Hypocrisy and Reputation

The practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense. (Hanoi) Jane Fonda has long known how to make a statement, and that extends to her time on the Oscars stage. To present Best Film at the 2020 Academy Awards, the actress, 82, took the stage in a gray pixie cut and a crimson beaded Elie Saab gown she previously wore to Cannes in 2014, and carried the cardinal-red coat she previously declared was "the last article of clothing I will ever buy" as part of her ongoing climate change protests. Really Jane? I'm guessing your numerous homes, underpaid staff multi-car garages at each property and those closets full of clothes and shoes were enough to outfit a small country...so now is a good time to stop shopping apparently. Your reputation was solidified decades ago Jane, sorry.

And Brad Pitt (one of my favorites), 56, picked up his first acting Oscar for his supporting role in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood on Sunday night. At the beginning of his speech, Pitt decided to get political, pointing out how the Senate didn’t vote to bring in an additional witness in the trial to impeach Trump. “They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week,” Pitt quipped. “I’m thinking maybe Quentin [Tarantino] does a movie about it, in the end, the adults do the right thing.” Really Brad?!, $37 million dollars and an untold number of witnesses and you think one more witness will break the camels back? Your fans would rather have heard you make a remark about your amazing journey than your political opinion. However, you get a pass because you're an amazing father and warrior for what's mostly good in this world.

When you are interacting with your partners, colleagues or employees are you practicing what you preach? If you arent this could be one reason why you are unable to make progress. One thing is for certain, the people around you are watching your behavior and listening to your words and determining your truth level. Today it is more important than ever to walk your walk and talk your talk and...have them be congruent. People are smarter and more informed than ever and they are searching for truth, not shallow words or opinions that carry little to no meaning. If your actions are telling a different story than what you are telling people you'll be found out. The popular saying, "those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" is spot on. People have the amazing power of being able to search your history to get a bead on your background.

Frankly, it's difficult to swallow the words of wealthy and politicians espousing they have the answers while doing very little to nothing about the issues. Most like to pick on Trump, however, there are plenty of hypocritical idiots at the State level. Take Gavin Newsom, Governor of California. A career politician who has spent much of his tenure grabbing headlines with unnecessary fights with the federal government and ignoring the Californians he was elected to protect. Just as he did in his years as lieutenant governor, he has spent more time with his eyes on his next political ambition than doing the job at hand. He was telling voters one thing while doing another right in their own State. His constituency grade him an "F" for Homelessness, Housing, Education, Taxes and Transparency. And did you hear he slept with his best friend's wife just before he was elected? apparently Gavin's integrity didn't matter to the voters but his political affiliation did.

Corporate blunders rise above the threshold of an honest mistake. Public perceptions of an internal scandal, a toxic work environment, lax security, or unethical business practices can be enough to garner disdain from a large segment of American consumers — and in recent months there was no shortage of such revelations in the business world. The point is, we're all pretty much fed up with the hypocrisy regardless of whom it is coming from. We see it clearer than ever before and we vote with our dollars and votes. So watch out Weinstein Company, Monsanto, Uber, Wells Fargo, Vice Media, Foxconn, NFL and the Equifax's of the world. People are watching what you say and do and we are voting with our wallets!