By now everyone has probably seen the new Nike Tiger Woods ad. I find the ad to be creepy and a bit tasteless. Tiger’s father (who past away May 2006) lecturing him does show that Nike and Tiger are both ready to move on from the scandal, but the ad was definitely in poor taste and made me feel that Tiger should have paid Nike to put it on the air. Nike, without a doubt, did a great job piecing together Earl Woods’ voice, but it felt eerie and creepy instead of inspirational. I actually found some of the spoofs more entertaining than the actual commercial.
But there are things we can learn from the ad and from his recent scandal, especially concerning our careers:
1) Take Responsibility- You need to make sure you know what your job is and do it. And if you do make a mistake, own up to it and take responsibility for your actions
2) Fix a Problem… and so do Right Away- One of Tiger’s biggest problems was that he didn’t take action right away for what he had done. If you know there is a problem with your work, go in and fix it so you don’t create your own scandal in the office.
3) Be Proud of What You Do- If you can’t be proud of it, you shouldn’t be doing it. Someone once said to me, “If you don’t want something you do at work published in a paper, than you probably shouldn’t be doing it.” There is no way Tiger can be proud of the mess he’s made, and is paying the price. Like the ad, think about what your parents would think of your actions.
4) Respect Your Co-Workers- This may seem self explanatory, but even Tiger showed that he can slip. Your colleagues are going to be the people to help you through a tough project and you need to be able to work well with them in order to succeed.
5) Ask for Help- Tiger should have asked for help when trouble arose, but he decided to wait it out and see if the problem would go away on its own. Nike is helping Tiger now, but it may be too late; his reputation has suffered greatly. When you’re struggling at work, don’t be afraid to ask for help! Some tasks can be challenging and it can help your boss help you to know when something isn’t making sense.
