only God and Mr. Arpey truly know. Still, his immediate acceptance of responsibility is worthy of our acknowledgement and applause. As John D. Rockefeller said, “Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing.” This is what Arpey did.

And as a consumer, his response earned my respect, and caused me to want to continue to fly American.

There is a “price” to greatness, as Winston Churchill once said, and that price is responsibility. Would that we all take a page from Mr. Arpey’s book and stand up and take accountability for our actions rather than pronounce blame in order to absolve ourselves from responsibility. Then, we would see our culture begin a return to greatness.