In light of the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal, I have been thinking a lot about cheating recently. The Astros are a client of mine and AJ Hinch, the former manager of the Astros is a good friend and former teammate of mine, so this is very close to home for me. And, given the intense reaction from the media and throughout the baseball and sports worlds about this situation, it's had me take a deeper look at why people seem so upset about it. The reality is that, whether in baseball or in life in general, most of us cheat in some way, and at some time. We usually justify or minimize our own cheating. However, we often get extremely worked up when others get caught doing it, and hypocritically judge them for it. I explore some of my own feelings around the scandal, and why it's so important for us to reflect on and evaluate our own actions before seeking to point the finger at others.

Key Takeaways:

[1:33] Cheating is an interesting topic. Mike talks about the recent cheating scandal in baseball, related to the Houston Astros.

[5:15] One of the people impacted by the Houston Astros cheating scandal is a very good friend of Mike's, among other people.

[7:17] The Houston Astros weren't the only team cheating, but they got caught.

[9:25] We have a tendency to get all up in arms when people get caught cheating or lying, but the reality is that most of us have cheated in some way.

[13:12] There's a cancel culture mentality going on, and Mike addresses how this has taken root in society.

[16:06] Mike reflects on his own experience as a professional baseball player and how he feels about the scandal.

[19:23] We're looking for any advantage that we can get, and this applies even in our regular daily life.

[23:17] One of the hypocrisies of our culture is we're so obsessed with outcome and result, that it seems much worse when it is revealed that the best teams or players have cheated.

[25:31] When we get worked up about certain issues like cheating or lying or other morally questionable actions, it can be helpful to think about how these things show up in our own lives.

Resources:

Purchase Bring Your Whole Self to Work: How Vulnerability Unlocks Creativity, Connection, and Performance and gain access to bonus material

Mike Robbins Website

Mike Robbins Podcast

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Mike Robbins on Instagram

We're All in This Together: Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust, and Belonging, by Mike Robbins (Pre-order)

Houston Astros

Houston Astros Sign Stealing Scandal

AJ Hinch

The Tim Ferriss Show: "Brené Brown — Striving versus Self-Acceptance, Saving Marriages, and More (#409)"

Shareables:

"In competitive environments, there's so much pressure to win, that most of us at certain times in life have cheated in some way." — @mikedrobbins

"Given the opportunity, if you could cheat and not get caught, would you do it?" — @mikedrobbins

"We often justify our own cheating but get self-righteously upset when others do it." — @mikedrobbins