As you know, every so often I like to award what I call my “Ethical Good Guy” Award; this blog wants to recognize Tracy Barnes and by extension, her sister Lanny.
Haven’t heard of them? It is understandable. The Biathlon, the grueling Olympic event that combines cross country skiing and shooting, probably gets 1 percent of the notice of, let’s say, figure skating or ski jumping. This year, my hope is that the sport is covered by the networks.
In an Associated Press article dated January 14, 2014, “Biathlete gives up Sochi spot for twin,” we see the stories of two sisters intersecting in a magical way.
Tracy Barnes recently qualified to be on the U.S. Olympic team in the biathlon. Unfortunately, her twin sister Lanny, also an Olympic caliber biathlete took ill during the qualifying races and was unable to meet the goal of the sisters to both compete on the same Olympic team.
In fact, and despite being sick, Lanny put up a darn good fight and finished right behind Tracy. However her illness was just too severe to allow her to reach the finish line with the proper score.
Lanny is a three time Olympian and Tracy barely missed qualifying for the 2010 Olympics. They are both world class and both 32. The clock everyone must face, especially athletes, is ticking. Leading up to the race Lanny was apparently having an “out of mind, crazy year” and was primed for the best competition of her life.
Following the race, Tracy and Lanny went for a quiet walk at Tracy’s suggestion and according to the article:
“It was only later on a walk in the Italian Alps that Tracy told her (Lanny) what was really on her mind: She would give up her spot on the team so Lanny, a three-time Olympian who finished just behind her, would qualify for the team and compete in Sochi instead…Tracy Barnes said her sister had had a stellar season before falling ill and that she wanted to give her a second chance.”
Lanny, of course, had the following response:
“She is my hero and this only shows true selflessness and the Olympic spirit. This has motivated me even more to not only represent my country but to represent her as well.”
Of course?
I will admit the story of the two sisters made me “well up” a bit. However, it led me to a place I did not expect.
One of my “hobbies” is to sometimes sit in on meetings to observe group behavior. Even if I don’t know the “players” or the industry all that well, it gives me tremendous ethical insights. Not long ago, I was in attendance at a food industry marketing presentation made to the managers of the company’s sales force. In the middle of all of the marketing hoopla, the director of marketing got up to make a presentation about the product’s roll-out.
Before the presentation began, she took the time to praise the entire team from top to bottom, mentioning each by name; those both superior to her position and those below. She allowed, for a few minutes, to place the spotlight on those around her.
Following the presentation, two of her underlings and her superior added comments about the product, the research involved, the expectations and the initial reactions to the product in the market.
Yet what I found interesting is that no one bothered to recognize the contributions of the director for her effort, not even in passing. Nothing.
It is not possible to know what the internal dynamics of the marketing department may have been. As an observer, I could not help but wonder why the team members easily accepted praise but could not deliver praise in return. The marketing director deserved better.
Good ethics must start with a certain amount of unselfishness. No one was asking the team members to break out in songs and dances of praise. However recognition of each other was in order.
I am hopeful that one day the marketing director may have a chance to work with people such as Tracy and Lanny.
YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!
That’s all very nice, but is it allowed?