When compromise is bad

Peter Gabriel. Colonel Sanders. Two success stories that show that some things should not be compromised.

Recently Peter Gabriel (recording artist) refused to perform at the Oscars because they were going to drastically shorten the length and lose the integrity of a song of his. He politely refused to perform it that way.

Colonel Sanders (founder of KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken) used to visit KFC restaurants all over the nation to see if they were following his recipe. A friend of mine, Elliot Neubauer, told me he would tour with the Colonel and it was quite common to hear pots and pans being thrown about the restaurant when the Colonel's standards weren't being met.

Both Gabriel and Sanders wanted it "right." They saw no reason to compromise their product.

It's one thing to find common ground on issues or to play peacemaker, which can be good. It's another to reduce the quality or meaning of your life's work.

Neither Gabriel or Sanders did that and their work lives on.