In an earlier article, I discussed the Sliding Doors Success model.
It is worth noting that there is a corollary to this: The Sliding Doors Failure model.
Just as an opportunity can appear that can change your life for the positive (read the Sliding Doors Success article), one event can derail a lifetime of achievement.
There are two stunning and recent examples of this.
Joe Paterno was loved and revered by so many during his coaching reign at Penn State. He was the winningest coach of all time. But by turning his back on some horrible events, Paterno will now be remembered for something other than his coaching. His statue has even been removed from the Penn State campus. He is no longer the hero he once was.
Jonah Lehrer, the author of the best selling book, “Imagine: How Creativity Works,” is facing a similar situation. After a meteoric rise to fame and accolades, he has fallen from grace because (amongst other things) he fabricated some quotes in his book. As a result, his book was pulled from bookstores by the publisher, and he resigned from his position at The New Yorker magazine.
There are many other examples of people who spent a lifetime doing great work, only to have that taken away due to one mistake.
Arthur Andersen learned that even large companies can suffer the same fate. They went from being the world’s largest professional services firm, to a practically nonexistent company after the Enron scandal.
Winning at all costs is eventually a losing proposition.
As you and your organization grow, make sure you are working with integrity. One mistake can erase a lifetime of great work.