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Wally Bock's Supervisory Leadership Tips An Ace Falls from Grace
"Do you know this guy?"
My wife, Renee, was watching the TV news while she was getting ready for work. On the screen was a disgraced politician. He had taken bribes and gotten caught. Now he was resigning and apologizing.
I just glanced at the screen. That scene has become so common in the last few years with business leaders and politicians caught up in ethical outrages that I didn't pay much attention.
The announcer said something about "Top Gun," but that didn't ring a bell either. I just thought it was another politician overstating his war experience.
Later that morning, as I read the news I realized who I'd seen on TV. It was Duke Cunningham.
Did I know him? Yeah. I interviewed him for an article on "What You can Learn about Training from Top Gun" many years ago. Randy Cunningham (he took Duke as a nickname in honor of John Wayne) was an honest-to-God hero.
After graduating from one of the first Top Gun classes he went to Viet Nam. There, he and his Radar Intercept Officer, Willie Driscoll, became the first Navy aces of the war.
They once shot down three Migs in one day. Duke was awarded the Navy Cross, our country's second highest honor for valor, and two Silver Stars.
He had charisma. The character of Maverick in Top Gun and some of his exploits were modeled on Duke's life. In the movie, Maverick's father is called Duke.
Cunningham also had strong opinions. He was elected to Congress to represent his San Diego district. It looked like a great American story for a while.
But Duke Cunningham also had greed. He was one of the last people I ever expected to see hauled out into the sunlight for public disgrace, but there he was on TV.
Duke didn't just steal. He took millions of dollars. He was a regular Top Gun of bribe takers, outperforming lesser crooks by a huge margin. How did that happen?
We'll never know. We do know that being a hero and being honest don't necessarily go together. Being a top performer doesn't mean you'll have a conscience.
I thought I knew Duke Cunningham. I thought he was one of the good guys. It turns out that I was wrong and it makes me sad.
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