Be Bold. Wear a Cape.

My son was recently telling me that there are some more superhero movies slated for release this summer. Personally, I love these films as they are such a complete break from reality, at least for a few hours. Plus, who isn’t slightly jealous of people who so boldly wear a cape in public? One of the common phrases we have whenever we discuss these movies is the tagline, ‘use your powers for good and not evil.’ Although it’s cliché, it does have a ring of truth involved.

When I was growing up and being mentored by my father, he had a saying that he would use very often. He said,

“As a professional, you are to use all of your expert knowledge and experience to benefit a customer and never take advantage. They come to you in good faith, as they are not as informed on the subject as you are. You should never violate that trust; taking advantage of someone in that situation is simply immoral!”

I have heard him say this a hundred times over the years. Whenever my father would encounter someone who exemplified this principle, he would make it a point to tell me about it. Whether at the hardware store, the motorcycle dealership, or even some stranger giving directions, I was always taught by these examples on how we are to share knowledge. Conversely, the opposite was also pointed out. By this I mean my father had zero patience for anyone who would purposely not disclose all information that could benefit a customer. I vividly remember him firing a long term insurance provider when they intentionally had us using an insurance product solely because that policy paid them a greater commission, as opposed to a broader one that would have paid a lesser commission. This is using your power for evil.

As you may know, our first CORE Value is integrity. In my opinion, the disciplines mentioned above are just another extension of that aspect. So I guess you can say, that as we all strive to live out this virtue, we are using our powers for good and not evil. Maybe this way we can be in touch with our inner super hero.

Wonder is you can fit a Gorrie-Regan sticker on a cape? Have a great day, Charlie