Winning The Right Way

“Short!” Randy’s deep booming voice yelled from the back of the court. Early one morning recently, Randy and I met at our local gym for a racquetball match. We agreed to play the best two out of three games, and we’d split the first two games. In a highly competitive third game, the score was tied 12–12 and I was serving.

In the game of racquetball, one of the most disputed calls can be whether a serve is “short.” The rule states that the ball must take its first bounce on the floor behind the server’s box. Since the person serving often stands close to where this first bounce happens, they often feel their viewpoint is the most accurate. Their opponent is positioned further back in the court but also has a good view of the painted line and can easily see where the ball bounces. When the ball is traveling at speeds approaching 160 mph, seeing which side of the line the ball hits on the floor can be disputed. Such was the case with Randy and me. The match would soon be decided and bragging rights settled. Both of us claimed the better viewpoint to make the most accurate ruling.

I first discovered the game of racquetball as a young high school student. The courts on our campus were outside, three walled and about 12 feet high. Something about the game captivated me and two friends. We often played together during those years before class started, during our lunch break and sometimes after school ended. My skills grew and I continued to play during my college years and beyond as an adult. I’ve seen lots of different kinds of players. Some with the latest graphite racket, pressurized balls, special court shoes, and very cool apparel. Some are quiet and some are loud on the court. Some are gracious and yielding while others are aggressive and demanding. For play to continue, decisions must be made together about how to award points to one person or the other.

Over time, I realized racquetball was teaching me something much larger than competition. In racquetball, the scoreboard matters, but your reputation matters most over time. A player who cheats may win a rally, but a person with integrity wins trust. Integrity does not eliminate disagreement. It changes how disagreement is handled.

INTEGRITY IS NOT BUILT IN BIG MOMENTS ALONE.

When I joined Med One Group nearly nine years ago, I sensed the founders and company leadership were high integrity people. Now with years of experience and hundreds of decisions made involving our medical partners and team members, operating with outstanding integrity is a value not only aspirational to us, but deeply embedded in our company culture. Over the years, I’ve watched those values show up in practical ways — serving customers honestly, owning mistakes quickly, treating coworkers fairly, keeping commitments, and doing the right thing even when it would be easier not to.

Now, I’ve known Randy for several years and we’ve played both together and against each other many, many times. I know him to be a person of high integrity. If he says the serve was short, it’s because he saw it that way. So, what happened in our game? Just two friends with differing viewpoints who agreed to play the point over.

At my age, I care less about the score than I once did. But I appreciate the game more than ever because it taught me that integrity is not built in big moments alone. It’s built point by point, decision by decision, long before anyone notices.