The very public back-lash against former ACT party member and New Zealand MP David Garrett, who stole a dead infant’s identity in 1984, may have taken him by surprise given that he said he had done it ‘as a prank’. However, many New Zealander’s felt that far from being a ‘youthful indiscretion’ it was both unethical and immoral, and was also at complete odds with Garrett’s public persona and reputation as a ‘get tough on crime and criminals’ hard-liner.

Although we’re becoming more aware of the negative impact comments and pictures on social media sites can have on our reputation we’re not necessarily worrying about how our off-line actions and decisions may be perceived, especially years later. Everything we do and say, online and off, leaves a reputational legacy that we are judged on whether we like it or not.

All over the world, people deemed to be ‘of good character’ are generally looked-up to and respected whilst those considered hypocritical or deceitful are mistrusted. So it’s worth regularly ‘check-in’ with our conscience to pre-test how we and others may feel about an action before we carry it out. Conscience is the awareness we have of the moral or ethical aspects of our conduct and is what feels bad when everything else feels good!

It’s the voice, thought or feeling that pulls us up, if we’re willing to listen, and makes us consider whether the choice we are about to make will enhance and support our prospects and reputation or damage them.

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Tiger Woods’ admitted ‘indiscretions’ have tee’d off more than a few people recently, including his wife, Elin, his corporate sponsors, and bigwigs in the golfing world.

Sponsors Accenture, Gillette, Tag Heuer and AT&T are publicly distancing themselves from sports’ first billionaire and no doubt ruing the fact that their names are likely to be associated with the scandal for years to come. (Perhaps the so-called ‘Curse of Gillette’ works both ways?)

Woods’ family and his sponsors have a right to feel aggrieved, and seriously let down, by his actions. It’s a breach of trust on a spectacular scale. Read the rest of this entry »