If character is revealed by how we treat others who have a lower status than we do, then Drogbruk CEO Piotr Szczerek failed spectacularly while attending the U.S. Open tennis tournament and behaving badly.
If you haven’t seen the story, it’s another PR disaster for a CEO, although not nearly as bad as the Astronomer CEO who embarrassed himself at a Coldplay concert. Last Thursday at the U.S. Open, Polish tennis star Kamil Majchrzak signed a hat and went to hand it to a child. Szczerek, who runs a paving company in Blaszki, Poland, grabbed it, and the internet went wild, calling him a “sack of garbage,” “common thief,” “primitive scammer,” and “shameful jerk.”
Szczerek claimed it was all a mistake, and he thought Majchrzak had meant to give it to him for his children. But after being excoriated, Szczerek gave a public apology. In it, he stated, “For years, together with my wife, I have been involved in helping children and young athletes, but this situation showed me that one moment of carelessness can undo years of work and support.”
To keep reading, click here: The Hat-Stealing CEO’s Apology Shows Why the Waiter Test Still Matters