Lance Armstrong is known as a cycling legend and for a few other things which we will get to in a minute. He won the Tour de France seven consecutive times. At just 25 years old, Lance was diagnosed with stage three testicular cancer that had spread to his lymph nodes, lungs, brain, and abdomen. His chances for recovery were abysmal but with world class treatment, he recovered and returned to professional cycling.
The Livestrong Foundation was established in 1997 to provide support for people affected by cancer. It also issued those yellow rubber LIVESTRONG armbands that quickly became ubiquitous. Other charities and events saw the success and low cost of the armbands and they are still in use today around the globe.
If Lance had done nothing else besides being a champion cyclist and a head of the Livestrong Foundation, he would go down in history as a hero. But that is not the whole of his story. Dogged by doping scandals throughout his career, Lance denied ever being involved in doping. He had the ‘clean’ tests to prove it. In 2012, the US Anti-Doping Agency conducted an investigation that concluded that Lance had used performance enhancing drugs throughout his career. He was stripped of his titles, lost his endorsements, and removed from the Livestrong Foundation.
It was a staggering fall from grace. And everyone in the world knew it.
So, what’s next? Should Lance crawl under a rock and never find his way forward again? Is that the punishment for catastrophic failure?
Do we have an expectation that there is no redemption for people who have made bad decisions?
Most of us are fortunate to have avoided such public humiliation. But what about less well-known screw ups? Have you ever been downsized from your job? What about termination for cause – when you were clearly in the wrong? Should that make you unemployable? Forever?
Generally speaking, as potential employers, we make it difficult for prospective employees to tell us the truth. Fearful of lawsuits, former employers stick to the stats – dates of service, position, and salary.
These questions come to mind. Would we rather hear a pretty lie from an applicant instead of the ugly truth? Do we believe that people can learn from their mistakes? How will we know what they learned if we never make it safe to acknowledge what happened? How would you change your interview style to make truth telling safe?
Human beings are fallible. We are also in a constant state of learning and evolving. Maybe it is better to have someone on your team who knows how to learn from their mistakes instead of someone who believes they never make them.
What do you think? Are you scared to hire someone with a less than perfect career history? Share your wisdom with us!
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