ethics 101: what every leader needs to know
TRANSCRIPT
Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
1:WhateverHappenedtoBusinessEthics?
2:WhyThisRuleIsGolden
3:TheGoldenRuleBeginswithYou
4:Livinga24-Karat-GoldLife
5:FiveFactorsThatCan“Tarnish”theGoldenRule
6:SeizingYourGoldenOpportunity
7:HowtoDevelopthe“MidasTouch”
Conclusion:GofortheGold(en)Rule
Notes
AbouttheAuthor
Thisbookisdedicatedtoyouforyourcommitmenttomakingethicaldecisionsandlivinganethicallife.Doingtherightthingmaynotalwaysbeeasy—butit
isalwaysright.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’dliketosaythankyouto:CharlieWetzel,mywriter;
KathieWheat,myresearcher;StephanieWetzel,whoproofsandeditseachchapter;
andLindaEggers,myassistant.
PREFACE
Inthesummerof2002,IwenttodinnerinNewYorkwithLaurenceJ.Kirshbaum,thechairmanandCEOoftheAOLTimeWarnerBookGroup.Aswechatted,atonepointintheconversationhelookedatmeandsaid,“Youknow,John,Ithinkyouwouldbetheperfectpersontodothis:Whatwouldyouthinkaboutwritingabookonbusinessethics?”
“There’snosuchthing,”Ianswered.“What?”Helookedalittlesurprisedbymyremark.“Whatdoyoumean?”he
asked.“There’snosuchthingasbusinessethics—there’sonlyethics.Peopletryto
useonesetofethicsfortheirprofessionallife,anotherfortheirspirituallife,andstillanotherathomewiththeirfamily.Thatgetsthemintotrouble.Ethicsisethics.Ifyoudesiretobeethical,youliveitbyonestandardacrosstheboard.”
That’stheheartofEthics101.Educators,philosophers,theologians,andlawyershavetakenwhatreallyisasimplematterandmadeitveryconfusing.Livinganethicallifemaynotalwaysbeeasy,butitneednotbecomplicated.Thisbook’sgoalistohelpyoufindthewaytoliveandworkethicallyandalsoachievegreatersuccess.
1
WhateverHappenedtoBusinessEthics?
HOWWOULDYOUDESCRIBETHESTATEOFETHICSINBUSINESStoday?Wonderful?Rocksolid?No,Ithinkmostpeoplearedisgustedwithit.Theyaresickofdishonestyandunethicaldealings.
Whatisyourreactiontothefollowingnames:Enron,DennisKozlowski,WorldCom,AdelphiaCommunications?Attheleast,it’sprobablyafeelingofunsettledness.Ifyouownedstockaffectedbytheethicalscandalsassociatedwiththesenames,youareprobablyoutraged!
UCBerkeleyaccountingprofessorBrettTrueman,whoteachesattheHaasSchoolofBusiness,remarked,“Thisiswhythemarketkeepsgoingdowneveryday—investorsdon’tknowwhototrust.Asthesethingscomeout,itjustcontinuestobuild.”1
Ofcourse,theethicalproblemswe’reseeingaren’tlimitedtojustthebusinessworld.ThepublicwashorrifiedbytherecentlyrevealedabusesthatoccurredintheCatholicChurchandhowtheincidentswerecoveredup.ManyweresurprisedbyreportsthatPulitzerprize-winninghistoryprofessorStephenAmbrosehadplagiarizedpassagesfromhistorianThomasChildersforhisbookTheWildBlue.2Andthosewhowatchedthe2002WinterOlympicGamesinSaltLakeCitywereoutragedwhenafigure-skatingjudgeclaimedthatherdecisionhadbeencoerced,alteringtheoutcomeofthepairscompetition.3Ethicallapsesareeverywhere.
WhenpollsterGeorgeBarnaaskedpeoplewhethertheyhad“completeconfidence”thatleadersfromvariousprofessionswould“consistentlymakejob-relateddecisionsthataremorallyappropriate,”theresultswereabysmal:4
TypeofLeader PercentWhoHoldthePublic’sComplete
ConfidenceExecutivesofLargeCorporations 3%ElectedGovernmentOfficials 3%Film&TVProducers,Directors&Writers 3%
NewsReporters&Journalists 5%SmallBusinessOwners 8%Ministers,Priests&Clergy 11%Teachers 14%
It’srevealingthatevenregardingthemosttrustedleaders(teachers),sixoutofsevenpeopleareunwillingtogivethemtheircompletetrust.
THEETHICALDILEMMA
Ourdisgustisnowturningtodiscussion.Peoplewanttoknow:Whyisethicsinsuchaterriblestate?Althoughtherearemanypossibleresponsestothatquestion,Ibelievewhenpeoplemakeunethicalchoices,theydosoforoneofthreereasons:
1.WeDoWhat’sMostConvenientAnethicaldilemmacanbedefinedasanundesirableorunpleasantchoicerelatingtoamoralprincipleorpractice.Whatdowedoinsuchsituations?Dowedotheeasythingortherightthing?Forexample,whatshouldIdowhenaclerkgivesmetoomuchchange?WhatshouldIsaywhenaconvenientliecancoveramistake?HowfarshouldIgoinmypromisestowinaclient?
ANETHICALDILEMMACANBEDEFINEDASANUNDESIRABLEORUNPLEASANTCHOICERELATINGTOAMORALPRINCIPLEOR
PRACTICE.
Ashumanbeings,weseempronetofailingpersonalethicstests.Whydowedosomethingevenwhenweknowit’swrong?Dowecheatbecausewethinkwewon’tgetcaught?Dowegiveourselvespermissiontocutcornersbecausewerationalizethatit’sjustonetime?Isthisourwayofdealingwithpressure?
2.WeDoWhatWeMusttoWin
Ithinkmostpeoplearelikeme:Ihatelosing!Businesspeopleinparticulardesiretowinthroughachievementandsuccess.Butmanythinktheyhavetochoosebetweenbeingethicalandwinning.TheAtlantaBusinessChroniclereportsthatagroupofexecutivescametogetherrecentlyataleadingcompanyinAtlantatobrainstormideasforathree-daynationalconferencetobeattendedbyseveralthousandsalesemployees.Astheteamsharedideasfordifferentsessions,aseniorvicepresidentofthecorporationenthusiasticallysuggested,“Whydon’twedoapieceonethics?”
Itwasasifsomeonehaddied.Theroomwentsilent.Anawkwardmomentlater,thediscussioncontinuedasifthevicepresidenthadneverutteredaword.Shewassotakenabackbyeveryone’sreaction,shesimplylettheideadrop.
Laterthatday,shehappenedtorunintothecompany’sCEO.Sherecountedtohimherbeliefthatthesubjectofethicsshouldbeaddressedattheconference.Sheexpectedhimtoagreewholeheartedly.Insteadhereplied,“I’msureeveryoneagreesthat’sanimportantissue.Butthere’satimeandaplaceforeverything.Thesalesmeetingissupposedtobeupbeatandmotivational.Andethicsissuchanegativesubject.”5
MANYPEOPLEBELIEVETHATEMBRACINGETHICSWOULDLIMITTHEIROPTIONS,THEIROPPORTUNITIES,THEIRVERYABILITYTO
SUCCEEDINBUSINESS.
ThatCEOisn’taloneinhisopinionofethics.Manypeoplebelievethatembracingethicswouldlimittheiroptions,theiropportunities,theirveryabilitytosucceedinbusiness.It’stheoldsuspicionthatgoodguysfinishlast.TheyagreewithHarvardhistoryprofessorHenryAdams,whostated,“Moralityisaprivateandcostlyluxury.”Ironically,intoday’scultureofhighdebtandme-firstliving,ethicsmaybetheonlyluxurysomepeoplearechoosingtolivewithout!
IfIbelievethatIhaveonlytwochoices:(1)towinbydoingwhateverittakes,evenifit’sunethical;or(2)tohaveethicsandlose—I’mfacedwitharealmoraldilemma.Fewpeoplesetoutwiththedesiretobedishonest,butnobodywantstolose.
3.WeRationalizeOurChoiceswithRelativismManypeoplechoosetodealwithsuchno-winsituationsbydecidingwhat’srightinthemoment,accordingtotheircircumstances.That’sanideathatgained
legitimacyintheearly1960swhenDr.JosephFletcher,deanofSt.Paul’sCathedralinCincinnati,Ohio,publishedabookcalledSituationEthics.6Inithesaidthatlovewastheonlyviablestandardfordeterminingrightfromwrong.TheExecutiveLeadershipFoundationstates,
AccordingtoFletcher,rightisdeterminedbythesituation,andlovecanjustifyanything—lying,cheating,stealing...evenmurder.Thisphilosophyspreadrapidlythroughoutthetheologicalandeducationalworlds....Sincethe1960s,situationalethicshasbecomethenormforsocialbehavior.Afterspreadingrapidlythroughtheworldsofeducation,religion,andgovernment,ithaspenetratedanewarea—thebusinessworld.Theresultisourethicalsituationtoday.7
Theresultisethicalchaos.Everyonehashisownstandards,whichchangefromsituationtosituation.Andthatstanceisencouraged.Acourseentitled“TheEthicsofCorporateManagement,”offeredattheUniversityofMichigan,saysinitsdescription,“Thiscourseisnotconcernedwiththepersonalmoralissuesofhonestyandtruthfulness.Itisassumedthatthestudentsatthisuniversityhavealreadyformedtheirownstandardsontheseissues.”8
Sowhateveranyonewantstouseasthestandardisokay.Makingmattersworseispeople’snaturalinclinationtobeeasyonthemselves,judgingthemselvesaccordingtotheirgoodintentions—whileholdingotherstoahigherstandardandjudgingthembytheirworstactions.Whereonceourdecisionswerebasedonethics,nowethicsarebasedonourdecisions.Ifit’sgoodforme,thenit’sgood.Whereisthistrendlikelytoend?
ACHANGEINTHEWIND
Fortunately,thereisanincreasingdesireforethicaldealinginbusiness.ExecutiverecruitersHeidrickandStrugglesstate,“Inaneweraforbusiness,CEOsfaceanewmandate.Glamourandglitzareout.Transparency—intermsofethics,values,andgoals—isin.”9MyfriendBruceDingman,presidentofmanagementconsultingfirmR.W.Dingman,agrees.Herecentlysentmeane-mail:
Thoughtyoumightliketoknowwhatweareseeinginthemarketplace.Changesincorporatevaluesorstrategiesareoftenreflectedinwhatourclientstellustheynowseekincandidates....Yes,theystillwantkey
executiveswhocanmakethecompanymoney,arewillingtomaketoughdecisions,andfitthemanagementteam,butnowthereisastrongerconcernforintegrity,notplayingitquiteasclosetotheedge,andtakingasomewhatlongerviewinstrategiesandthesettingofmorerealistic,moreconservativegoals.
AndJeremyFarmer,aseasonedrecruiteratBankOneinChicago,saysthatheandhiscolleaguesaretakingethicsintogreateraccountwhenlookingforpotentialemployees:“We’reaskingtheethics-typequestions,andwe’redoingbehavioralinterviewing.”10
It’sgoodtoknowthatthereisadesireforchangeregardingethicsinourculture.Thebadnewsisthatmostpeopledon’tknowhowtomakethattransition.TheirsituationislikethatofagroupofpassengersinacornyjokeIheardmanyyearsago.Thepeoplewereonanairplaneduringacross-countryflight.Abouttwohoursintotheirjourneytheyheardavoicesayovertheloudspeaker,“Thisisyourpilot.Wearecurrentlycruisingat35,000feetatanairspeedof700knots.Wehavesomebadnewsandsomegoodnews.Thebadnewsiswe’relost.Thegoodnewsiswe’remakingexcellenttime.”
SOMECURRENTMARKETPLACESOLUTIONS
Ifyoulookatwhat’shappeninginthemarketplace,you’llseethateventhoughwedesirehonestyandplaindealing,we’restillnotwinningthebattleofethics.Takealookathowpeopleinourculturearecurrentlytryingtoaddresstheproblem.They...
OutsourceEthicsInstructionAccordingtoJoanRyan,columnistfortheSanFranciscoChronicle,companiesarehiringfirmstoofferon-lineethicsclassesandengagingconsultantstoproducehugeethicsmanualsthatRyansays“oftenreadliketaxcodes,completewithloopholesandfineprint.”It’snothelping.Worstofall,thedesireofsuchcompaniesoftenisn’ttomaketheirbusinessesmoreethical.Ryanstates,“It’saboutevadingpunishment.Underfederalguidelines,companiesthathaveethicsprogramsareeligibleforreducedfinesifconvictedofwrongdoing.”11
PerformanEthicalFleaDip
Anotherapproachisto“treat”ethicaloffenderswhencaught.ManagementconsultantFrankJ.Navrancallsthatan“ethicalfleadip.”12Theproblemwiththisapproachisthatitisaseffectiveasafleadipwhenadog’senvironmentisn’tchanged.Thefleascomerightback.Iftheenvironment—thesystemsandgoals—ofanorganizationencourageandrewardunethicalbehavior,thenmerelyaddressingindividualemployees’actionswillnotimprovethesituation.
RelyontheLawSomecompanieshavegivenupentirelyontryingtofigureoutwhat’sethicalandareinsteadusingwhat’slegalastheirstandardfordecisionmaking.Theresultismoralbankruptcy.WhenKevinRollins,presidentoftheDellComputerCorporation,wasaskedabouttheroleofethicsinbusiness,heparaphrasedRussiandissidentAleksandrSolzhenitsyn,whosaid,“I’velivedmylifeinasocietywheretherewasnoruleoflaw.Andthat’saterribleexistence.Butasocietywheretheruleoflawistheonlystandardofethicalbehaviorisequallybad.”Rollinsasserts,“SolzhenitsynsaidthatiftheUnitedStatesonlyaspirestoalegalstandardofmoralexcellence,wewillhavemissedthepoint.Mancandobetter.Ithoughtthatwasanicecommentontheethicsofcompaniesthatsay,‘Well,legally,itwasjustfine.’Webelieveyouhavetoaspiretosomethinghigherthanwhat’slegal.Iswhatyou’redoingright?”13
THISTIMEIT’SPERSONAL
Oneofourproblemsisthatethicsisneverabusinessissueorasocialissueorapoliticalissue.Itisalwaysapersonalissue.Peoplesaytheywantintegrity.Butatthesametime,ironically,studiesindicatethatthemajorityofpeopledon’talwaysactwiththekindofintegritytheyrequestfromothers.Amongcollegestudents,84percentbelievetheUnitedStatesisexperiencingabusinesscrisis,and77percentbelieveCEOsshouldbeheldresponsibleforit.However,59percentofthosesamestudentsadmittohavingcheatedonatest.14Intheworkplace,43percentofpeopleadmittohavingengagedinatleastoneunethicalactinthelastyear,and75percenthaveobservedsuchanactanddonenothingaboutit.15Thesamepersonwhocheatsonhistaxesorstealsofficesupplieswantshonestyandintegrityfromthecorporationwhosestockhebuys,thepoliticianhevotesfor,andtheclienthedealswithinhisownbusiness.
THESAMEPERSONWHOCHEATSONHISTAXESORSTEALSOFFICESUPPLIESWANTSHONESTYANDINTEGRITYFROMTHE
CORPORATIONWHOSESTOCKHEBUYS,THEPOLITICIANHEVOTESFOR,ANDTHECLIENTHEDEALSWITHINHISOWNBUSINESS.
It’seasytodiscussethicsandeveneasiertobedisgustedwithpeoplewhofailtheethicstest—especiallywhenwehavebeenviolatedbythewrongdoingofothers.It’shardertomakeethicalchoicesinourownlives.Whenwearefacedwithunpleasantchoices,whatarewegoingtodo?Inthe1980s,formerPresidentRonaldReaganquippedthatwhenitcomestotheeconomy,it’sarecessionwhenyourneighborloseshisjob,butit’sadepressionwhenyouloseyours!Ethicsissimilar.It’salwaysharderwhenI’mtheonehavingtomakethechoice.
THEBOTTOMLINEONETHICS
Iwanttobeethical,andIbelievethatyoudotoo.Furthermore,Iknowitreallyispossibletodowhat’srightandsucceedinbusiness.Infact,accordingtotheEthicsResourceCenterinWashington,D.C.,companiesthatarededicatedtodoingtherightthing,haveawrittencommitmenttosocialresponsibility,andactonitconsistentlyaremoreprofitablethanthosewhodon’t.JamesBurke,chairmanofJohnsonandJohnson,says,“Ifyouinvested$30,000inacompositeoftheDowJonesthirtyyearsago,itwouldbeworth$134,000today.Ifyouhadputthat$30,000intothese[sociallyandethicallyresponsible]firms—$2,000intoeachofthefifteen[inthestudy]—itwouldnowbeworthover$1million.”16
COMPANIESTHATAREDEDICATEDTODOINGTHERIGHTTHING,HAVEAWRITTENCOMMITMENTTOSOCIALRESPONSIBILITY,ANDACTONITCONSISTENTLYAREMOREPROFITABLETHANTHOSE
WHODON’T.
Ifyouembraceethicalbehavior,willitautomaticallymakeyourichandsuccessful?Ofcoursenot.Canitpavethewayforyoutobecomesuccessful?Absolutely!Ethics+Competenceisawinningequation.Incontrast,peoplewhocontinuallyattempttotesttheedgeofethicsinevitablygooverthatedge.Shortcutsneverpayoffinthelongrun.Itmaybepossibletofoolpeoplefora
season,butinthelonghaul,theirdeedswillcatchupwiththembecausethetruthdoescomeout.Intheshortterm,behavingethicallymaylooklikealoss(justasonecantemporarilyappeartowinbybeingunethical).However,inthelongterm,peoplealwayslosewhentheylivewithoutethics.Haveyouevermetanyonewholivedalifeofshortcuts,deception,andcheatingwhofinishedwell?
KingSolomonofancientIsrael,reputedtobethewisestmanwhoeverlived,saiditthisway:
Thewaysofright-livingpeopleglowwithlight;thelongertheylive,thebrightertheyshine.Buttheroadofwrongdoinggetsdarkeranddarker—travelerscan’tseeathing;theyfallflatontheirfaces.17
U.S.representativeandeducationalrightsadvocateJabezL.M.Curryobserved,“Astatetoprospermustbebuiltonfoundationsofamoralcharacter,andthischaracteristheprincipalelementofitsstrength,andtheonlyguarantyofitspermanenceandprosperity.”Thesamecanbesaidofabusiness.Orofafamily.Orofanyendeavoryouwishtoseethriveandendure.However,thatfoundationcannotbebuiltbytheorganizationasawhole.Itmustbebuiltbeginningwitheachindividual.Anditmustbedoneinthefaceofcontinuouspressuretoperformattheexpenseofdoingtherightthing.
Let’sgobacktobasics.Howdoyouknowwhat’sright?Howdoyounavigateeventhemostdifficultofpressure-filledsituations?Wherecanyoufindastandardthatwillworkineverysituation—aguidethatwillhelpyoutosleepwellatnight,prosperinbusiness,improveyourmarriage,andhaveconfidencethatyou’redoingallyoucaneverytime?IofferwhatIbelievetobethebestanswertothosequestionsinthenextchapter.
2
WhyThisRuleIsGolden
HOWDOYOURATEYOURSELFWHENITCOMESTOETHICS?German-bornindustrialrelationslecturerandclergymanWilliamJ.H.Boetckerobserved,“Menmustbehonestwiththemselvesbeforetheycanbehonestwithothers.Amanwhoisnothonestwithhimselfpresentsahopelesscase.”1Ibelieveallpeoplecanbecategorizedusingthefollowingfivestatements.
1.Iamalwaysethical.2.Iammostlyethical.3.Iamsomewhatethical.4.Iamseldomethical.5.Iamneverethical.
Whichonebestappliestoyou?Howwouldyoucharacterizeyourself?Pausetoreflect.Thengoaheadandputacheckmarknexttothestatementthatbestdescribesyou.
ETHICSMATTERS
Nowthatyou’vegiventhatsomethought,herearesomeobservationsIwanttosharewithyourelatedtohowpeoplelookatethics:
1.Themajorityofpeopleplacethemselvesinthefirstorsecondcategory.Mostofustrytobeethicalmostofthetime.
2.Mostpeoplewhoputthemselvesinthesecondcategorydosobecauseofpersonalconvenience.Conflictisinconvenient.Practicingdiscipline
isinconvenient.Losingisinconvenient.Payingahighpriceforsuccessisinconvenient.Somepeopleincategory2aretherebecausetheydon’twanttodealwiththoseinconveniences.
3.Mostpeoplethinkthatbeing“mostlyethical”isfine—unlesstheyareonthelosingendofsomeoneelse’slapseinethics.
4.Onerulecanhelppeoplemovefrom“mostlyethical”to“alwaysethical”andclosethegapbetweenthefirsttwocategories.
Intheprefaceofthisbook,Imentionedthateducators,philosophers,theologians,andlawyershavemadeethicsanoverlycomplexsubject.Mostpeoplehavebeeninfluencedbytheviewofthose“experts.”Toseeevidenceofthatfact,payattentiontoyourreactiontowhatI’mabouttotellyou:Ibelieveyouwillbeabletouseoneguidelinetogovernallyourethicaldecisionmaking.It’sbasedontheGoldenRule.
IBELIEVEYOUWILLBEABLETOUSEONEGUIDELINETOGOVERNALLYOURETHICALDECISIONMAKING.IT’SBASEDONTHE
GOLDENRULE.
Didyouscoff?Areyouskeptical?Areyouconsideringdismissingmyassertion?Ifyouare,thenyoumaybecaughtinthequagmireofmodernthinkingonethics.I’dliketoaskyoutobearwithmeasIexplainthethesisofthisbook,whichis:
Askingthequestion“HowwouldIliketobetreatedinthissituation?”isanintegrityguidelineforanysituation.
Now,letmeexplainwhyIbelievetheGoldenRulecanbecomeyourNorthStarwhenitcomestoethicalnavigation.
ONERULEFOREVERYONE
OneofthepeoplewhohasmentoredmeinleadershipisbusinessconsultantFredSmithSr.Onedayatlunchmorethanadecadeago,wegottotalkingaboutethics,andwediscussedtheGoldenRule.“Youknow,”Fredsaid,“aversionoftheGoldenRuleexistsinjustabouteveryculture.”
Thatstatementalwaysstuckwithme.InAmerica’scurrentrelativisticculture
—whereeveryonewantstousedifferentstandardsandwhereeverysituationissupposedtorequireitsowncodeofconduct—it’spromisingtohopethatpeoplefromeveryculturedesiringtoliveethicallycanagreeononestandard.TakealookattheresultsofsomeresearchthatshowshowmanyvariationsontheGoldenRuleexist:
Christianity:“Whateveryouwantmentodotoyou,doalsotothem.”2Islam:“Nooneofyouisabelieveruntilhelovesforhisneighborwhathelovesforhimself.”3
Judaism:“Whatishatefultoyou,donotdotoyourfellowman.ThisistheentireLaw;alltherestiscommentary.”4
Buddhism:“Hurtnototherswiththatwhichpainsyourself.”5Hinduism:“Thisisthesumofduty;donaughtuntootherswhatyouwouldnothavethemdountoyou.”6
Zoroastrianism:“Whateverisdisagreeabletoyourself,donotdountoothers.”7
Confucianism:“Whatyoudonotwantdonetoyourself,donotdotoothers.”8
Bahai:“Andifthineeyesbeturnedtowardsjustice,choosethouforthyneighbourthatwhichthouchoosestforthyself.”9
Jainism:“Amanshouldwanderabouttreatingallcreaturesashehimselfwouldbetreated.”10
YorubaProverb(Nigeria):“Onegoingtotakeapointedsticktopinchababybirdshouldfirsttryitonhimselftofeelhowithurts.”11
THEREAREREALLYONLYTWOIMPORTANTPOINTSWHENITCOMESTOETHICS.THEFIRSTISASTANDARDTOFOLLOW.THE
SECONDISTHEWILLTOFOLLOWIT.
ItisclearthattheGoldenRulecutsacrossculturalandreligiousboundariesandisembracedbypeoplefromnearlyeverypartoftheworld.It’stheclosestthingtoauniversalguidelineforethicsapersoncanfind.Therearereallyonlytwoimportantpointswhenitcomestoethics.Thefirstisastandardtofollow.Thesecondisthewilltofollowit.TheJosephsonInstituteofEthics,a
nonpartisan,nonprofitorganizationthatexiststoimprovetheethicalqualityofsociety,statesitwellwhentheysay,“Ethicsisabouthowwemeetthechallengeofdoingtherightthingwhenthatwillcostmorethanwewanttopay.Therearetwoaspectstoethics:Thefirstinvolvestheabilitytodiscernrightfromwrong,goodfromevil,andproprietyfromimpropriety.Thesecondinvolvesthecommitmenttodowhatisright,goodandproper.Ethicsentailsaction;itisnotjustatopictomullordebate.”12
WHYYOUANDISHOULDADOPTTHEGOLDENRULE
I’mnotnaive.Iknowthatnoteveryoneislookingforasimple,practical,andapplicableguidelinetoliveethically.Somepeoplechoosetolie,cheat,steal,anddoworse.Otherslivetomullanddebateideas.(Itookclassesfromsomeofthemingraduateschool!)Butpeoplewhodesiretofindagood,honeststandardofethicalbehaviortolivebycanfinditintheGoldenRule.HereiswhyIbelievethat:
“ETHICSISABOUTHOWWEMEETTHECHALLENGEOFDOINGTHERIGHTTHINGWHENTHATWILLCOSTMORETHANWEWANTTO
PAY.”
—THEJOSEPHSONINSTITUTEOFETHICS
1.TheGoldenRuleIsAcceptedbyMostPeopleYoualreadyhaveanideaofhowwidelyacceptedtheGoldenRuleis.Butifthatisn’tenoughforyou,acasecanalsobemadefortheGoldenRulebasedoncommonsense.Canyouimaginesomeonesaying,“PleasetreatmeworsethanItreatyou”?No,everyonewantstobetreatedwell.Evenpeoplewhopursueunhealthyrelationshipsorwhoengageindestructivebehaviordon’tdesireorconsciouslyseekbadtreatmentfromothers.Itisnotunreasonableforanypersontodesiregoodtreatmentfromothers.Norisitaskingtoomuchtoexpectpeopletotreatotherswell.
Itisverydifficultforpeopletojustifydemandingbettertreatmentfromothersthantheygive.Whatcantheybaseiton?Wealth?Ifthat’sthecase,thenthepersonmaking$100,000ayearwhodesiresgoodtreatmentfromsomeonemaking$25,000mustagreetobetreatedpoorlybythosewhomake$500,000!
Whatifpeoplebasedtreatmentontalent?(That’swhatsomeofthedivasinthemusicindustryhavebeenknowntodo,forexample.)Shouldthemoretalentedgetbettertreatmentthanthelesstalented?Yes?Okay,thenwhoshouldtreatwhombetter:WhitneyHoustonorYoYoMa?Doyoudeterminetreatmentontheamountofnaturaltalentoronwhatpeopledowiththeirtalent?Howdoyoujudgesomethingassubjectiveastalentanyway?Andwhathappenswhenapersonwithtalentinoneareameetssomeonewithtalentinanother?Whodeservesthebettertreatment:TigerWoodsorBillGates?
Orpeoplecouldbasetreatmentonpoliticalaffiliationorpersonallyheldbeliefs.Thenmembersoftheotherpartybecomeinherentlyinferior,andifsomeonedisagreeswithyourbeliefs,theyautomaticallydeservepoorertreatment.Butwhatifyoulaterfindoutthattheywereactuallyrightconcerninganissueinsteadofyou?Thetablesturn.
Youcanseewherethiscango.Nomatterwhatarbitrarycriteriayoucanthinkof—whetherit’swealth,talent,ideology,nationality,race,orsomethingelse—itcannotbelogicallysupported.Iteventuallybecomeslikeagameofkingofthehill.Didyouplaythatasakid?Onepersonclimbsupontoahillofdirtandtriestostaytherewhileeveryoneelsetriestoknockhimoff.Theonlywaytowinistobethebiggestbully.Andevenifyoudowin,yougetprettybeatupintheprocess.
Oneofthefirstrulesinhumanrelationsistoseekcommongroundwithothers.That’sagoodguidelinewhetheryouareexploringanewfriendship,meetingwithaclient,teachingastudent,connectingwithchildren,orarguingwithyourspouse.Comparingsimilarexperiencesanddiscoveringsharedbeliefscanpavethewayforsuccessfulrelationships.TheGoldenRulecanbeusedtocreatecommongroundwithanyreasonableperson.
THEGOLDENRULECANBEUSEDTOCREATECOMMONGROUNDWITHANYREASONABLEPERSON.
2.TheGoldenRuleIsEasytoUnderstandFormerSaturdayReviewofLiteratureeditorNormanCousins,whotaughtatUCLA,observed:
Thewords“hard”and“soft”aregenerallyusedbymedicalstudentstodescribethecontrastingnatureofcourses.Courseslikebiochemistry,
physics,pharmacology,anatomy,andpathologyareanointedwiththebenedictionof“hard,”whereassubjectslikemedicalethics,philosophy,history,andpatient-physicianrelationshipstendtolaborunderthefarlessauspiciouslabel“soft.”...[But]adecadeortwoaftergraduationtheretendstobeaninversion.Thatwhichwassupposedtobehardturnsouttobesoft,andviceversa.Theknowledgebaseofmedicineisconstantlychanging....Butthesoftsubjects—especiallythosethathavetodowithintangibles—turnouttobeofenduringvalue.13
Cousins’sremarkshedslightonaproblemwithethics.Peopleoftenhavedifficultygettingahandleonthesubjectbecauseitseemscomplexandintangible.OneofthewonderfulthingsabouttheGoldenRuleisthatitmakestheintangibletangible.Youdon’tneedtoknowthelaw.Youdon’tneedtoexplorenuancesofphilosophy.Yousimplyimagineyourselfintheplaceofanotherperson.Evenasmallchildcangetahandleonthat.Therearenocomplicatedrulesandnoloopholes.
That’snottosayeveryethicalsituationcanbesolvedinstantlybyusingtheGoldenRule.Sometimesthehardestpartofasking“HowwouldIliketobetreatedinthissituation?”isidentifyingwhomightbeaffectedbythesituationandhowtheymightbeimpacted.Butevenforcomplexissues,ifapersongivesthemattersomethought,heorshecanalmostalwaysfigureitout.
3.TheGoldenRuleIsaWin-WinPhilosophyHaveyoumetpeoplewhobelievethatinorderforthemtobewinners,otherpeoplemustbemadetolose?Theyseeeveryoneasanenemywhomustbecrushed.Ortheypreyonthepainofothersinordertowin.ThatseemstobetheideabehindamutualfundthatbecameavailableinSeptemberof2002.It’scalledtheViceFundandisofferedbyMutuals.com,Inc.Themanagersofthefundtoutitasaninvestmentin“companiesthatderiveasignificantportionoftheirrevenuesfromproductsoftenconsideredsociallyirresponsible,”primarilyingambling,tobacco,alcohol,anddefenseweapons,industriestheyconsidertobenearly“recession-proof.”14
Expertssaythatsuch“viceinvesting”doesn’tworkandisn’tasprofitableasinvestmentin“sociallyresponsible”companies.15Butit’sclearevenfromthenamethattheappealofthefundcomesfromtheideaoftheinvestormakingmoneyfromsomeoneelse’sweaknesses.Iwonderhowthefundmanagerwould
feelifhediscoveredpeoplewereworkinghardtoexploithispersonalflawsfortheirprofit.WhenyoulivebytheGoldenRule,everybodywins.IfItreatyouaswellasIdesiretobetreated,youwin.Ifyoutreatmelikewise,Iwin.Whereistheloserinthat?
4.TheGoldenRuleIsaCompassWhenYouNeedDirectionTheGoldenRuledoesmorethanjustgivepeoplewins.Italsohasinternalvalueforanyonewhopracticesit.TelevisioncommentatorTedKoppelsays,“There’sharmonyandinnerpeacetobefoundinfollowingamoralcompassthatpointsinthesamedirectionregardlessoffashionortrend.”Inaworldwithmuchuncertainty,Ithinkmanypeopleareseekingdirection.TheGoldenRulecanprovidethat.Itneverchanges,evenascircumstancesdo.Itgivessolid,predictabledirectioneverytimeit’sused.Andbestofall,itactuallyworks.
“THERE’SHARMONYANDINNERPEACETOBEFOUNDINFOLLOWINGAMORALCOMPASSTHATPOINTSINTHESAME
DIRECTIONREGARDLESSOFFASHIONORTREND.”
—TEDKOPPEL
THEGOLDENPLACETOBE
AsIspeaktocorporationsthroughoutthecountry,Imeetalotofinterestingpeopleandmanyexcellentleaders.Whileonabooktourin1998,Imetsomeonewhofitsinbothcategories.JimBlanchardistheCEOofSynovusFinancialCorp.,aholdingcompanyforthirty-eightbanksinfivestates,and80percentownerofanelectronicpaymentservicesprovider(calledTSYS).Thecompany’sWebsitestatesthatitsnameis“acombinationofthewordssynergyandnovus—synergy,meaningtheinteractionofseparatecomponentssuchthattheresultisgreaterthanthesumofitsparts;andnovus,whichmeansusuallyofsuperiorqualityanddifferentfromtheotherslistedinthesamecategory.”Theorganizationpossessesmorethan$18billioninassets,employsmorethanninethousandpeople,andisacomponentoftheStandard&Poor’s500index(NYSE:SNV).16
Ifyoukeepupwithbusinessnews,youmayhaveheardofSynovus.In1998,Fortunemagazinebeganpublishingitslistofthe100BestCompaniestoWork
ForinAmerica.In1999,Synovuswasrankednumberone!Thecompanyhasbeenonthatlisteveryyearsinceitsinception.(ThelistthatcameoutinJanuaryof2003rankedSynovusninthinthenation.)
Asabusinessowner,IwantedtofindouthowonewentaboutcreatingthebestcompanytoworkforintheUnitedStates.SoItalkedtoJim.Hetoldmethatafewyearsaftergraduatingfromlawschoolin1965,atagetwenty-nine,hewasselectedtoheadtheColumbusBankandTrustCompany.Overtheyears,hebuiltandexpandedthebusiness.Buttheninthe1990s,herealizedthathewantedtomakesuretheethicalprinciplesandvalueshehadalwaysusedpersonallytoconductbusinesswouldbecomepartofthecultureoftheexpandingorganization.“Weneededtoinstitutionalizeit,andweneededtoenforceitandreinforceit,”hesaid.Andthatmeantmakingchanges—bigchanges.Manypoliciesthathaddevelopedovertheyearsweredismantled,suchasthepromotionsystem,salaryadministration,andreviewprocess.
TheyalsoinitiatedwhatJimcallsaPeopleDevelopmentComponent,thecoreofwhichisacommitmenttotheirworkforce.Jimexplained,
AsleadersofSynovus,wesaidwewerenotgoingtoallowamean-spirited,manipulative,commandingsortofleadershiptoexistinthiscompanyanylonger.Andweweregoingtoremediateanybodywhowaslikethat—iftheywerewillingtotry.Butiftheycouldn’torwouldn’tchange,thenwewouldaskthemtogosomewhereelse.
Thisisgoingtobeasafeplacetowork.Employeesarenotgoingtobeharassed.Theyarenotgoingtobejerkedaround—wecallit“salutetheflagandkickthedog,”meaningyousayalltherightthings,butthenyougobacktoyourofficeandjustbeatupthefolks.Istoodupinanumberofforumsandsaid,“I’mwritingyouablankcheckonthispromise,andIwantyoutopresentitforpayment.Andifthecheckbounces,thenyou’vegotnoreasontobelieveanythingItellyoueveragain.”
“IFWEHADONLYONERULEINTHISCOMPANY,ITWOULDBETHEGOLDENRULE.IFWE’VEGOTTHATONERIGHT,NOOTHERRULES
ARENECESSARY.”—JIMBLANCHARD
Veryquicklythelightofdayshoneonthebadleaders.We’vehadtwotothreehundredofthemtransitionoutinthelastsixoreightyears,becausetheywouldn’tliveuptothestandardoftreatingfolksright,with
respect,admiration,appreciation,consideration.Andbasicallyweculminatedallofthisbysayingthatifwehadonlyoneruleinthiscompany,itwouldbetheGoldenRule.Ifwe’vegotthatoneright,nootherrulesarenecessary.17
Tomanypeople,theGoldenRulesoundslikeasoftapproachtobusiness.Butnothingcouldbefartherfromthetruth.AtSynovus,arroganceisnottolerated,butexcellenceisexpected.Jimsays,“Ourpoliciesarenotacoverforlazy,averageandmediocre.We’reverydemandingandcompetitive,butwedon’tjerkpeoplearound,either.”18WhenIaskedhimaboutthebenefitsofaGoldenRuleapproachtopeople,hesaid,
Thetangiblebenefitsarelowerturnover,fewerEEOCclaims,almostadisappearanceofanykindofharassmentissues.Butintangible[benefitsarethat]youkeepyourbestfolks,youryoungemergingleaderswanttostay,andpeoplegrowandflourishinanenvironmentwheretheyarenotsuppressed.Soyou’regettingoptimumandmaximumgrowthatthehighestlevel....Andwhenyou’vegotpeopleflourishingeverywherearoundyou,thenit’slikedraftinginaracecar.It’spullingotherpeoplealongandpeopleaspiretoachieveandaccomplishliketheyseeothersdoing.FollowingtheGoldenRuleisawin-win.19
Itreallyisawinforeverybody!TheGoldenRuleisgoodforemployees.It’sgoodforclients.Andit’sgoodforinvestors.AccordingtotheRobinson-HumphreyCompany,Synovus’sstockhasgeneratedthesecondhighestreturnofanystocktradedontheNewYorkStockExchangeduringthepasttwentyyears!20That’sthekindofreturneveryonedesires.TheGoldenRulereallydoeswork.That’sEthics101.
3
TheGoldenRuleBeginswithYou
AUTHORANDSPEAKERZIGZIGLARRECENTLYSENTANOTETOmeafterlisteningtoalessonIhaddoneontheleadershipofournation’sfoundingfathers.ZigandIhavebeengoodfriendsforyears,andIalwaysenjoyreceivinghisperspectiveandwisdomonleadership.Here’swhathesaid:
Ibelievethereasonwehadsomanyoutstandingleadersintheearlypartofourcountry’shistoryisthefactthat,accordingtotheThomasJeffersonResearchInstitute,inthedayswhenthemenyouwerementioningweregrowingup,over90percentoftheeducationalthrustwasofamoral,ethical,religiousnature.Andyet,bythe1950sthepercentageofthatsameeducationalthrustwassosmallitcouldnotbemeasured.Iwonderifthat’sthereasonthreemillionAmericansin1776producedWashington,Madison,Jefferson,Hamilton,Adams,etc.,andwhyintheyear2002wehavenoonetoequalthemenofthatcaliber.1
Astrongmoraleducation,suchasZigidentified,empowersapersontomakegoodethicalchoices.However,sincefewpeopletodayhavereceivedsuchafoundation,howdoesonegetstarted?HowdoyoutakesomethingasbroadastheGoldenRuleandmakeitapartofyoureverydaythinking?I’mconvincedthebestwaytogetstartedistothinkaboutwhatyouwant.
HOWDOYOUWANTTOBETREATED?
Ibelievethatallpeople,attheircore,areverymuchalike.Talktoindividualsofanyage,gender,race,ornationality,andtheyhavecertainthingsincommon.
Andonceyouidentifythosecommoncharacteristics,recognizingthemfirstinyourselfandtheninothers,youholdthekeythatunlockstheGoldenRule.HereistheshortlistofthingsthatIbelieveallhumanbeingshaveincommonwhenitcomestohowtheywanttobetreated:
1.IWanttoBeValuedDidyouknowthatintheAmericanmarketplacetoday,70percentofthepeoplewholeavetheirjobsdosobecausetheydonotfeelvalued?2That’sanindictmentofhowpoorlymanybusinesspeopletreattheiremployees.Thereisn’tapersonintheworldwhodoesn’twanttobevaluedbyothers.Don’tyouwantotherstoacceptyouforwhoyouareandshowyouthroughtheiractionsthatyoumatter?
INTHEAMERICANMARKETPLACETODAY,70PERCENTOFTHEPEOPLEWHOLEAVETHEIRJOBSDOSOBECAUSETHEYDONOT
FEELVALUED.
OnebusinessthatexcelsatvaluingitsemployeesisMissionControls,anIrvine,California,basedcompanythatdesignsandinstallsautomatedfoodandbeveragesystems.Theorganizationworksfromcontracttocontract,sotheysometimesexperiencedownperiodswithrelativelylittlework.Manysimilarcompaniessimplylayoffemployeeswhenbusinessslowsdown.ButnotMissionControls.CompanyfoundersCraigNelson,NealVaoifi,andScottYoungdecidedwhentheystartedtheirbusinessthattheywouldpersonallygowithoutpaybeforelayingoffanyoftheirthirty-fiveemployees.
Thefounders’desiretokeeptheirbestpeopleandshowthattheyvaluedthemwasaprettyidealisticgoal.Andtheircommitmenttoitwastestedthecompany’sfirstyearinexistencewhentheyexperiencedadryperiodthatlastedeightmonths.Buttheystucktotheirgunsandwentwithoutsalariesduringthatentiretime.
MissionControls’founderscontinuetostickwiththeircommitment.Anytimesalesdropandcostcuttingdoesn’tsaveenough,thecomptrollerofthecompanymakesthecallandputstheleaders’salarysuspensionplanintoeffect.Duringthattime,employeepayandbenefitsremainunchanged.Oncethecompanyreachescertainthresholdsforcashflowandprofitability,theexecutivesstarttoreceiveasalaryagain.Andincaseyouwerewondering,they
arenotpaidretroactively.Nelsonobserves,“Itseemslikecompanieswilldowhatevertheyneedtoinordertoturnaprofitbutattheexpenseofpeople.”3Nelson,Vaoifi,andYoungunderstandtheimportanceofbeingvalued,andtheytreattheiremployeesinthewaytheywouldliketobetreated.
Haveyoueverbeenmadetofeelworthlessbyanotherperson?Maybeaparenttoldyouthatyouhadnothingtooffer.Orabosssaidthatyouoryourdepartmentwasnothingbutaliabilitytothecompany.Orperhapsyou’vebeenpubliclyhumiliated.Ifso,thenyouknowhowimportantitistobevaluedbyanotherhumanbeing.Encouragementisoxygenforthesoul.Deepdown,allpeoplewanttofeeltheymattersimplyforwhotheyare.
Valuingothers,notforwhattheycandobutsimplybecausetheyarehumanbeings,isthefoundationoftheGoldenRule.Ifyoucanlearntothinkinthoseterms,thenyou’vetakenanimportantstepinmakingtheGoldenRuletheethicalguidelineforyourlife.
2.IWanttoBeAppreciatedThedesiretobelovedandvaluedisperhapsthedeepestneedofeveryperson.Closelyrelatedtothatneedisourdesiretobeappreciatedforwhatwecando.Don’tyoupossessadesiretoexcelandachieve?Anddon’tyouwanttobeappreciatedfortheskillandeffortyoubringtoyourwork?Knowingthatwhatyoudomattersbuildsyourself-confidenceandself-worth.Thepeoplewhoworkwithyouandforyoupossessthesamedesire,eventhosewhodon’tshowit.HumanrelationsexpertandauthorDonaldLairdasserted,“Alwayshelppeopleincreasetheirownself-esteem.Developyourskillinmakingotherpeoplefeelimportant.Thereishardlyahighercomplimentyoucanpayanindividualthanhelpinghimtobeusefulandtofindsatisfactioninhisusefulness.”
Howcanyoudothat?Beginbylettingpeopleknowthatyouappreciatetheirefforts.Thankthemateveryopportunity.Givecredittootherseverytimeyoucan.Andmakeitapointtopraisepeopleinthepresenceofthoseclosesttothem,suchasfamilymembers.BroadwayproducerandentertainmententrepreneurBillyRoseshrewdlyobserved,“It’shardforafellowtokeepachiponhisshoulderifyouallowhimtotakeabow.”
3.IWanttoBeTrustedVictorianwriterGeorgeMacDonaldsaid,“Tobetrustedisagreatercomplimentthantobeloved.”TheLawofSolidGroundinThe21IrrefutableLawsof
Leadershipstatesthattrustisthefoundationofleadership.Whilethatistrue,itcanalsobesaidthattrustisthefoundationofallgoodrelationships.Goodmarriages,goodbusinessrelationships,andgoodfriendshipsallrequiretrust.Ifyoudon’thavetrust,therecanbenoopenandhonestinteraction,andtherelationshipwillbeonlytemporary.
“TOBETRUSTEDISAGREATERCOMPLIMENTTHANTOBELOVED.”—GEORGEMACDONALD
ManchesterInc.,aconsultingfirminPhiladelphia,usedasurveyofmorethantwohundredcompaniestodiscoverthebestwaystobuildtrustwithemployees.Theyfoundthatpeoplewhoengendertrust...
•Maintainintegrity.•Openlycommunicatevisionandvalues.•Showrespectforemployeesasequalpartners.•Focusonsharedgoalsratherthanpersonalagendas.•Dotherightthingregardlessofpersonalrisk.•Listenwithanopenmind.•Demonstratecompassion.•Maintainconfidences.4
Whileyoucannotcontrolwhetherpeoplegiveyoutheirtrust,youcancontrolyouractionstowardthem.Andyoucandeterminetogivethemyourtrust.FormerU.S.SecretaryofStateHenryL.Stimsonremarked,“ThechieflessonIhavelearnedinalonglifeisthattheonlywayyoucanmakeamantrustworthyisbytrustinghim;andthesurestwaytomakehimuntrustworthyistodistrusthimandshowyourdistrust.”
Ittakesaleapoffaithtoputyourtrustinanotherperson,especiallysomeoneyoudon’tknowwell.Yetthat’swhatittakestopracticetheGoldenRule.Asyoustrivetoinvestconfidenceinothersinthesamewayyouwouldlikeitinvestedinyou,takecomfortinthewordsofCamilloBensodiCavour,whosaid,“Themanwhotrustsmenwillmakefewermistakesthanhewhodistruststhem.”
4.IWanttoBeRespectedWhenotherstrustme,Ireceiveresponsibilityandauthority.Whenothersrespect
me,ittouchessomethingdeeperwithinme.Itgivesmedignity,anditbuildsmyconfidence.IndiangeneralandonetimeOlympicathleteDalipSinghobserved,“Amanwhodoesnotrespecthisownlifeandthatofothersrobshimselfofhisdignityasahumanbeing.”
NotlongagoIreadanarticleaboutayoungmanwho,atagetwenty-three,wenttoworkastheseniorpastorofhisfirstchurch.Hefoundtheexperienceveryintimidatingbecausehewastobethespiritualleaderofpeoplewhohadchildrenandgrandchildrenolderthanhewas.HisstoryintriguedmebecauseIfacedaverysimilarsituationearlyinmycareer.Howdidhehandleit?Byshowinghispeoplerespectandaskingthemtotreathiminkind.Tomakehisstandardcleartoeveryone,hesharedtenrulesforrespectthathepromisedtoliveby,andheaskedhispeopletodothesame.Herearehisrules:
1.Ifyouhaveaproblemwithme,cometome(privately).2.IfIhaveaproblemwithyou,I’llcometoyou(privately).3.Ifsomeonehasaproblemwithmeandcomestoyou,sendthemtome.(I’lldothesameforyou.)
4.Ifsomeoneconsistentlywillnotcometome,say,“Let’sgoseehimtogether.Iamsurehewillseeusaboutthis.”(Iwilldothesameforyou.)
5.Becarefulhowyouinterpretme—I’dratherdothat.Onmattersthatareunclear,donotfeelpressuredtointerpretmyfeelingsorthoughts.Itiseasytomisinterpretintentions.
6.IwillbecarefulhowIinterpretyou.7.Ifit’sconfidential,don’ttell.Ifyouoranyoneelsecomestomeinconfidence,Iwon’ttellunless(a)thepersonisgoingtoharmhimself/herself,(b)thepersonisgoingtophysicallyharmsomeoneelse,(c)achildhasbeenphysicallyorsexuallyabused.Iexpectthesamefromyou.
8.Idonotreadunsignedlettersornotes.9.Idonotmanipulate;Iwillnotbemanipulated;donotletothersmanipulateyou.Donotletotherstrytomanipulatemethroughyou.
10.Whenindoubt,justsayit.IfIcanansweritwithoutmisrepresentingsomethingorbreakingaconfidence,Iwill.5
AuthorArnoldGlasowsaid,“Therespectofthoseyourespectisworthmorethantheapplauseofthemultitude.”Mostpeoplegreatlydesiretherespectofthe
peopletheyworkfor.Andwhenemployersgiveitfreely,itcreatesaverypositiveworkingenvironment.AnemployerwhomodelsthatisMitchellBurman,CEOoftheconsultingfirmAnalyticsOperationsEngineeringinBoston.Heshowshisemployeesthekindofrespecteveryresponsiblepersondesires.Thetenconsultantsheemploysareregardedasprofessionalsandtreatedaspartners—whichtheycaneventuallybecomebypurchasingsharesofstockinthecompanyafterworkingthereayear.Butevenbeforethen,theyareallowedtomakechoicesmereemployeesrarelygettomake.Theychoosewhichprojectstheyworkon,whentheywork,wheretheywork,andevenhowmuchvacationtheytake.
“THERESPECTOFTHOSEYOURESPECTISWORTHMORETHANTHEAPPLAUSEOFTHEMULTITUDE.”—ARNOLDGLASOW
“Ijudgeanemployee’svaluebywhattheycreate,”saysBurman.“Itdoesn’tmattertomewheretheydoitoreveniftheydoitfromTimbuktu.”Hismainconcernisthateachconsultantbeabletobillatleast$100,000ayearandthateachdollarbilledbedividedthisway:30percenttotheonewhodoesthework,15percenttothepersonwhosellsit,10percenttowhoevermanagesit,5percenttotaxes,20percenttooverhead,and20percenttoprofit.6
Thekindofrespectemployeesreceivegivesthemthefreedomtoperformattheirbestandtheincentivetoworkwithexcellence.Andnotonlydoesithonortheperson,butit’sgoodforbusiness.JamesHowellsaid,“Respectaman,andhewilldothemore.”
5.IWanttoBeUnderstoodIoncereadaboutagroupofteacherswhoconductedasurveyoftwothousandemployers,askingthemtoidentifythelastthreepersonstheyletgoandthereasonforit.Whattheteachersdiscoveredwasthatintwooutofthreecases,theemployeeslosttheirjobbecausetheycouldnotgetalongwithothers.
Sometimespeopleproblemsarecausedbyanindividual’scallousnessorindifference.Butmoreoftenthedifficultycomesfromalackofunderstanding.Wecanbequicktofindfaultwithotherswhentheydon’tconformtothepatternsorstandardswehold.Butifwemaketheefforttogettoknowthem,weoftendiscoverthattheirwayisn’tthewrongway—it’sjustadifferentway.Wemayfindtheyresponddifferentlybecausetheyhaven’thadtheadvantageswe
have.Orwerealizetheymaybereactingtoconditionsoractionsthatarebeyondtheircontrol.Oncewegetbeyondthoseconditions,wecanconnectwithothersemotionally,whichiswhatunderstandingisreallyallabout.Wecan’texpectpeopletoactlikemachines.Weareallcreaturesofemotion.
Whendealingwithothers,seekfirsttounderstand,thentobeunderstood.Thatrequiresanattitudeofflexibilityandteachability.TheologianHansKüngobserved,“Understandingsomeoneproperlyinvolveslearningfromhim,andlearningfromsomeoneproperlyinvolveschangingoneself.”Understandingotherpeoplemeansextendingyourselftothemandmeetingthemontheirlevel,puttingtheburdenofmakingaconnectiononyourself,notonthem.AnditiswisetorememberthewordsofinventorCharlesKettering,whosaid,“Thereisagreatdifferencebetweenknowingandunderstanding:Youcanknowalotaboutsomethingandnotreallyunderstandit.”Thesameistrueaboutpeople.
WHENDEALINGWITHOTHERS,SEEKFIRSTTOUNDERSTAND,THENTOBEUNDERSTOOD.
6.IDoNotWantOtherstoTakeAdvantageofMeWhenitcomestohowotherstreatme,morethananythingelseIdon’twantanyonetotakeadvantageofme.That’sreallythebottomlineregardingethicalbehavior.Mostofusdon’tneedtosortoutcomplicatedphilosophicalissuesorethicalconundrums.IfpeoplecouldconstruethatIamtakingadvantageofthem(evenafterI’vehadachancetoexplainmymotives)thenmyactionsareprobablyabadidea.
InJanuaryof2003,MarvinBowerdied.HewasthelongtimeleaderofMcKinsey&Company,whichhasbeencalledthefounderofprofessionalmanagementconsulting.Bowerjoinedtheorganizationin1933.Hebecameitsmanagingdirectorin1950andheldthatpositionforseventeenyears,thenworkedasadirectorandpartneruntilhisretirementin1992.Bowerhadaprofoundimpactonthecompanyfromthetimehebeganworkingforit.Heinstilledthevalueofputtingothersfirst.“Heinsistedthatclientinterestsbeplacedbeforethefirm’s,”saysacompanypublication,“andthatengagementsbeundertakenonlywhenourvaluetotheclientwasexpectedtoexceedourfees.”7
Thatwasn’tjustlipservice.Inthe1950s,BowerwasaskedbybillionaireHowardHughestohelphimwithParamountPictures.BowerwentouttoLosAngelesandmetwithHughes,andhewasreceivedwithroyaltreatment.
HugheshimselftookhimaroundandevengaveBowerapersonaltouroftheSpruceGoose,thewoodenplaneHughesbuiltthatbecamethelargestwingedaircraftevertohaveflown.ButafterexaminingParamount’sproblemsandconsideringHughes’sunorthodoxapproachtobusiness,Bowerconcludedthathewouldn’tbeabletohelphim.Sohedeclinedtheoffer.Valuesmatteredmoretohimthanmoney.8Hewouldnottakeadvantageofanotherperson.That’sthewaysomeonewhoisguidedbytheGoldenRulelives!
ItwouldhavebeeneasyforMarvinBowertorationalizetakingmoneyfromHowardHughesandgivingnothingofvaluebacktohim.Afterall,Hugheswasworthbillionsofdollars;hewouldneverhavemissedit.Butthat’snotthepoint.Itdoesn’tmatterwhetheryou’retalkingaboutlyingtoyourneighborordefraudingabigcorporation;anyactionultimatelyimpactsindividualpeople—forbetterorworse.Andifthatactiondevaluesortakesadvantageofthem,ithurtstheminawaywewouldnotliketobehurt.
ITDOESN’TMATTERWHETHERYOU’RETALKINGABOUTLYINGTOYOURNEIGHBORORDEFRAUDINGABIGCORPORATION,ANY
ACTIONULTIMATELYIMPACTSINDIVIDUALPEOPLE—FORBETTERORWORSE.
BACKTOPEOPLE
SomecompaniesintheUnitedStatesarerelearningthislesson.Theyarerediscoveringthevalueofvaluingpeople,andtheyaremakingchangestopromotethegoodtreatmentoftheiremployees.OnesuchcompanyisHomeBanc,amortgagecompanybasedinAtlantathatemploysmorethanonethousandpeople.Aftersearchingformorethanayearandahalf(andplacingnationalfull-pageadscostingmorethan$50,000),thecompanyfoundwhatitwaslookingfor:achiefpeopleofficer.
HomeBancchairmanPatrickFloodsays,“There’sbeensomesignificantgapsincharacterthat’sbeendisplayedinleadershipincorporateandgovernmentroles.CEOshavegottenwaytoofullofthemselvesbelievingthey’rethesuccessofthebusiness.Thefactis,weplayarealrole,buttherealsuccessarethepeoplewhodotheheavylifting—theworkers.”9Tohelpthecompanyremainfocusedonitspeoplewhileexpandingby50percentintwoyears,theyhiredDr.Dwight“Ike”Reighard,apastorwhohasspenttwenty-eightyearsworkingwith
people.Ike,whohappenstobeafriendofmine,holdstheresponsibilityofshepherdingthecompany’scorporatecultureandhoningitsethicalstandardsofleadership.It’saperfectfitforhim.
AndwhatwillhedotohelpHomebanccontinuetoputitspeoplefirst?That’ssimple.He’llremindeveryonetotreatothersastheywanttobetreated.Whenapersonhasagoodsenseofhowhewantstobetreated—withdignity,respect,understanding,andtrust—thenhecaneasilyfigureouthowtotreatothers.
4
Livinga24-Karat-GoldLife
WHENYOUTHINKABOUTCOLLEGEATHLETICSPROGRAMSINtheU.S.,whatcomestomind?Fans,alumni,andboostersrabidlyscreamingfortheirteams’success?Playersmoreconcernedwithexploitingtheirpersonalprivilegesoncampusthantheiropponents’weaknessesduringgames?Coacheswithwin-at-all-costsattitudesobsessedwithobtainingachampionship?Ifthat’swhatyoupicture,thenyouneedtoknowaboutCoachMarkRichtoftheUniversityofGeorgia.
WhenRichtwashiredbytheUniversityofGeorgiainDecemberof2000,hewasobviouslyexpectedtomakeapositiveimpactontheteam.LikemostmenwhobecomeheadcoachesoflargeNCAAfootballprograms,Richthadahistoryofsuccess.Despitebeingonlyfortyyearsold,hehadfifteenyearsofexperience,includingsevenyearsatFloridaStateUniversityasthecoordinatorofoneofthenation’smostpotentoffenses.(WhileRichtwasoffensivecoordinator,FSU’soffenserankedinthetopfiveinthenationfiveofsevenyears.)AndheturnedtheUniversityofGeorgia’steamaroundquickly.Intwoseasons,Richtnotonlywonadivisionchampionship(thefirstintwentyyears)buthetookGeorgia’sBulldogstoarankingofthirdinthenation.Moreremarkablethantheteam’sprogresswashowhedidit.Richt’sfocuswasn’tandisn’tonchampionships.It’soncharacter.
ADIFFERENTKINDOFEDUCATION
“Ifyouhavegoodcharacter,you’readiligentworkerandyoudowhatyourcoachesaskyoutodo,”saysRicht.“Allofourplayersaretalented,buttheoneswhodon’thaveextrabaggageofbeingintroubleacademically,socially,or
somethingelseseemtorisetothetop.”Tofocusonbuildingthecharacterinhisathletes,Richthasintroduced
somethingintothefootballprogramatGeorgiathat’squiteunusual.It’safifteen-minuteclassseveraltimesaweekcalled“MenofCharacterBetweentheHedges.”(Theteam’sstadiumissurroundedbyhedges—thusthename.)ThecurriculumwasbroughttoGeorgiabyBobbyLankford,aformerproscout,whosometimesworkswiththeplayersasakindofcharactercoach.Lastseason,theprogramwasrequiredofallfreshmen.Eventually,allfootballplayerswilltakeit.Infact,thecourseoncharacterissoimportantthatGeorgiaathleticdirectorVinceDooleywouldliketoseeanendowmentcreatedsothatallGeorgiaathletescouldbeenrolledinit—somedaymaybeevenforcredittowardgraduation.
Richthasgainedtherespectofhisplayersnotonlythroughhiscoaching,butbecauseofhisowngoodcharacter.ThatbecameevidenttoeveryonefollowingagameagainstAuburnhisfirstyearatGeorgia.Whenhemadeabadcallintheremainingsecondsofthegame,histeamlost.Richtdidn’tmakeexcusesorplacetheblameonothers.Heapologizedtotheteamforhismistake.QuarterbackDavidGreenecommented,“Asaplayeryouhaverespectforsomebodywhocancomeinandsayhefeltlikehemadeamistake.It’stoughforanybodytoadmitamistake,muchlessafootballcoach.”1
Richtseeshisroleasthatofimprovingothers’lives,notjustfillinguptheuniversity’strophycase.That’ssomethingheseemstohaveaknackfor.Onesportswritercommented,“It’stoughtofindsomeonewhohascrossedRicht’spathinthelast15yearswhodoesn’tfeeltheirwayhasbeenbrightenedbytheconvergence.”2
Inthefuture,whenhisplayersmakemistakes—astheyalmostcertainlywill—hisdecisionswillbebasedoncharacter.
“Yearsfromnow,”explainsRicht,“ifalltheseplayersarebettermenbecausetheywenttoGeorgia,I’dbethrilled.Ifaguycomesbackandsaysheisabettermanorbetterhusbandorfather,orbettercitizenbecauseofgoingthroughourprogram,thatwouldmeanmoretomethanaNationalChampionshiporhighpublicopinion.”
CHARACTERCOUNTS
RecentlyIhadtheopportunitytomeetMarkRichtandspendsometimewithhim.Ifoundhimtobeamanofstrongcharacter.Hesayshislifeturnedaround
whenhestoppedfocusingonhimself.Hebringsconsistentexcellencetoeverythinghedoes,buthisfocusisonhelpingpeople.Truly,helivesbytheGoldenRule.
OnlyapersonofcharactercanimpactothersasRichtdoes.Characteristhekeytolivingalifeofintegrityandethicalexcellence.
•CharacterIsMoreThanTalk:Manypeopletalkaboutdoingtherightthing,butactionisthetruemeasureofcharacter.DennisKozlowski,theCEOofTyco,oftentoutedthefrugalwayheconductedbusinessandtalkedaboutthespartanofficesthecompanymaintained.However,anyonewhowatchedhisactionscloselycouldhaveseenthathistalkandwalkdidn’tlineup.
•TalentIsaGift—CharacterIsaChoice:Therearealotofthingsinlifeapersondoesn’tgettochoose,suchaswhereyou’reborn,whoyourparentsare,andhowtallyouare.Buttherearesomecriticalthingseverypersondoeschoose.Wechooseourfaith,ourattitude,andourcharacter.
•CharacterBringsLastingSuccesswithPeople:Trustisessentialwhenworkingwithpeople.Characterengenderstrust.ThepeoplesurroundingMarkRicht—hisfellowcoaches,players,family,andfriends—knowtheycandependonhim.
•PeopleCannotRiseAbovetheLimitationsofTheirCharacter:Therearereallyonlythreekindsofpeople.Thosewhodon’tsucceed,thosewhoachievesuccesstemporarily,andthosewhobecomeandremainsuccessful.Havingcharacteristheonlywaytosustainsuccess.Nomatterhowtalentedorrichorattractivepeopleare,theywillnotbeabletooutruntheircharacter.
Ifyoudesiretolivealifeofcharacterthatexhibitsethicalexcellence,thenfollowtheseguidelines.TheywillhelpyoutoweavetheGoldenRuleintothefabricofyourlife:
THEREAREREALLYONLYTHREEKINDSOFPEOPLE.THOSEWHODON’TSUCCEED,THOSEWHOACHIEVESUCCESSTEMPORARILY,
ANDTHOSEWHOBECOMEANDREMAINSUCCESSFUL.CHARACTERISTHEONLYWAYTOSUSTAINSUCCESS.
1.AdopttheGoldenRuleastheIntegrityGuidelineforYourLifeSwissphilosopherHenriFredericAmielstated,“Hewhofloatswiththecurrent,whodoesnotguidehimselfaccordingtohigherprinciples,whohasnoideal,noconvictions—suchamanisamerearticleoftheworld’sfurniture—athingmoved,insteadofalivingandmovingbeing—anecho,notavoice.”Noonewantstobeanecho,toliveashadowofalife.Yetthatisoftenthefateofpeoplewithoutconvictions.Ifyoudesireforyourlifetohavemeaning,thenyoumustchoosesomeprincipletoliveby.
I’vealreadymadeacasefortheGoldenRule.AsI’vesaid,askingthequestion“HowwouldIliketobetreatedinthissituation?”isaneffectiveintegrityguidelineforanysituation.Itworksintheboardroom,ontheballfield,intheclassroom,andinthelivingroom.Itworkswithemployees,employers,family,andpeers.Itworkswhetheryou’remanagingapaperrouteoraFortune500company.AsHenryFordobserved,“Wehavealwaysfoundthatifourprincipleswereright,theareaoverwhichtheywereapplieddidnotmatter.Sizeisonlyamatterofthemultiplicationtable.”
IfyoubelievetheGoldenRuleisrightanditworks,thenyouneedtoadoptitastheintegrityguidelineforyourlife.Everyday,whenevertheissueofethicalbehaviorconfrontsyou,askthisquestion:“HowwouldIliketobetreatedinthissituation?”Thentaketheadviceofnineteenth-centurynovelistGeorgeEliot,whosaid,“Keeptrue,neverbeashamedofdoingright,decideonwhatyouthinkisrightandsticktoit.”
EVERYDAY,WHENEVERTHEISSUEOFETHICALBEHAVIORCONFRONTSYOU,ASKTHISQUESTION:“HOWWOULDILIKETOBE
TREATEDINTHISSITUATION?”
2.MakeYourDecisionsBasedonThisIntegrityGuidelineMostpeoplemakeonlyafewkeydecisionsinlifeandthenmanagethosedecisionsonaday-to-daybasis.OnceyoudecidetomaketheGoldenRuletheintegrityguidelineforyourlife,youmayhavetorethinksomeofthosedecisions.HowwilltheGoldenRulechangeyourgoals?Willyouinteractdifferentlywithyourfamily?Willyouneedtochangethewayyouapproachyourcareer?(SomepeoplefeelcompelledtochangejobsbecausetheirworkingenvironmentisadversetoGoldenRuleliving.)Confuciusasserted,“Toknowwhatisrightandnotdoitistheworstcowardice.”Thebiggerthedecision,the
morecourageitmayrequire.Doingwhat’srightwhenithurtsisnosmallthing.Buttherewardsaregreat.
HoraceMann,formerpresidentofAntiochCollege,observed,“Invaindotheytalkofhappinesswhoneversubduedanimpulseinobediencetoaprinciple.Hewhoneversacrificedapresenttoafuturegood,orapersonaltoageneralone,canspeakofhappinessonlyastheblindspeakofcolor.”
AsyouapplytheGoldenRuletoyourlifeandmakedecisionsaccordingtoit,rememberthis:
•Decisions,NotConditions,DetermineYourEthics:Peopleofpoorcharactertendtoblametheirchoicesoncircumstances.Ethicalpeoplemakegoodchoicesregardlessofcircumstances.Iftheymakeenoughgoodchoices,theybegintocreatebetterconditionsforthemselves.
•WrongDecisionsLeaveScars:Everytimepeoplemakewrongdecisions,thereisanimpact,eveniftheydon’timmediatelynoticeit.Mywife,Margaret,saysthathergrandmotherusedtotellheraboutafatherwhowastryingtoteachhissontheconsequencesofbaddecisions.Eachtimetheboymadeapoordecision,hisfatheraskedhimtohammeranailintoapost.Eachdaythathemadegoodchoices,hewasaskedtoremoveanail.Intime,aftermuchhammeringandmuchpullingofnails,therecameadaywhenthewoodwasnail-free.That’swhentheboynoticedthatthepostwascoveredwithholes.
•TheMorePeopleInvolved,theGreaterthePressureforConformity:Ethicaldecisionsmadeinprivatehavetheirownpressure,becauseonemaybetemptedtobelievethataprivateindiscretionwillneverbecomepublicknowledge.Publicdecisionsinvolvingotherpeoplecarryadifferentkindofpressure—thatofconformity.Nomatterhowmuchpressurethereis,youcan’tallowotherstoforceyouintomakingunethicaldecisions.
•InactionIsAlsoaDecision:Somepeople’sreactiontoethicaldecisionmakingistoavoidtakingaction.However,it’simportanttorememberthatinactionisalsoadecision.ButforeveryCynthiaCooper,whosteppedforwardandtoldWorldCom’sboardaboutthecompany’sshadyaccountingpractices,therearethousandsofpeoplewhochooseeverydaynottoactwhentheyseetheiremployerscutcornersorcompromiseethics—andwhoultimatelywilllivewiththeconsequences.
Toliveanethicallife,youmustholdtoyourprinciplesasyoumaketoughdecisions.EdwardR.Lymanstated,“Principle—particularlymoralprinciple—canneverbeaweathervane,spinningaroundthiswayandthatwiththeshiftingwindsofexpediency.Moralprincipleisacompassforeverfixedandforevertrue—andthatisasimportantinbusinessasitisintheclassroom.”
3.ManageYourDecisionsBasedonThisIntegrityGuidelineCaroleBlack,thepresidentandCEOofLifetimeEntertainmentServices,thecompanythatownsLifetimeTelevision,hadtomanageatoughdecisioninthespringof2002.ThecompanyhadmadeacommitmenttoacampaigncalledStopViolenceAgainstWomen.Allofthecompany’soriginalprogrammingwasdedicatedtosupportingit.GoingintoFebruaryratingssweeps,however,BlackwasconvincedthatLifetime’sratingswouldsufferforit.Shehadtodecidewhethertochangethenetwork’sprogrammingormaintaintheorganization’scommitment.Shedidn’tfalter.
“Iwarnedtopmanagementthatweweregoingtomakethiscommitment,”sherecalls,“andthatwe’dprobablygethurtintheratings.”Tohersurprise,LifetimehadtheirbestFebruaryever.“It’sjustlikemygrandmothertaughtme,”saysBlack.“Ifyoudotherightthing,you’llberewarded.”3
Whenitcomestoethics,sometimesit’seasytomakethebigdecisions.Mostpeopledon’thaveatoughtimedecidingnottocommitmurder.Fewpeoplearetemptedtostealacarorbreakintosomeone’shouse.However,thelittlethingscanbehardertomanage.There’sanoldsaying,“Godisinthedetails.”Youcouldalsosayethicsisinthedetails.
WhenIwasjustbeginningtoworkonthisbook,ItalkedtomyfriendKenBlanchard.HewroteabookwithNormanVincentPealecalledThePowerofEthicalManagement,inwhichtheyaskthreecorequestionsforethicaldecisionmaking:Isitlegal?Isitbalanced?Howwillitmakemefeelaboutmyself?IhavealotofrespectforKen.HetoldmeastorythatillustrateshowcriticalitistomanageyourdecisionsbasedontheGoldenRule:
OnedayanemployeeinKen’scompanysaidtohim,“Ihaveaproblemwithyourairfare.”
“What’sthat?”heresponded.“YouspokeforaclientinChicagolastmonth,butyouhadalreadybeen
flowntherebecauseofanothercommitment.Whentheysignedthecontract,theyagreedtopayforaround-tripticket.HowamItochargethisclient?”
Whatwouldyoudointhatsituation?Wouldyouaskfortheentirefaresincetheclientagreedtopayit?Orwouldyoubillthemonlyforthechargeincurred?Kenchosetotreattheclientsashewouldhavelikedtobetreatedinthesamesituation.Hebilledeachclientforhalf.
Tobeaccountedtrustworthy,apersonmustbepredictable.Whenyoumanageyourlifeandallthelittledecisionsbyoneguideline—theGoldenRule—youcreateanethicalpredictabilityinyourlife.Peoplewillhaveconfidenceinyou,knowingthatyouconsistentlydotherightthing.
WHENYOUMANAGEYOURLIFEANDALLTHELITTLEDECISIONSBYONEGUIDELINE—THEGOLDENRULE—YOUCREATEAN
ETHICALPREDICTABILITYINYOURLIFE.
4.AskOtherstoHoldYouAccountableforYourActionsHassomeoneeverstoodlookingoveryourshoulderasyouworkedonaprojectortask?Ifso,chancesareyoudidn’tlikeit.Mostpeopledon’t.Andtheylikeitevenlesswhensomeonechecksuponthemtomakesurethey’rebeinghonestandresponsible.Yet,thatiswhatI’msuggestingyouinvitepeopletodoifyouwanttolivebytheGoldenRule—becausenothinghelpstokeepapersonhonestlikeaccountability.
It’sironic.Wedon’tliketoberemindedofourshortcomings,andwedon’tlikeourshortcomingsexposedtootherseither.Butifwewanttogrow,weneedtofacethepainofexposingouractionstoothers.Integrityisthefoundationofaperson’slife,andaccountabilityisthecornerstone.Itgivesteethtoourpledgetolivebyhighethicalstandards.
IntheU.S.Navy,officersareheldaccountablebytheirsuperiors.ButformernavycaptainMikeAbrashoff,authorofIt’sYourShip,saysthatheheldhimselftoastandardbeyondeventhatrequiredofhimintheservice.Duringhiscareer,hecontinuallysubjectedhimselftotheWashingtonPosttest.Hesaidthathewouldn’tdoanythinghewouldnotbeproudtoreadaboutinthenewspaperthenextday.Whatawonderfulidea!
TRADINGONTHEGOLDENRULE
Whenyoureadaboutthelivesofgreatmenandwomen,youcantellwhenoneofthemliveda24-karat-goldlife.OneofmyfavoritesisthestoryofJ.C.Penney,thefounderofthedepartmentstoresthatbearhisname.Thesonofa
farmer,PenneygrewupinMissouri.HisfatherbeganforgingPenney’scharacterearly,teachinghimindustry,self-reliance,andtheGoldenRule.Forexample,beginningwhenPenneywaseightyearsold,hewasrequiredtoearnenoughmoneytobuyhisownclothes.
Tomakemoney,Penneyworkedandscrapedtogether$2.50tobuyayoungpig.Thenhedidchoresforneighborsinordertogatherslopsfortheanimalandfatteneditup.Whenhesolditduringslaughteringseason,hemadeaniceprofit.Seeingthebenefitsofsuchanarrangement,heboughtadozenpigletsthenextseason,andhegatheredcornfromthefarm’srowsafterthehuskerswerefinishedharvesting.Thepigsweregrowingnicely,andPenneyexpectedtomakeagreatprofitinthefall.Butthenonedayhisfathermadehimsellthembecausetheneighborswerecomplainingaboutthesmell.Penneycommented,“Itwastheoffseasonforpork...butmyfatherlivedbytheGoldenRuleinrelationtohisneighbors,anditwasimportanttohimformetoseethatIshouldtoo.”4
AsPenneygotolder,hefoundthathehadaknackfortrading,andhecontinuallyworkedatit.Meanwhile,hisfatherencouragedhimandmadesurehewasalwaysscrupulouslyhonest.HealsohelpedhissongethisfirstjobinadrygoodsstoreinHamilton,Missouri.ThereJ.C.Penneylearnedhistrade.Intimehemovedontootherstores,alwaysworkinghardandtreatingothersashewantedtobetreated.Atonestore,whenhediscoveredthatthesamesockswerepricedseveraldifferentwaysinordertotakeadvantageofunwittingcustomers,heresigned.Eventuallyhegotonwithastoreinwhichhewasinvitedtobecomeapartner.Hewassogoodathistrade,themenofferedhimapartnershipinadditionalstorestheyintendedtoopen.Andwhentheoriginalownerswantedtoleavethebusinessin1907,Penneyboughtthemout.
PenneyhadavisionforachainofstoresallacrossthewesternUnitedStates.Hismethodwastofindhonest,industriousmenandteachthemhismethodofbusiness.Andiftheysucceededinmanagingtheirstorewellandturnedaroundandtrainedanothermantodothesame,hewouldofferthempartnershipinanewstore,justasithadbeenofferedtohim.“Ithink,ifwepicktherightkindofmenandtrainthemtherightway,theywillallcatchthespiritofpartnershipidea,”hetoldthefirstmanagerheinvitedtobecomepartownerofastore.5
Andwhatwerethoseoriginalstorescalled?Henamedthemforhisphilosophyofbusiness.TheywerecalledtheGoldenRulestores.“Hence,”explainedPenney,“insettingupabusinessunderthenameandmeaningoftheGoldenRule,Iwaspubliclybindingmyself,inmybusinessrelations,toa
principlewhichhadbeenarealandintimatepartofmyfamilyupbringing.Tomethesignonthestorewasmuchmorethanatradename.”6
ThoughPenneylaterchangedthenamesonthestoreswhenhisorganizationincorporatedduringexpansion,heneverstoppedliving—andworking—bytheGoldenRule,puttingpartnershipaheadofprofits.Hestatedhisphilosophysuccinctly:“Moneyisproperlythebyproductofbuildingmenaspartners.”7
Penneycontinuedtoworkandcreatepartnersformanyyears.Hefinallyturnedthebusinessovertooneofthepeoplehe’dmadeapartner—amanwho’dworkedforhiminoneofthefirststores.Penneyliveda24-karat-goldlife,treatingotherswithrespect,givingthemvalueinbusiness,andprovidingthebestmerchandisehecouldprocure.Helivedtobeninety-fiveyearsold.
There’sanoldsayingthatwhenyougetsqueezed,whateverisinyouwillcomeout.Ibelievethatistrue.ButIalsoknowthatapersoncannotdevelopa24-karat-goldlifeovernight.Penneywasfortunate.HisparentstrainedhimintheGoldenRulefrominfancy,andheembraceditallhislife.Ifyou’vehadthatkindofupbringing,thankyourparents.Ifyouhaven’t,it’sstillnottoolatetochange.ThomasAddingtonandStephenGraves,editorsofLife@Workmagazine,observe,“Wecannotgrowcharacterthroughacrash-courseweekendseminarwhenonedaywesuddenlyrealizeweneedsome.It’simpossible.Wecan’tbecomeanastronaut,oraworld-classflyfisherman,oranexpertbrickmasoninamicrowaveweekendoflearning.”8BegintodaybyadoptingtheGoldenRuleasyourintegrityguidelineandthenmanageyourdecisionsbyit.Andyou,too,willbeabletolivea24-karat-goldlife.
5
FiveFactorsThatCan“Tarnish”theGoldenRule
INCHAPTER4ITOLDYOUABOUTMARKRICHTANDHOWHISfocusoncharacterbuildinghaspaidoffintheGeorgiaBulldogs’successandahighnationalranking.Butsometimesethicaldecisionsdon’thavethatkindofhappyending.ThatwasthecaseforMikeSlaughter,headfootballcoachofMarquetteCatholicHighSchoolinAlton,Illinois.
Duringthe2002season,Slaughterhadwhathecalleda“onceinalifetimeteam.”Theirrecordwas10-0,andtheywereontracktoearntheschool’sfirststatechampionship.Slaughterwaslivingouteverycoach’sdream.Butthenonenight,sixteenofhisplayers—allstarters—werearrestedforunderagedrinkingataparty.AndthegroupincludedSlaughter’sownson.Thecoachhadalwaystoldhisplayersthatiftheygotintroublewithalcohol,tobacco,ordrugs,hewouldsuspendthemfromtheteam.Sohehadadecisiontomake.
Hesuspendedtheplayers.“Itboilsdowntoaccountability,”explainedSlaughter.“Theybroketherules.”Andhetoldhisson,whomhepickedupfromthesheriff’soffice,“Son,allIcantellyouisyoumessedup.I’llalwaysloveyou,butyouneedtolearnfromthis.”
Thesuspendedplayersdidlearn,andwhenthebiggamecame,theysuitedupandsatonthebenchtoencouragetheirteammates.Anddidthesecond-andthird-stringplayersstepupandwinthebiggamefortheirethicalcoachandgoontocapturethestatechampionship?No.Marquettelost63-0.ButSlaughterhasnoregretsabouthisdecision.Inyearspast,hehadreceivedcallstellinghimsomeoneheknewhadbeenkilledwhiledrivingdrunk.Heknowshemadetherightdecisionandsays,“It’sstrangethatwegetthismuchpublicityfordoingwhatweconsidertherightthing.”1
UNDERMININGTHEGOLDENRULE
Doingtherightthingdoesgetalotofattentionthesedays.Whyisthat?Becauseit’snewswhensomeonepracticestheGoldenRule,experiencesnegativeconsequencesforit,andiscontentthathedidtherightthing.
Let’sfaceit,therearelotsofthingsthatenticepeopletocrossanethicalline.AsI’veworkedwithpeopleandledorganizationsformorethanthirty-fiveyears,Ihaveunfortunatelyseenmanypeoplecompromisetheirstandards.AndIcantellyouthathavingworkedwithpeopleinjustabouteverysocioeconomicgroupinmorethanadozencountriesaroundtheworld,Ibelieveitusuallyboilsdowntofivethings.Thesearethefivefactorsthatmostoftencomeintoplaywhensomeonecompromiseshisethics:
1.PressureManyoftheethicalviolationsthatkeepemergingincorporateAmericatodayareduetoexecutives’“cookingthebooks.”Theydoittomaketheirorganizationsappearmoresuccessfulthantheyare.ThatwasapparentlythecaseatEnron.CynthiaHarkness,anEnronlawyer,recountedthatCFOAndrewFastowintroducedhertotheconceptofmonetizationinwhichfuturerevenueisbookedimmediately.Shetoldhim,“Andy,itseemstomethatifyoudoa10-yeardeal,andsuckalltheearningsoutinoneyear,youwillthenhavetokeeptheprofitcomingthroughyears4,5,6,andallthewayto10,bydoingmoreofthesedeals....Howareyougoingtodothatifthemarketchanges?Bookmoredeals?”
“Yes,”shesaysheresponded,“youhavetokeepdoingmoreofthesedealseachyear.”2Andwitheachdeal,thepressuretobookmoredealswouldcontinuetobuild.Thathadtoendsomewhere—anditdid:withEnron’simplosion.
AccordingtoLindaTreviño,professoroforganizationalbehavioratPennState’sSmealCollegeofBusinessAdministration,“Ethicalbreachesareoftentheresultofthecorporatecultureorpressurefrommanagement,pressurethatcanemergewhenacompanyfindsitselfunabletoliveuptofinancialforecastsorexpectationsandtriestobendtherulestoachievethem.”3
Inourfast-pacedculture,Ithinkjustabouteveryonefeelssomekindofpressure.Andwithpressurecomesthetemptationtocutcornersorbendthetruth.Corporateexecutivesfeelpressuretoincreasestockvalue.Salespeople
feelpressuretomakemoresales.Studentsfeelpressuretogethighergrades.Nooneescapespressure.Sothequestionis:Howareyougoingtodealwithit?
Asyoufacepressure,bewareofhowyoumightbetemptedtocompromiseyourvalues,andaskyourselfsometoughquestions:
•AmIGoingtoMakeRashEmotionalDecisions?Pressurecreatestension,andtensioncanmakeforsomeemotionalmoments.Somepeoplehaveahardtimeinsuchsituations,andtheymakepoordecisionsthatimpactthemselvesorothers.HowcanIguardagainstthat?
•AmIGoingtoCompromisetheTruth?Somepeoplefinditalmostimpossibletoadmitmakingamistake.AmIwillingtostickwiththetruthevenwhenIdon’tlikeit?
•AmIGoingtoTakeShortcuts?Someoneoncesaidthatthelongestdistancebetweentwopointsisashortcut.Whilethatmaybetrue,pressuretemptsustoconsidershortcutswhenweotherwisewouldn’t.AmIwillingtofighttodowhat’sright?
•AmIGoingtoKeepMyCommitments?Molièresaid,“Menarealikeintheirpromises.Itisonlyintheirdeedsthattheydiffer.”AmIgoingtokeepmywordandfollowthrough,evenwhenithurts?
•AmIGoingtoBowtoOthers’Opinions?Somepeopleareespeciallysusceptibletotheopinionsofothers.Thatwastrueofmethefirstfiveyearsofmycareer.WillIdowhatIknowisright,evenwhenit’sunpopular?
•AmIGoingtoMakePromisesICan’tKeep?SamuelJohnsonsaid,“Weoughtnottoraiseexpectationswhichitisnotinourpowertosatisfy.Itismorepleasingtoseesmokebrighteningintoflame,thanflamesinkingintosmoke.”HowamIgoingtokeepmypromisesfromgoingupinsmoke?
“MENAREALIKEINTHEIRPROMISES.ITISONLYINTHEIRDEEDSTHATTHEYDIFFER.”—MOLIèRE
Inorderformetomakegooddecisionsunderpressure,Ineedremindersofwhat’satstake.First,I’maccountabletoGod.Second,I’maccountabletomyfamily.AndIkeepremindersofthataroundmeallthetime.InmyofficeIhavepicturesofMargaretalongwithmychildrenandgrandchildrensoI’llnever
forgetthatpeoplearedependingonmetodoright.Oneofmydefinitionsofsuccessisforthoseclosesttometoloveandrespectmethemost.
Remindersarevaluable,buttheyarenotenough.Ialsoneedsystemstokeepmeontrack.Forexample,ifImustmakeadecisionunderpressure,IwilltakethetimetowriteouttheproblemandsolutionsoIwon’tactrashly.IwritedownpromisesImakesoIcannoteasilyforgetthem.Ialsoaskmyassistant,LindaEggers,tofollowupwithmeondecisionsandpromisessotheydon’tslipthroughthecracks.Isuggestthatyoudosimilarkindsofthings.Dowhateveryoumusttoholdupunderpressure.
2.PleasureInTheRoadLessTraveled,psychiatristM.ScottPecktellsastoryabouthowhereceivedanewbicyclewhenhewasnineyearsold.Oneofthethingshediscoveredwasthethrillofridinghisbikefastdownahill.Buthesoonlearnedthatuncheckedthrill-seekingcanleadtopain.Ononeoccasion,ashezoomeddownthehillhedecidedthathewouldtrytotakethecurveatthebottomoftheinclinewithoutslowingdown.Heexperiencedaterriblecrash.Hesays,“Ihadbeenunwillingtosufferthepainofgivingupmyecstaticspeedintheinterestofmaintainingmybalancearoundthecorner.”4
Peck’schildhoodexperienceisn’tmuchdifferentfromhowmanyadultslivetheirentirelives.Let’sfaceit,weliveinahedonisticsociety.Fordecades,peopleinAmericawereencouragedbythewords“Ifitfeelsgood,doit.”Butthatattitudehasleftuswithaterriblelegacy:runawaydebtandbankruptcy,divorce,anddrugaddiction.Thedesireforpleasurecanbeaterriblemaster.Thefactisthatthepleasuresmostofuspursueareshort-livedandleaveusunfulfilled.Thethingsthattemptusrarelydeliveronwhattheypromise.PoetRobertBrowningHamiltongaveinsightintothattruthwhenhewrotethesewords:
IwalkedamilewithPleasure,Shechatteredalltheway,Butsheleftmenonethewiser,Forallshehadtosay.IwalkedamilewithSorrow,Andne’erawordsaidshe;But,oh,thethingsIlearnedfromher
WhenSorrowwalkedwithme!5
Ifweallowitto,thedesireforpleasure(orcomfort)willtalkusintodoingthingswewillregretafterward.
Whatistheanswertothelureofpleasure?Thefirstistorunfromtemptation.InFollowingtheEquatorMarkTwainobserved,“Thereareseveralgoodprecautionsagainsttemptation,butthesurestiscowardice.”Ifyouknowyouareespeciallysusceptibletoapleasurethatwouldtemptyoutocrossanethicalline,putyourselfoutofharm’sway.Whenyouseeitcoming,crosstotheothersideofthestreet.Thebestwaytoavoidtemptationistopreventit.
Thesecondkeyistodevelopdiscipline.InReasonstoBeGlad,authorRichardFosterwrites,
Thedisciplinedpersonisthepersonwhocandowhatneedstobedonewhenitneedstobedone.Thedisciplinedpersonisthepersonwhocanliveintheappropriatenessofthehour.Theextremeasceticandthegluttonhaveexactlythesameproblem:theycannotliveappropriately;theycannotdowhatneedstobedonewhenitneedstobedone.Thedisciplinedpersonisthefreeperson.6
“THEDISCIPLINEDPERSONISTHEPERSONWHOCANDOWHATNEEDSTOBEDONEWHENITNEEDSTOBEDONE.”—RICHARD
FOSTER
It’sironic,buttogainfreedom,youneedtocontainyouremotionswithdiscipline.Thattakescharacter.Oneofthebestwaystodevelopdisciplineistodelaygratification.
Ourgenerationdoesnotdothatwell.Wearemicrowavepeople;wewanteverythingnow.Myparents’generation,whosurvivedtheGreatDepressionandfoughtWorldWarII,seemsmoredisciplined.DavidCallahan,inKindredSpirits:HarvardBusinessSchool’sExtraordinaryClassof1949,examinedonepostwarclassofgraduatesthatwascomprisedof91percentveterans.Hecomparedthosegraduates,whowentontoleadmanymajorcorporations,suchasJohnson&JohnsonandCapitalCities/ABC,withaveragechiefexecutivestoday.“Now,”writesCallahan,“there’sverylittlesenseofsacrifice,ofhavingtodefergratification.It’smoreaboutgettingsomethingforthemselves.”7
Businessleaderswhohavelosttheirheartstopleasureandpossessionsregrettablymakethemselvesuntrustworthytotheirfollowers.Anyonewholovespleasuremorethantruthisheadedfortrouble—andwilltakeotherswithhim.
3.PowerManyoftherecentscandalsinAmericanbusinesshavedevelopedbecauseexecutivesabusedthepoweroftheirpositions.Theybegantothinkthattheassetsofthepubliclytradedcompaniestheyledcouldbetreatedastheirpersonalproperty.Unfortunately,formanypeople,havingpowerislikedrinkingsaltwater.Themoreyoudrink,thethirstieryouget.Thefoundingfathersofourcountryrecognizedthisandcreatedagovernmentwiththreebranchessotherewouldbechecksandbalancesonpower.For,asU.S.PresidentJohnAdamssaid,“Nomaniswiseenoughorgoodenoughtobetrustedwithunlimitedpower.”
HAVINGPOWERISLIKEDRINKINGSALTWATER.THEMOREYOUDRINK,THETHIRSTIERYOUGET.
HarrietRubin,theauthoroftwobooksonpower,callsself-centeredbosseswhothriveonpower“executivenarcissists.”Shedescribestheminthisway:“Theydotheboozing,andyougettheheadache....Theyneversaythankyou,andtheyusepeoplelikeKleenex.”8LeadershipexpertandpsychoanalystAbrahamZalezniksaysthatmanyexecutivesdevelopasenseofentitlement.Suchanexecutive“comestobelievethatheandtheinstitutionareone.So...thathecantakewhathewantswhenhewantsit.”9
BruceHorovitzofUSATodayhasahumoroustakeonthiskindofbehavior.Hecallswhat’shappeningincorporateAmericathe“YertletheTurtlesyndrome.”10InthebookofthattitlebyDr.Seuss,Yertle,thekingturtlewhoismasterofallhecansee,enlargeshiskingdombyorderingallhissubjectstostackthemselvesintoatowerwithhimatthetop.Butthewholethingcomescrashingdownintheend.
Peoplewhoareespeciallysusceptibletopowerissuestypicallyexperienceacyclethatfollowsthispattern:
•TheReceptionofPower:Poweritselfisneutral,likemoney.It’satoolthatcanbeusedforgoodorill.Butitcanbedangerous,especiallyfor
peoplewhoachievesuccessquicklyandeasilyandreceivepowerbeforetheyarereadyforit.
•TheAbuseofPower:Oneofthedangersofpoweristhatthosewhoareentrustedwithitbegintomakeitspreservationtheirprimaryconcern.Theydon’tunderstandthatthepowertheyhavebeengiven—whetherit’sinbusiness,government,ministry,orrelationships—hasbeenbestowedonthemforthepurposeofservice.Thosewhowantmosttokeeptheirpoweratallcostsaremostlikelytocompromisestandardethicalbehaviortokeepit.
•TheLossofPower:Inevitably,anyonewhoabusespowerlosespower.AbusiveCEOs,likedictators,arelivingonborrowedtime.
AbusersofpowerseethingsinmuchthewayRobertGreene,authorofThe48LawsofPower,seesthem.HerecommendsacourseofactionthatrunsadifferentdirectionfromtheGoldenRule.Hewrites,
Keeppeopleoff-balanceandinthedarkbyneverrevealingthepurposebehindyouractions.Iftheyhavenocluewhatyouareupto,theycannotprepareadefense.Guidethemfarenoughdownthewrongpath,enveloptheminsmoke,andbythetimetheyrealizeyourintentions,itwillbetoolate....Reputationisthecornerstoneofpower.Throughreputationaloneyoucanintimidateandwin;onceitslips,however,youarevulnerable,andwillbeattackedonallsides.Makeyourreputationunassailable.11
Aperson’simage,whichGreenedescribesas“reputation,”islikeashadow,butcharacteristheactualsubstanceoftheperson.Toachievelong-termsuccessandliveanethicallife,don’tworryaboutcreatingagoodimage.Youwouldbebetteroffworkingtomakeyourcharacterunassailable.
Powerislikeamightyriver.Aslongasitkeepsitscourse,itisausefulthingofbeauty.Butwhenitfloodsitsbanks,itbringsgreatdestruction.Howdoesonekeeppowerinitsbanks?TaketheadviceofU.S.PresidentHarryTruman.Herecommended,“Ifamancanacceptasituationinaplaceofpowerwiththethoughtthatit’sonlytemporary,hecomesoutallright.Butwhenhethinksheisthecauseofthepower,thatcanbehisruination.”Anyonewhorealizesthathe’sguardinghispowertoomuchhadbetterstartexamininghimselfforbreachesofethics.Powercanbeterriblyseductive.
“IFAMANCANACCEPTASITUATIONINAPLACEOFPOWERWITHTHETHOUGHTTHATIT’SONLYTEMPORARY,HECOMESOUTALLRIGHT.BUTWHENHETHINKSHEISTHECAUSEOFTHEPOWER,
THATCANBEHISRUINATION.”—HARRYTRUMAN
4.PrideYoumaynotautomaticallythinkofprideasapotentialpitfallthatcanundermineethicsandworkagainstthepracticeoftheGoldenRule.Afterall,aren’tpeopleexhortedtotakeprideintheirwork?Don’twerewardourchildren’sgoodbehaviorbytellingthemhowproudweareofthem?Aren’tstudentsencouragedtodevelopprideintheirschool?
Havingasenseofworthbecauseofwhoyouareisagoodthing.Soishavingconfidenceinwhatyoucando.However,havinganexaggeratedsenseofself-worthcanbehighlydestructive.Wisdomliteratureisfilledwithwarningsconcerningprideanditsnegativeimpact.Takealookatthesestatementsaboutpride—takenfromjustthebookofProverbs:
“PRIDEISATTHEBOTTOMOFALLGREATMISTAKES.”—JOHNRUSKIN
•Pridegoesbeforedestruction.12
•Whenpridecomes,thencomesdisgrace.13
•Prideonlybreedsquarrels.14
•Aman’spridebringshimlow.15
Nineteenth-centurywriterandartcriticJohnRuskinasserted,“Prideisatthebottomofallgreatmistakes.”Whatisitaboutpridethatissonegative?Professor,writer,andChristianapologistC.S.Lewisofferedaperspectiveonpridewithgreatinsight.Hebelievedthatprideleadstoeveryothervice.Heremarked,
Doesthisseemtoyouexaggerated?Ifso,thinkitover.Ipointedoutamomentagothatthemoreprideonehad,themoreonedislikedprideinothers.Infact,ifyouwanttofindouthowproudyouaretheeasiestway
istoaskyourself,“HowmuchdoIdislikeitwhenotherpeoplesnubme,orrefusetotakeanynoticeofme?...”Thepointisthateachperson’sprideisincompetitionwitheveryoneelse’spride.ItisbecauseIwantedtobethebignoiseatthepartythatIamsoannoyedatsomeoneelsebeingthebignoise....NowwhatyouwanttogetclearisthatPrideisessentiallycompetitive,iscompetitivebyitsverynature,whiletheothervicesarecompetitiveonly,sotospeak,byaccident.
Pridegetsnopleasureoutofhavingsomething,onlyoutofhavingmoreofitthanthenextman.Wesaythatpeopleareproudofbeingricher,orcleverer,orbetterlookingthanothers.Ifeveryoneelsebecameequallyrich,orclever,orgoodlookingtherewouldbenothingtobeproudabout.Itisthecomparisonthatmakesyouproud:thepleasureofbeingabovetherest.16
Howcanpeopletreatothersthewaytheywanttobetreatediftheirpreoccupationistobeatthem?Theycan’t.Infact,ifyourgoalistobericher,smarter,orbetterlookingthaneveryoneelse,yourfocusisentirelyonyourselfandyourowninterests.
Severalyearsago,TimemagazinenotedadeclineinethicsinAmericanbusiness,politics,law,andmedicine,andtheyattributedtheslidetopride.Ina“protectiveobsessionwithselfandimage”aTimewriterconcluded,membersoftheseprofessionstendedto“sweepethicscomplaintsundertherug.”17
Prideisnotaneasythingtoconquer.BenjaminFranklinobservedthat“thereisperhapsnotoneofournaturalpassionssohardtosubdueaspride.Beatitdown,stifleit,mortifyitasmuchasonepleases,itisstillalive.EvenifIcouldconceivethatIhadcompletelyovercomeit,Ishouldprobablybeproudofmyhumility.”Yetweshouldworktoovercomepride.Notonlydoesithavethepotentialtoundermineourethics,itcanalsointerferewithourperformance.PeggyNoonanquotesanineteenth-centuryGermandiplomatwhosaidthatwhileitmaybetoughtotrickanhonestman,it’seasytofoolsomeonewhothinkshimselfclever.18Pridecanblindyou—toyourownfaults,tootherpeople’sneeds,andtoethicalpitfallsthatlieinyourpath.
5.PrioritiesJimCollins,theauthorofBuilttoLastandGoodtoGreat,hasdoneextensiveresearchintowhatmakescompanieshighlysuccessful.Whenherecentlywas
askedwhathisresearchindicatedabouttheimportanceofethicsinbuildingasuccessfulcompany,Collinsreplied,“Ourresearchpointstooneessentialelementinanysuccessfulcompany.Thosethatarethebesthavebuiltasetofcorevaluesandlivedbythem.”19
“THINGSTHATMATTERMOSTMUSTNEVERBEATTHEMERCYOFTHINGSTHATMATTERLEAST.”—GOETHE
Thesameistrueforindividuals.Anytimeapersondoesn’tknowwhathisprioritiesare,hecanfindhimselfintroublebecauseheisliabletomakepoordecisions.GermanpoetandnovelistJohannWolfgangvonGoetheadvised,“Thingsthatmattermostmustneverbeatthemercyofthingsthatmatterleast.”
Imustadmit,thishasbeenanareaofweaknessformeattimes.WhenItookmyfirstjobasapastor,myprioritieswereoutofwhack.BackthenIwantedmosttobelikedbypeople.Thatsometimespromptedmetomakepoordecisions.Oncewhenmypeoplepleasingledmetofailinamajorresponsibility,Iexperiencedacrisisthatcausedmetocometogripswithmypriorities.ItwasduringthattimeIdeterminedGodwouldbefirstinmylife,myfamilywouldbesecond,andmyworkwouldbeadistantthird.Thatdoesn’tmeanthefightisover.EverydayIstillhavetomanagemydecisionsbasedonthosepriorities.It’sonethingtodefineyourvalues.It’sanothertolivethemouteveryday.
Whatareyourpriorities?Infiftyorahundredyearswhatareyoudoingnowthatwillstillbeimportant?Thehouseyoulivein,thecaryoudrive,thevacationyoutook,andthebonusyoumadewon’tmeanmuch.Whatreallymatters?Ifyouhaven’tdefinedyourvalues,Iencourageyoutodoso.Thenworkhardtokeeptheunimportantfrombecomingimportant,andtheimportantfrombecomingunimportant.
KEEPINGAWAYTHETARNISH
Youmayhavenoticedthatgreeddidn’tmakethelistoffactorsthatcan“tarnish”theGoldenRule.Thatmighthavecomeasasurprise,especiallysincethepresshavetalkedsomuchaboutitrecentlywithallthecorporatescandals.ButIbelievethat,mostofthetime,it’snotthemoneyitselfthatdrawspeopleacrossthelineethically.It’swhattheycangetwithit.Theywantthepowerthatmoneycanbring,whetherit’spoweroverpeopleorovercircumstances.Ortheywantthepleasurethatcanbebought.Ortheytakeprideintheprestigeofpossessions.
Ifyoufindsomeonewhowillcompromiseintegrityformoney,IbelieveyouwilldiscoverthatitismotivatedbyoneofthefivefactorsI’vementioned.
Everyoneissusceptibletosomekindoftemptationtocompromisevalues.Butthereisagreatersatisfactionthatcomesfromnotcrossingtheline.Sometimesyouhavetowaitforit,butitalwayscomes.Ibelievethatsomeday,maybetwentyyearsfromnow,oneofCoachMikeSlaughter’splayerswillcometohimandtellhimhowbeingsuspendedfromhishighschoolfootballteamchangedhislifeandmadehimabetterperson.Onthatday,Slaughterwillberewardedbysomethingmorevaluablethanamerestatechampionship.
6
SeizingYourGoldenOpportunity
ITHINKJUSTABOUTEVERYBODYISLOOKINGFORAGOLDENopportunity.Businesspeopleinparticularpossessakeeneyeforsuchthings.RecentlyIaskedmyresearchassistant,KathieWheat,tosearchtheWebfora“goldenopportunity.”Shereportedthatinlessthanone-fourthofasecond,thesearchengineGooglereturned1,310,000hitsonthatphrase.Younameit,andtherewasanofferforit,claimingtobeagoldenopportunity.Youcouldbuyfriedchickenrestaurantfranchisesorbride’sjewelry.Youcouldsignupforyogaclasses,gettipsonhotstocks,orengageinmultifamilyrecyclingofsolidwaste.Therewasevenanoffertodeveloprecombinantproteinsinchickeneggs—whateverthatmeans!
Howdoyoufindatruegoldenopportunityamongalltheoffersthatarereallymadeoflead?Youdon’tlookoutsideyourself.Mostpeoplethinktheirgreatestopportunitiescomefromajob,aninvestment,oramarketniche.Butthetruthisthatthegreatestopportunityyouhaveistochangewhoyouare.It’slikeofferingapositionontheOlympicsteamtosomeonewhohasn’ttrainedfortheirevent.Thegoodnewsisthathehasbeengrantedashotatwinning.Thebadnewsisthathe’snotreadyforit.
YOUCAN’TCAPITALIZEONANOPPORTUNITYYOURECEIVEONTHEOUTSIDEUNTILYOU’VEDONETHEGROUNDWORKONTHE
INSIDE.
ONETHINGLEADSTOANOTHER
IsuspectthatwastheproblemforsomeoftheCEOswhoruinedtheircareers
anddestroyedtheircompaniesinrecentyears.Theyhadn’tdonetheethicalgroundworkontheinsidebeforeattainingpower.Theirweakcharacterpromptedthemtomakebaddecisions,andwitheachpoorchoice,theygotintodeepertrouble.Characterproblemstendtosnowball.C.S.Lewisgaveinsightintotheprocessusingamilitarymetaphor.Heexplained,
Goodandevilbothincreaseatcompoundinterest.ThatiswhythelittledecisionsyouandImakeeverydayareofsuchinfiniteimportance.Thesmallestgoodacttodayisthecaptureofastrategicpointfromwhich,afewmonthslater,youmaybeabletogoontovictoriesyouneverdreamedof.Anapparentlytrivialindulgenceinlustorinangertodayisthelossofaridgeorrailwaylineorbridgeheadfromwhichtheenemymaylaunchanattackotherwiseimpossible.1
Ifyouwanttobeabletopursuegoldenopportunities,thenpursuethedevelopmentofstrongcharacterfirst.Thatwillpositionyouwelltofaceanyethicalchallengesthatmaylieaheadandtomakethemostofyourchanceswhenyourtimecomes.Here’showIsuggestyouproceed:
APERSONOFRESPONSIBILITYCANTRUSTHIMSELFTOCHOOSETHERIGHTTHINGOVERTHEEASYTHING.
1.TakeResponsibilityforYourActionsU.S.PresidentWoodrowWilsonobserved,“Responsibilityisproportionatetoopportunity.”Whyisthat?Becauseapersonofresponsibilitycantrusthimselftochoosetherightthingovertheeasything.HetakestoheartthewordsofhistorianWillDurant,whosaid,“Nevermindyourhappiness;doyourduty.”
Ionceheardsomeonesaythatfrustrationis“havingnoonetoblamebutyourself.”Butrarelydopeoplewhoplaytheblamegamegetmanygoldenopportunities.Andeventhefewopportunitiestheydogetslipthroughtheirfingers.Whenthathappens,youhearwhyit’snottheirfault.Theirexcusesfallintothreecategories:
•TheHang-ups—whoblamelife’scircumstances,•TheBang-ups—whoblamepastpersonalproblemsandhurts,and•TheGang-ups—whoblameotherpeopleforhinderingthem.
Ifyoudesiretobetrustedbyothersandyouwanttoachievemuch,youmusttakeresponsibilityforyouractions.WinstonChurchillwasrightwhenhecalledresponsibility“thepriceofgreatness.”It’salsothegroundworkforopportunity.
2.DevelopPersonalDisciplineIrecentlysawtheresultsofasurveythatsaid82percentofcorporateexecutivesadmittocheatingatgolf,and72percentbelieveactionsinbusinessandgolfparalleleachother.2Whyisitthatevenwhenpeopleseeaparallelbetweengamesandlife,theystillchoosetocutcorners?Ibelievetheansweristhattheylackdiscipline.Peoplewhofailtodeveloppersonaldisciplineareoftentemptedtocheattokeepup.InthewordsofH.JacksonBrown,“Talentwithoutdisciplineislikeanoctopusonrollerskates.There’splentyofmovement,butyouneverknowifit’sgoingtobeforward,backwards,orsideways.”
Nineteenth-centuryclergymanandOxfordUniversityprofessorH.P.Liddonsaid,“Whatwedoonsomegreatoccasionwillprobablydependonwhatwealreadyare;andwhatwearewillbetheresultofpreviousyearsofself-discipline.”Peoplewhodesiretoimprovetheircharacterandtheirchancesofsuccessmustdisciplinethemselveswhenitcomesto....
“WHATWEDOONSOMEGREATOCCASIONWILLPROBABLYDEPENDONWHATWEALREADYARE;ANDWHATWEAREWILLBE
THERESULTOFPREVIOUSYEARSOFSELF-DISCIPLINE.”
—H.P.LIDDON
•Time:Sinceyoucan’tcontrolhowmuchtimeyouhave,youmustcontrolhowyouuseit.
•Energy:Youshouldalwaysstrivetouseyourstrengthonyourstrengths.
•Goals:Youcan’tdoeverything,soyoumustdisciplineyourselftodotheimportantthings.
•Moods:Ifyoudonotmasteryouremotions,theywillmasteryou.
Successfulpeoplewhoworkwellwithothersandwhorelishchallengesaswellasopportunitiesdon’tseedisciplineasnegativeorrestrictive.Theywelcomeit.VinceLombardi,legendarycoachoftheNFLGreenBayPackers,
asserted,“I’veneverknownamanworthhissaltwhointhelongrun,deepdowninhisheart,didn’tappreciatethegrind,thediscipline.”
3.KnowYourWeaknessesOneeveningatSagamoreHill,PresidentTheodoreRoosevelt’shomeinNewYork,naturalistWilliamBeebewalkedoutsidewithhishost.Rooseveltsearchedthestar-fillednightskyand,findingasmallglowbelowthecorneroftheconstellationPegasus,hesaid,“ThisisthespiralgalaxyAndromeda.ItisaslargeasourMilkyWay.Itconsistsofonehundredbillionsuns.Itisoneofahundredbilliongalaxies.”ThenRooseveltlookedatBeebeandsaid,“Now,Ithinkwearesmallenough!Let’sgotobed.”3
TheodoreRooseveltwasverygoodatkeepingthingsinperspective.Partofthatcamefromknowinghimselfandhisweaknesses.AsIexplainedinThe21IrrefutableLawsofLeadership,Rooseveltwasweak,sickly,asthmatic,andunderweightasachild.Recognizingthis,hededicatedhimselftostrengtheninghisbody.Hewentontoworkasacowboy,huntwildgame,fightinbattlesasacavalryofficer,andbox.Hechangedfrombeingapunyboytobeingourmostvigorouspresident.
Tobeforewarnedistobeforearmed.Peoplewhoknowtheirweaknessarerarelytakenbysurprise,nordotheyallowotherstoexploittheirareasofweakness.Incontrast,peoplewhodeceivethemselvesorwhopretendtobestrongwherethey’renotsetthemselvesupforfailure.
4.AlignYourPrioritieswithYourValuesIntegritycanbedescribedasmakingyourbeliefsandyouractionslineup.Whenindividualssaytheybelieveonethingandthendeliberatelydosomethingelse,it’sobviousthattheylackintegrity.Buthowaboutsomeonewhodoesn’trealizethathisactionscontradicthisbeliefs?Eventhoughit’snotdeliberate,thatpersonstillhasanintegrityproblem.
INTEGRITYCANBEDESCRIBEDASMAKINGYOURBELIEFSANDYOURACTIONSLINEUP.
Themostbasicdefinitionofintegrityincludestheideathatsomethingorsomeoneiswholeandcomplete.Ifyou’reassertingonethingbutdoinganother,you’redivided.AndasPresidentAbrahamLincolnasserted,ahousedivided
againstitselfcannotstand.Thesolutionissimple,thoughnotnecessarilyeasy.Defineyourvalues;thenalignyourpriorities.
5.AdmitWrongdoingQuicklyandAskForgivenessOnethingthathascharacterizednearlyalltherecenthigh-profilebusinessbreakdownshasbeensomekindofcover-up.ExecutivesatEnron,Tyco,andWorldComalltriedtohideanywrongdoing.Ofcourse,thatattitudeisn’tpervasivejustinbusiness.Peopleofpoorcharacterineveryprofessionarequickertocoverupthantheyaretoconfesswrongdoing.
LookatthecaseofRobertTorricelli,aformerU.S.senatorfromNewJersey.Afteracceptingnumerousgiftsandmorethan$53,000inillegalcampaigncontributionsfromasupporter,Torricellimaintainedthathehaddonenothingwrong—evenaftertheSenateEthicsCommittee“severelyadmonished”him.4AndwhenhelaterdroppedoutoftheraceforhisseatintheSenate,hisdeparturespeechwasself-righteous.Atonepointhedefendedhiscareer,saying,“That’smylife....I’mproudofeverydayofit.AndIwouldn’tchangeabitofit.”Buthelaterlamented,“Whendidwebecomesuchanunforgivingpeople?...Whendidwestopbelievinginandtrustingineachother?”5Peoplearemoreforgivingandtrustingwhenindividualswhomakemistakesaretruthfulaboutthemandaskforforgiveness.
ContrasttheactionsofTorricelliwiththoseofHarryKraemer,CEOofmedicalsupplymanufacturerBaxterInternational.In2001,whendialysispatientsusinghiscompany’sfiltersstarteddying,herecalledtheproductsasaprecaution,launchedaninternalinvestigation,andhiredexpertstosearchforpossibleflaws.Andhequicklyextendedhiscondolencestothefamiliesoftheaffectedpatients.Ultimately,althoughKraemercouldhaveexerciseddamagecontrolandtriedtoplacetheblameelsewhere,heinsteadpulledtheproductfromthemarket,andshutdownthatdivisionofthecompany,costingBaxter$189million.Andhereportedtheproblemtorivalmanufacturerswhomightexperiencesimilardifficulties.Hediditbecauseitwastherightthing.Healsorecommendedtotheboard’scompensationcommitteethathisperformancebonusbereducedbyatleastfortypercentfor2001.
Kraemerhasbeendescribedasbeingrelentlesslyauthentic.“Harryliveshislifethewaymostofuswouldliketoliveourlives,”saysDonaldP.Jacobs,deanemeritusattheKelloggSchool.“WhatHarrysayshebelievesin,youcanputitinthebank.Thewayhetreatshiscoworkersisthewayhe’dlikepeopletotreat
him.”6KraemermadethebestofaterriblesituationwithintegritybyactingaccordingtotheGoldenRule.Whocouldaskformorethanthat?
6.TakeExtraCarewithFinancesIfyouwanttoknowsomethingaboutthecharacterofindividuals,watchhowtheyhandlemoney.(AutomakerHenryFordremarked,“Moneydoesn’tchangemen,itmerelyunmasksthem.Ifamanisnaturallyselfishorarrogantorgreedy,themoneybringsthatout,thatisall.”)Arepeoplegenerouswithothers’moneybuttightwiththeirown?Dotheyinsistthateverytransactionclearlybenefitthem?Dotheycutcornerstogainmorewealth?Whatplacedoesmoneyhaveintheirlives?
“MONEYDOESN’TCHANGEMEN,ITMERELYUNMASKSTHEM.IFAMANISNATURALLYSELFISHORARROGANTORGREEDY,THE
MONEYBRINGSTHATOUT,THATISALL.”—HENRYFORD
Peopleareoftentrippedupwhentheymakeaccumulatingwealthahigherprioritythanitshouldbe.ThatwasthemythicalkingMidas’sproblem.Heputmoneyfirstinhislife,anditalmostcosthimeverything.StoicphilosopherZenoofCitiumsaid,“Theavariciousmanislikethebarrensandygroundinthedesertwhichsucksinalltherainanddewwithgreediness,butyieldsnofruitfulherbsorplantsforthebenefitofothers.”
ImentionedinChapter5thatmoneyisnothingmorethanatool.Butitisasharptool,onethatifhandledpoorlycandogreatharm.That’swhyweshouldalwaystakeextracarewithfinances.Ifwecanmaintaintherightattitudeaboutmoney,thenitwillalwaysbeapositive,helpfultool,notadestructiveone.AsP.T.Barnumobserved,“Moneyisaterriblemasterbutanexcellentservant.”Tokeepmoneyfrombecomingamaster,Irecommenddoingthefollowing:
•EarnYourMoney:Peoplewhoearnwhattheyhavepossessagreaterrespectforthepossessionsofothers.Andtheyoftentrytogetmorebangfortheirbuckiftheyhavetoearnitthemselves.
•BeScrupulouslyHonest:Bendoverbackwardtomakesureallyourfinancialdealingsareaboveboard,notonlyforthesakeofothers,butalsoforyourself.B.C.Forbesobserved,“Heisawisemanwhoseeksbyeverylegitimatemeanstomakeallthemoneyhecanhonestly,for
moneycandosomanyworthwhilethingsinthisworld,notmerelyforone’sselfbutforothers.Butheisanunmitigatedfoolwhoimaginesforamomentthatitismoreimportanttomakethemoneythantomakeithonestly.”
•BeGenerous:It’sbeensaidthatwemakealivingbywhatweget;wemakealifebywhatwegive.Givingnotonlyhelpsothersandfreesus,italsoputsmoneyintoperspectivebetterthananythingelsewecando.
•UseCreditWiselyandSparingly:KingSolomonadvised,“Therichrulesoverthepoor,andtheborrowerbecomesthelender’sslave.”7Tomaintainyourfreedom,refrainfromincurringdebt.
PresidentCalvinCoolidgesaid,“Thereisnodignityquitesoimpressiveandnoindependencequitesoimportantaslivingwithinyourmeans.”Learningtohavetherightattitudetowardmoneyandtohandleitwell(insteadofbeinghandledbyit)pavesthewayformanyothercharactervictoriesinaperson’slife.
“THEREISNODIGNITYQUITESOIMPRESSIVEANDNOINDEPENDENCEQUITESOIMPORTANTASLIVINGWITHINYOUR
MEANS.”—CALVINCOOLIDGE
7.PutYourFamilyAheadofYourWorkThelistoftitlesandpositionshehasearnedisimpressive:U.S.congressman,ambassadortotheUnitedNations,chiefliaisonofficerinChina,headoftheCIA,vicepresidentoftheUnitedStates,and,finally,presidentoftheUnitedStates.Butwhenhislifeinpublicofficeended,theelderGeorgeBushsaidthathestillpossessedthethreemostimportanttitleshehadeverheld:husband,father,andgrandfather.That’sagreatperspectiveonfamily.
Unfortunately,manypeopleinourcultureseemwillingtosettheirfamiliesasidebecausetheythinktheymustinordertogetaheadintheircareers.Thedivorceratebearsthatout.Sodoesthefailureofnoncustodialparentstofollowthroughontheirfinancialobligations.Eachyear,$20to$30billionintaxpayers’moneygoestosupportchildrenwhoseparentsneglectthemfinancially.8
Butinthelongrun,makingyourfamilyaprioritydoesn’thurtyourcareer;itactuallyhelpsit.AsNBAcoachPatRileysays,“Sustainafamilyforalongperiodoftimeandyoucansustainsuccessforalongperiodoftime.Firstthingsfirst.Ifyourlifeisinorder,youcandowhateveryouwant.”Havingastrongand
stablefamilycreatesalaunchingpadformanyothersuccessesduringacareerandprovidesacontentedlandingplaceattheendofit.
8.PlaceHighValueonPeopleWhenmostpeoplethinkofdevelopingcharacter,theyfocusonwhattheymustbecome,whichisgood,sincethatisthemajorityoftheprocess.Buttomakeyourselfreadytoseizegoldenopportunities,youmustdosomethingmore.Youmustvalueothersenoughtogivethemapartofyourself—yourtrust.That,afterall,isreallytheessenceoftheGoldenRule.
InWinningManagement:SixFail-SafeStrategiesforBuildingHigh-PerformanceOrganizations,WolfJ.Rinkewrites,“Ifyoumistrustyouremployees,you’llberight3percentofthetime.Ifyoutrustpeopleuntiltheygiveyouareasonnotto,you’llberight97percentofthetime.”9Thoseareprettygoododds.
“IFYOUMISTRUSTYOUREMPLOYEES,YOU’LLBERIGHT3PERCENTOFTHETIME.IFYOUTRUSTPEOPLEUNTILTHEYGIVEYOUAREASONNOTTO,YOU’LLBERIGHT97PERCENTOFTHE
TIME.”—WOLFJ.RINKE
AsIbeganworkingonthisbook,oneofthepeopleItalkedtoabouttheconceptwasMikeAbrashoff,authorofIt’sYourShip:ManagementTechniquesfromtheBestDamnShipintheNavy.10Wegottoknoweachotherwhenhespokeataconferencemycompanyhosted.MikeistheepitomeofsomeonewhowasreadyforhisgoldenopportunitywhenitcameandwhoachievedsuccessbypracticingtheGoldenRule.
BeforeMiketookhisfirstcommand,whichwasoftheUSSBenfold,hehadalreadybeensuccessful.HehadgraduatedfromtheU.S.NavalAcademyatAnnapolis.Hehadexcelledasanofficer,attainingtherankofcaptainaftersixteenyears,andhadworkedasmilitaryassistanttoDr.WilliamJ.PerrywhenhewasSecretaryofDefense.ButwhenMiketookcommandoftheBenfold,hesawitasarareopportunitytodosomethingdifferent,touseaGoldenRuleapproachtoleadership.Mikesays,
Thefirstsixteenyearsofmycareer,Iwentforthegoldbraid.Ihadsuccess,butitwasn’tunusualsuccess.ThelasttwoIwentfortheGolden
Rule.Itookcommandoftheshipandtookcommandofmylife.Before,IwasworkingaccordingtowhatIthoughtweretheorganization’sexpectations.ButwhileworkingforSecretaryofDefensePerry,Isawadeparturefromthatkindofthinking.WhenIsawmypredecessorleavingtheship,Ithoughtaboutwhatmydeparturewouldbelike.
Thenavyislikeatreefullofmonkeys.Ifyou’reatthetopofthetree,allyouseewhenyoulookdownisabunchofsmilingfaceslookinguptoyou.Whenyou’reatthebottomofthetreeandyoulookup,youhaveadifferentkindofview!11
Mikedecidedtoputhimselfintheshoesofhissailors.Heindividuallyinterviewedeverysailoronhisshiptofindoutwhattheyvalued,andthenhemadechangestoaddvaluetothem,suchassendingtheship’scookstoculinaryschoolandofferingcollegecoursesaboardship.Heaskedhisofficerstotreatthenewarrivalsastheywouldwanttheirownchildrentreated.Andheempoweredeveryone—officerandenlistedpersonalike—tomakedecisionsandworktomaketheirshipthebestinthenavy,trustingthemandencouragingthemwiththewords:“It’syourship.”
“GoodbegantohappenwhenIbegangoingfortheGoldenRule,”saysMike.“Iputpeopleinsteadofpromotionfirst.Andasaresult,Iwaspaidathousandtimesover.”That’swhatIcallmakingthemostofagoldenopportunity.
7
HowtoDevelopthe“MidasTouch”
WHENIWASAKID,ILEARNEDABOUTGREEKMYTHOLOGYINschool.OneofthestoriesthatalwaysstuckwithmewasthatofKingMidas.HewasthekingofancientPhrygia.OnedayhegaveassistancetoanoldfriendofDionysus,thegodofrevelry,andasareward,Midaswasgrantedonewish.HeaskedDionysustomakeeverythinghetouchedturntogold.Whenhiswishwasgranted,hetouchedatree—anditturnedtogold.Hetouchedahorse—anditbecamesolidgold.Inamatterofminutes,hewasbecomingtherichestmanintheworld.
Histroublestartedwhenhegothungry.Hesatdownatabanquettable,andthemeathereachedforturnedtosolidgoldassoonashetouchedit.Thesamehappenedtothewinehetriedtodrink.Buttheworstthinghappenedwhenhisdaughterhuggedhim.Sheinstantlybecameagoldenstatue.Intheend,MidasbeggedDionysustotakehisgoldenpowerawayfromhim.DionysussentMidastothesourceoftheriverPactolus,wherehewastobatheinordertoberestoredtonormal.Hewent,takinghisdaughterwithhim,andultimatelybothwerechangedbacktotheirpreviousstate.OnlyafterMidaslosthisgoldenabilitywashehappyagain.
REALGOLD
Today,whensomeoneistoldthathehasthe“Midastouch,”it’susuallymeantasacompliment.It’sanindicationhehasagreatknackformakingmoney.Butasingle-mindedfixationonwealthisjustasdamagingtoapersontodayasitwasduringthetimeoftheancientGreeks.AmericanpublisherandbusinessmanB.C.Forbes,whofoundedForbesmagazine,commented:
Areyourdesirespurelyselfish?Doyourtastesruntoagrandhome,automobiles,fineclothes,anabundanceofamusements,andsoforth?Ifso,lookaroundyouatpeoplewhohavesuchthingsinsuperabundance.Aretheyanyhappier,doyouthink,thanyouare?Aretheyanybettermorally?Aretheyanystrongerphysically?Aretheybetterlikedbytheirfriendsthanyouarebyyourfriends?...Carnegiesaid,“Millionairesrarelysmile.”Thisissubstantiallytrue.1
Realwealthisn’tfoundinwhatweacquire.Asnineteenth-centuryslaveryabolitionistandclergymanHenryWardBeecherasserted,“Inthisworlditisnotwhatwetakeup,butwhatwegiveup,thatmakesusrich.”
“INTHISWORLDITISNOTWHATWETAKEUP,BUTWHATWEGIVEUP,THATMAKESUSRICH.”—HENRYWARDBEECHER
NOTFOOL’SGOLD
Ibelievethereisawealththatisgreaterthanmoney,anditcomesfromhowyouinteractwithothers.PeoplewhopracticetheGoldenRuletreatotherswithdignityandrespectandcanbecontentintheknowledgethattheyarelivinganethicallife.However,it’spossibletotaketheGoldenRuletoanotherlevel.Youcandevelopa“Midastouch”withpeoplebytakingyourfocusoffyourselfandwhatyoucangain,andinsteadfocusingonaddingvaluetoothers.
YOUCANDEVELOPA“MIDASTOUCH”WITHPEOPLEBYTAKINGYOURFOCUSOFFYOURSELFANDWHATYOUCANGAIN,AND
INSTEADFOCUSINGONADDINGVALUETOOTHERS.
Givingtrulyisthehighestlevelofliving.Itmakestheworldabetterplace.Anditalsomakesforbetterbusiness.H.E.Steinerasserted,“Weshallhavebetterbusinesswheneveryonerealizesthatwhileitpaystoinvestmoneyintheirindustriesanddevelopnaturalresources,itpaysstillhigherdividendstoimprovemankindanddevelophumanresources.”Ifyoudesiremorethanjustafullbankaccountandyoudesiretobuildrealriches—byinvestinginpeople—thenstrivetoliveoutthefollowingpractices:
1.TreatPeopleBetterThanTheyTreatYouIt’seasytolovepeoplewholoveyou.Andshowingkindnesstopeoplewhotreatyouwellislittlemorethancommoncourtesy.Buthowdoyourespondtopoortreatmentbyothers?Doyoureturndisrespectwithdisrespect?Doyoumeetaggressionwithaggression?Itdoesn’ttakemuchforunkindnesstoescalateintogreaterconflict.Takealookatsomeoftheseseeminglypettydisagreementsthatgrewintofull-blownwar:
•AdisputebetweenthecitiesofModenaandBolognaoverawellbucketaboutninehundredyearsagobeganawarthatdevastatedEurope.
•AChineseemperoroncewenttowaroverthebreakingofateapot.•SwedenandPolandflewateachother’sthroatsin1654becausethekingofSwedendiscoveredthathisnameinanofficialdispatchwasfollowedbyonlytwoetceteras,whilethekingofPolandhadthree.
•ThespillingofaglassofwaterontheMarquisdeToreyledtowarbetweenFranceandEngland.
•BythrowingapebbleattheDucdeGuise,asmallboycausedthemassacreofVassyandtheThirtyYears’War.2
Ittakesapersonofstrongcharactertotreatothersbetterthantheytreatyou!AscivilrightsleaderMartinLutherKingJr.said,“Forgivenessisnotanoccasionalact;itisapermanentattitude.”IfeveryonepracticedtheGoldenRule,theworldwouldbeabetterplace.Butthinkaboutwhatkindofworlditwouldbeifeveryonestrovetotreatothersbetterthantheyaretreated.IcallthatlivingbythePlatinumRule.
“FORGIVENESSISNOTANOCCASIONALACT;ITISAPERMANENTATTITUDE.”—MARTINLUTHERKINGJR.
Myfathertaughtmetotakethehighroadinmytreatmentofothers,evenwhentheytakethelowroadintheirtreatmentofme.Myfatherwasacollegepresident,andIrememberafacultymemberaskinghimwhathethoughtaboutamanwholivedinourcommunity.Myfathersaid,“Ithinkhe’safineman.”
“Well,youshouldhearwhathesaysaboutyou,”thefacultymembersaid,andhewentontodescribewhatthemanhadsaidaboutmyfather.“Whatdoyouhavetosayabouthimnow?”thefacultymemberpressed.
“I’vealreadytoldyou,”myfatheranswered,“Ithinkhe’safineman.”“Evenafterwhathesaidaboutyou?”“YouaskedmewhatIthoughtofhim,”saidmyfather,“notwhathethought
ofme.”I’veworkedmywholelifetofollowmyfather’smodeling,thoughI’mnotas
goodashewasatpracticingthePlatinumRule.ItrytotreateveryoneImeetwithrespect.Idesiretobeagiverineveryrelationship.IcanhonestlysaythatIhavenoenemies.IfIhaveanissuewithsomebody,IaddressitassoonasIcan;thenImoveon.AndIholdnogrudges.Theyonlygetheavierthelongeryoucarrythem.
Trytakingthehighroadwithpeople,evenwhentheydon’ttreatyouwiththerespectyoufeelyoudeserve.Trytobekindinsteadoftreatingpeopleinkind.You’llfindthatit’sveryfreeing.
2.WalktheSecondMileThere’sanoldjokeIusedtotellatleadershipconferencesthatgoeslikethis:
Herearesomeabsolutelyirrefutablestatisticsthatshowexactlywhyyouaretired.Therearen’tnearlyasmanypeopleactuallyworkingasyoumayhavethought,atleastnotaccordingtothissurvey.
•Thepopulationofthiscountryisalittleover250,000,000.•84,000,000peopleareover64yearsofageandretired.Thatleaves166,000,000ofustodoallthework.
•Peopleunder20yearsofagetotal95,000,000—sothatleaves71,000,000todothework.
•Thereare27,000,000whoareemployedbythegovernment,whichleaves44,000,000todothework.
•14,000,000areinthearmedforces,whichleaves30,000,000todoalltheotherwork.
•Deduct20,000,000—thenumberinstateandcityoffices.Thatleaves10,000,000todothework.
•Thereare6,000,000inhospitals,mentalinstitutions,andvariousasylums,sothatleaves4,000,000todothework.
•Nowitmayinterestyoutoknowthatthereare3,999,998peopleinjailsandprisons—sothatleavesjust2peopletocarrytheload.
That’syouandme—andI’maboutreadyforavacation!3
Thejokemaybecorny,butitcontainsaseedoftruth.Thereseemtobealotofpeopleinthisworldwhoaren’tdoingtheirfairshareofthework.
Peoplewhodothebareminimumneverachievemuchinlife—forthemselvesorforothers.TelevisionhostOprahWinfreysays,“Doingmybestatthispresentmomentputsmeinthebestplaceforthenextmoment.”Iagreewiththatwholeheartedly.That’struenotonlyinyourwork,butalsowhenitcomestopersonalrelationships.That’swhyIsuggestthatapersonwalkthesecondmile.I’lldescribewhatImeanbyexplainingwheretheexpressioncomesfrom.
TwomillenniaagointheRomanEmpire,aRomanofficercouldcompelanyonetocarryaloadonemile.Itwastheofficer’sright,andapersonrefusedathisperil.Sotowalkthefirstmilewastodowhatwasrequired.I’mrecommendingyounotonlydothat,butstrivetogoaboveandbeyondthat.Seetheextramileasanopportunitytomakeapositiveimpactonthelivesofothers,toaddvaluetopeople.
“DOINGMYBESTATTHISPRESENTMOMENTPUTSMEINTHEBESTPLACEFORTHENEXTMOMENT.”—OPRAHWINFREY
Apersonwithanextra-mileattitudeissomeonewho:
•Caresmorethanothersthinkiswise.•Risksmorethanothersthinkissafe.•Dreamsmorethanothersthinkispractical.•Expectsmorethanothersthinkispossible.•Worksmorethanothersthinkisnecessary.
AsmyfriendZigZiglarsays,“There’snotrafficjamontheextramile.”Ifyoualwaysdomorethanisexpected,notonlywillyouriseupabovethecrowd,youwillhelpotherstoriseupwithyou.
“THERE’SNOTRAFFICJAMONTHEEXTRAMILE.”
—ZIGZIGLAR
3.HelpPeopleWhoCan’tHelpYouWeliveinacompetitiveculture.Businessesarepositionedtocrushtheircompetitors.Sportsteamslookforanyweaknessintheircompetitionsotheycanexploititinordertowin.EvenrealityTVshowspitpeopleagainsteachothertoseewhowillbecometheultimatesurvivor.Oftenwedefineoursuccessbyhowmuchbetterwearethanthenextperson.Andwhenwedohelpothers,weinsistthatitbeawinforusaswell.Let’sfaceit:Wedon’toftenthinklikewriterJohnBunyan,whosaid,“Youhavenotlivedtodaysuccessfullyunlessyou’vedonesomethingforsomeonewhocanneverrepayyou.”Yetifwewanttoliveatthehighestlevel,that’swhatwemustdo.
OneofmyfavoriteexamplesofthatkindofhelpoccurredduringtheWinterOlympicsin1964.Backthen,thegreatestbobsledderofalltime,Italy’sEugenioMonti,wasengagedinthetwo-manbobsledcompetition.TheItalianteamhadagoodtimeduringtheirfirstrun.SodidtheBritishteam,whosedriverwasTonyNash.FollowingMonti’ssecondrun,hewasinfirstplace.AnditlookedasifheandhisteammatemightwinthegoldmedalaslongastheBritsdidn’tsurpassthem.
AstheBritishteampreparedfortheirsecondandfinalrun,theymadeademoralizingdiscovery.Duringthefirstrun,abolthadbrokenontheirrearaxle,andtheydidn’thaveareplacement.Theyhadnochoicebuttodropout.ButEugenioMonti,whowaswaitingatthebottomofthehilltoseeifhistimewouldholdup,heardaboutwhathadhappenedtotheBritishteam.Heremovedaboltfromtherearaxleofhisownsledandsentitupthehilltohiscompetitor.Nash’steamusedthebolt,madetheirrun,andwonthegoldmedal.Montiandhisteammateultimatelyfinishedinthirdplace.
TherewasnowaythatNashcouldrepayMonti.AndtherewasnowayMonticouldbenefitfromgivingNashthebolt.Yethediditanyway.ThecriticismagainstMontiintheItalianpresswasscathing.Butheleteveryoneknowthathewantedtowinonlyifhetrulywasthebest.“TonyNashdidnotwinbecauseIgavehimabolt,”explainedMonti.“TonyNashwonbecausehewasthebestdriver.”4
“YOUHAVENOTLIVEDTODAYSUCCESSFULLYUNLESSYOU’VEDONESOMETHINGFORSOMEONEWHOCANNEVERREPAYYOU.”—
JOHNBUNYAN
Ifyouwanttohelppeople,thenembracethemottoofnineteenth-centuryevangelistD.L.Moody,whoadvised:
DoallthegoodyoucanToallthepeopleyoucanInallthewaysyoucanForaslongasyoucan.
Andwhenyoucandothatforpeoplewhocan’tdoanythingforyouinreturn,thenyou’rereallydevelopingtheMidastouch,becauseyouareaddingvaluetothelivesofothers.
4.DoRightWhenIt’sNaturaltoDoWrongIfyou’reoveragethirty,thenI’msureyouremembertheColdWarbetweentheU.S.andtheSovietUnion.Formorethanthreedecades,therelationshipbetweenthetwogovernmentswascharacterizedbymistrustandhostility.WhenRonaldReaganbecamepresidentoftheUnitedStates,hedeterminedthathewantedtochangetheinteractionbetweenthetwosuperpowers.HisfirststepwastowriteapersonallettertoLeonidBrezhnev,theSovietpremier,askingthattheytryto“findlastingpeace.”TosaythatReagan’soverturegotacoldreceptionwouldbeputtingitmildly.
ItwouldhavebeennaturalforReagantogiveuptryingtoimproveSovietrelations.Hewouldn’thavebeenthefirstpresidenttodoso.Buthepersevered.AndeventuallytheicemeltedandtheIronCurtainfell.Reagan’sspeechwriter,PeggyNoonan,summeditupthisway:“Whenyou’restrong,youcanbe‘weak.’Whenyouknowyouarestrong,youcantrustyourselftomakethefirstmove,thefirstappeal,arequestoraplea....Butwhenyoufearyouareweakorfeartheworldthinksyouareweak,youaremoreinclinedtomakeagreatshowofbeing‘strong,’andneverwriteapersonalletteraskingforpeace.”5
It’snoteasytodorightwhendoingwrongiseasier.Ittakesstrongcharacter.Buttherewardscanberemarkable,astheywereforReagan.Thatdoesn’tmeanthereisalwaysareward,becausethereisn’t.Butifyoudowronginsteadofright,therecannotbeagoodreward.
5.KeepYourPromisesEvenWhenItHurtsCharlesBrewer,thefounderofMindSpringEnterprises,hasmadepromise
keepingfoundationaltohiscompany.WhenMindSpringwasfoundedin1993,heincludedthisstatementinthecompany’scorevalues:“Wemakecommitmentswithcare,andthenliveuptothem.Inallthings,wedowhatwesaywearegoingtodo.”Hebelievedthatifhecouldcreateabusinessenvironmentwherekeepingpromiseswasthenormratherthantheexception,hewouldbesignificantlyaheadofthecompetition.6
“WEMAKECOMMITMENTSWITHCARE,ANDTHENLIVEUPTOTHEM.INALLTHINGS,WEDOWHATWESAYWEAREGOINGTO
DO.”—CHARLESBREWER
Breweriscertainlydifferentfromthecompetition.AstudyconductedbyDr.PatLynchwasrecentlypublishedintheJournalofBusinessEthics.Lynchaskedmorethansevenhundredbusinesspeopleandgraduatebusinessstudentstoranktheirvaluesintheworkplace.Includedinadditiontopromisekeepingwereitemssuchascompetency,workethic,seniority,andovercomingadversity.Lynchfoundthatkeepingpromiseswasatthebottomofpeople’slists.Thatheldtrueinthesurveyregardlessofgender,supervisoryexperience,orreligiousbackground.7
Theironyisthatpromisekeepingisthecornerstoneofallrelationships,anditisabsolutelyessentialforsuccessinbusiness.JosephAbruzzese,presidentofsalesforCBSTelevision,observes,“Insellingcommercialtime,integritymeanseverything.About80percentofyourbusinesscomesfromthesamepeopleeveryyear,sosellingisaboutthestrengthoftherelationships.Intheend,thehonestbrokerreallydoeswin.”8
Wheredoyoudrawthelinewhenitcomestokeepingapromise?Youprobablyhavenotroublekeepingonewhenit’sconvenient.Howaboutwhenitisn’t?Whataboutwhenkeepingitwillreallyhurt?That’swhatSirWalterScottdid.YoumaybefamiliarwithScott.Abiographer,critic,historian,andpoet,Scottisconsideredthefatherofthehistoricalnovel,andheiscreditedwithinfluencingnovelistsLeoTolstoy,AlexandreDumas,VictorHugo,HonorédeBalzac,andothers.
Scottwasbornin1771inEdinburgh,Scotland.Hebeganhisprofessionallifeasalawyerfollowinganapprenticeshipunderhisfather,buthesoonturnedtowritingandquicklybecamethemostpopularnovelistofhisday.In1808,hebecameapartnerinapublishingcompany,whichyieldedhimgreaterrevenue
thansimplyplacinghisworkswithanotherpublisher.In1826,hispublishingcompanyfounditselfinfinancialtroublewhenitwascaughtupinanotherbusiness’sbankruptcy.Thedebtwasenormous:£114,000.Scottprobablycouldhaveavoidedtheresponsibilityforpayingthedebtbydeclaringbankruptcy,buthedidn’t.Instead,heagreedtopayitalloff.
Overthenextsixyears,Scott,analreadyprolificauthor,wrotemountainsofpagestoearnmoney.Hesoldcopyrights.Hedidwhateverhecould.Intheend,heraised£70,000—beforehedied.Somebelievehewrotehimselftodeath.Buthiswillgaveinstructionsconcerninghowadditionalworkscouldbesold,andtheentiredebtwaspaid.Notonlydidhenotallowpaintostophimfromkeepingapromise,hewouldnotallowevendeathtodoit.
Youdon’tmeetmanypeoplelikeScotttoday.Mostofusprefertodowhat’seasyinsteadofwhat’sright.Butifwereallywanttoliveagoldenlife,thenwewoulddowelltofollowhisexample.
THEGOLDSTANDARD
Whereareyoucurrentlyfocusingyourattention?Areyoutryingtobuildagoldenlife?Whatopportunitiesareyoucurrentlypursuing?Ifyouweretoseizethem,whatrewardswouldtheybring?Wealth?Promotion?Recognition?Awards?Let’sputtheminperspective.Takethisquiz:
1.Namethefivewealthiestpeopleintheworld.2.NamethelastfiveHeismantrophywinners.3.NamethelastfivewinnersoftheMissAmericacontest.4.NametenpeoplewhohavewontheNobelprize.5.NamethelasthalfdozenAcademyAwardwinnersforbestactorandactress.
6.Namethelastdecade’sWorldSerieswinners.
Howwelldidyoudo?Howmanynamesdidyouknow?Half?Seventy-fivepercent?Thesepeopleandteams—thebestintheworldatwhattheydo—haveaccomplishedmuch.Theyhaveprovedthattheyhavethemagictouchintheirareaofexpertise,andtheyhaveachievedgreatrecognition.Butwhatkindofimpacthavetheymade?Morespecifically,howmuchimpacthavetheyhadonyou?(Obviouslynotmuchifyoucan’tevenremembermostoftheirnames.)
Now,Iwantyoutotakeanotherquiz:
1.Namethreeteacherswhoinspiredyoutoachieveinschool.2.Namethreefriendswhohelpedyouthroughadifficulttime.3.Namefivepeoplewhotaughtyousomethingworthwhile.4.Namethreepeoplewhomadeyoufeelappreciatedandspecial.5.Namefivepeoplewithwhomyouenjoyspendingtime.6.Namehalfadozenheroeswhosestorieshaveinspiredyou.9
Youmaynothavescored100percentonthesecondquizeither,butI’msureyourscorewasbetterthanonthefirstone.Why?BecausethesearethepeoplewhohadtheMidastouchinyourlife!Addingvaluetoyouwasimportantforthem.Theyfocusedonothers—notjustongettingaheadfinancially.Ifyouwanttodosomethingthatwillmakeanimpactbeyondyourownlife,thentreatpeoplebetterthantheytreatyou,walktheextramile,helppeoplewhocannothelpyou,dorightwhenit’snaturaltodowrong,andkeepyourpromisesevenwhenithurts.
YoucantellwhenpeoplehavetheMidastouchwithothersbecausetheycreatealegacythatoutlivesthem.Recentlymyfather-in-law,ClaytonPorter,died.Whenmywife,Margaret,whowashisoldestchild,andIattendedthefuneral,shespokeabouthislife.Claytonhadbeenateacher,andhehadtaughtthousandsofkidsovertheyears.ButMargaretsaidthathismostimportantstudentsweresheandhersisters.Claytonhadinstilledinthemnotonlyastrongmoralandethicalfoundation,butalsoaloveandrespectforpeople.Andhehaddoneit,notjustbyteachingit,butbylivingitout.
WhenMargaretfinishedspeaking,therewasn’tadryeyeintheplace—becausetheroomwasfilledwithhundredsofpeoplewhomhehadtaught,whoseliveshehadchangedforthebetter.Itwasalegacyhewouldhavebeenproudof.It’salegacyyoucouldbeproudoftoo.
Conclusion
GofortheGold(en)Rule
IWANTTOASKYOUTWOFINALQUESTIONS.FIRST,WHATDOyouwanttoachieve?Inotherwords,whatgoalshaveyousetforyourself?Wheredoyouwantyourcareertotakeyou?Whatimpactdoyoudesiretomake?It’sgoodtothinkaboutsuchthingsbecauseithelpstosetthedirectionforyourlife.Thesecondquestionisthis:Howdoyouplantodoit?That’simportantbecauseitsetsthetoneforhowyouwilllive.Anditalsoinfluenceshowyouwillendup.
Ibelievetherearetwobasicpathstoachievementapersoncanchoose.Youcangoforthegold,oryoucangofortheGoldenRule.Therearemanypeopleouttherewhohavegoneforthegoldandwhoappeartohaveachievedalllifehastooffer.Butappearancescansometimesbedeceiving.
In1923,agroupofmenmetattheEdgewaterBeachHotelinChicago.Atthetime,theyweresomeofthewealthiestandmostpowerfulpeopleintheworld.Howwealthy?TogethertheycontrolledmoremoneythanwascontainedintheU.S.Treasury!Theywerecaptainsofindustryandpoliticalgiants.Theyhadgoneforthegold—andgottenit.Hereisalistoftheirnames,alongwithwhatbecameofthem:
•CharlesSchwab—presidentofthelargestindependentsteelcompany—diedbroke.
•ArthurCutten—greatestofthewheatspeculators—diedabroad,insolvent.
•RichardWitney—presidentoftheNewYorkStockExchange—diedjustafterreleasefromSingSingprison.
•AlbertFall—memberofaU.S.president’scabinet—waspardonedfromprisonsohecoulddieathome.
•JessLivermore—greatest“bear”onWallStreet—committedsuicide.•LeonFraser—presidentoftheBankofInternationalSettlements—committedsuicide.
•IvarKreuger—headoftheworld’sgreatestmonopoly—committedsuicide.1
Oftenpeoplewhogoforthegoldtradeeverythingelseofimportanceintheirlivesfortheopportunitytogainit.Butthentheyloseeventhosematerialgains.Whileshort-termsuccessmaycometomanypeoplewhoputtheacquisitionofwealthfirst,youcanbestmeasurethequalityoftheirlivesbylookingattheirlateryears.Thenit’smucheasiertoseeifthey’reaClaytonPorterorMikeAbrashoff,orifthey’remorelikeDennisKozlowskiorRobertTorricelli.
There’saworldofdifferencebetweenpeoplewhogoforthegoldandthosewhogofortheGoldenRule:PeopleWhoGoforthePeopleWho
Goforthe Gold...GoldenRule...
Ask,“Whatcanyoudoforme?” Ask,“WhatcanIdoforyou?”Makeconvenientdecisions.Sacrificefamilyforfinances.
Makecharacterdecisions.Sacrificefinancesforfamily.
Developarationalefortheiractions. Developrelationshipswiththeiractions.
Possessa“mefirst”mind-set. Possessan“othersfirst”mind-set.Counttheirdollars.Basetheirvaluesontheirworth.
Counttheirfriends.Basetheirworthontheirvalues.
WhenyoumeetsomeonewhohascontinuallychosentogofortheGoldenRule,youcansenseitinthewaythatpersontreatspeopleandhowtheylivetheirlives.ThatwastruewhenImetHowardBowen,whohassincebecomeagoodfriend.HowardwasresponsiblefortheconstructionofmanyKmartstoreswhenthedepartmentstorechainwasattheheightofitssuccess.Anditmadehimhighlysuccessful.
IBELIEVETHEREARETWOBASICPATHSTOACHIEVEMENTAPERSONCANCHOOSE.YOUCANGOFORTHEGOLD,ORYOUCAN
GOFORTHEGOLDENRULE.
Thatroadhasn’talwaysbeeneasy.WhenHowardwasworkingonlanding
thefirstcontractwithKmart,hewentdowntoFloridatolookatsites.Aftertouringtheareaalldaywithtworepresentativesfromthecorporation,oneoftheexecutives,whohadabadreputation,suggestedthatallofthemgotoastripclub.NowHowardhadadilemma.Thedealhewastryingtowinwasworth$40million.Andheknewthatifhedidn’tgoalongwiththisman’srequest,hecouldjeopardizewinningthecontract.ButHowardbelievedinpracticingtheGoldenRule,andheknewthatgoingtoastripclubwouldbeabetrayaltohiswife.
Howardsummonedallhiscourageandaskedtobetakenbacktothehotelbeforethegroupwentoutthatnight.“I’msorry,butIjustcan’tdoit,”hetoldthem.“Besides,Ireallyneedsomerest.”
Astheypulleduptothehotel’sentrance,Howardgotoutofthevan.That’swhenanotheroneofthepeoplewhohadbeenridingwiththemsaid,“Youknow,Ireallyneedtogetsomeresttoo,”andhealsogotoutofthevan.Thenanotherdid.Intheend,nobodywentoutthatnight.Later,theexecutivewhohadoriginallymadethesuggestiontoldHoward,“YouhavenoideahowmuchIrespectyou.”HealsoawardedHowardthecontract.Isapersonwhomaintainshisintegrityalwaysrewardedinthatway?Ofcoursenot.ButwhatifHowardhadcompromisedhisethicsandstillnotwonthecontract?Thenhewouldhavehadneithertherevenuenorhisself-respect.
Howardhadtomakemanytoughdecisionsearlyinhiscareer,suchasthetimeasteelsubcontractoronajobaskedtobepaidbeforehehadfinishedtheworkbecauseofcash-flowproblems.Oftenthat’sariskythingtodo.ButHowardaskedhimself,“HowwouldIliketobetreatedinthissituation?”Hedecideditwastherightthingtodo,andhepaidthecontractor.Overtheyears,thetwomenendedupdoingalotofworktogether.
What’sinterestingisthataboutadecadelater,Howardwasbuildinghishome,andheneededsomesteelworkdoneonthestructure.Itwasduringatimewhenbusinesswasbooming,andnobodywantedtostopworkingonlucrativeprojectstodoasmalljoblikeHoward’shouse.ButhisoldcontractorfriendimmediatelyputotherworkonholdtohelpHoward.AndhetoldHowardwhy:“DoyourememberthefirstjobIdidforyou?YouhelpedmeoutwhenIhadcash-flowproblems.I’llneverforgetthat.I’mgratefulthatIcandosomethingtohelpyou.”
Howardhadn’tthoughtaboutthatintenyears.Atthetime,hewassimplydoingwhatwasright.Butthat’sthewonderfulthingaboutlivingaccordingtotheGoldenRule.Yousee,ifpeoplewhogoforthegoldareverylucky,theygetsomegold.ButthosewhogofortheGoldenRulenotonlyhaveachanceto
achievemonetarywealth,butalsotoreceiveotherbenefitsthatmoneycan’tprovide.PeoplewholivebytheGoldenRulegivethemselvesachancetohaveitall!
NOTES
Chapter1:WhateverHappenedtoBusinessEthics?
1.“World-ClassScandalatWorldCom,”www.cbsnews.com,26June2002.(backtotext)2.RogerRosenblatt,“WhentheHeroTakesaFall,”Time,21January2002,130.(backtotext)3.RichardLacayo,“ASportonThinIce,”Time,25February2002,26.(backtotext)4.“AmericansSpeak:Enron,WorldComandOthersAreResultofInadequateMoralTrainingbyFamilies,”22July2002,BarnaResearchOnline,www.barna.org.(backtotext)5.JohnC.Knapp,“WhyBusinessEthicsIsWorthyofDiscussion,”AtlantaBusinessChronicle,18November2002,http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta.(backtotext)6.JosephFletcher,SituationEthics:TheNewMorality(Philadelphia:Westminster,1966).(backtotext)7.ExecutiveLeadershipFoundation,Inc.,AbsoluteEthics:AProvenSystemofTrueProfitability(Tucker,Ga.,1987),22-23.(backtotext)8.QuotedinWorldMagazine,7September2002,14.(backtotext)9.JoieA.Gregor,“Focuson:TheChiefExecutiveOfficer”(SpecialAdvertisingFeature),BusinessWeek,23September2002,30.(backtotext)10.JeffSiegel,“EthicalDilemma,”AmericanWay,15September2002,54.(backtotext)11.JoanRyan,“CorporationsNeedHonorableLeaders,NotRemedialEthics,”AtlantaJournal-Constitution,10November2002.(backtotext)12.“AreYouGuiltyofGivingYourEmployeesanEthicalFleaDip?”,LeadingforResults,www.ragan.com,13December2002.(backtotext)13.LindaTischler,“CanKevinRollinsFindtheSoulofDell?”FastCompany,
November2002,112-14.(backtotext)14.LorraineWoellert,“YouMeanCheatingIsWrong?”BusinessWeek,9December2002,8.(backtotext)15.JohnD.Copeland,BusinessEthics:ThreeCriticalTruths,quotedbyScimitarRidge,LLC,22July2002.(backtotext)16.ExecutiveLeadershipFoundation,Inc,AbsoluteEthics,24.(backtotext)17.Proverbs4:18-19,TheMessage.(backtotext)
Chapter2:WhyThisRuleIsGolden
1.“Honesty,”inTheForbesBookofBusinessQuotations,TedGoodman,ed.(NewYork:BlackDogandLeventhal,1997),408.(backtotext)2.Matthew7:12.(backtotext)3.TheTraditionsofMohammed,quotedatwww.thegoldenrule.net,23September2002.(backtotext)4.Talmud,Shabbat31a,quotedin“TheUniversalityoftheGoldenRuleinWorldReligions,”www.teaching-values.com,23September2002.(backtotext)5.Udana-Varga5,1,quotedinibid.(backtotext)6.Mahabharata5,1517,quotedinibid.(backtotext)7.Shast-na-shayast13:29,quotedatwww.thegoldenrule.net,23September2002.(backtotext)8.Analects15:23,quotedatibid.(backtotext)9.EpistletotheSonoftheWolf,30,quotedatwww.fragrant.demon.co.uk/golden,23September2002.(backtotext)10.Sutrakritanga1.11.33,quotedatibid.(backtotext)11.Ibid.(backtotext)12.TheJosephsonInsititute,“WhatIsEthicsAnyway?”www.josephsoninstitute.org,24September2002.(backtotext)13.QuotedinBobBenson,HeSpeaksSoftly:LearningtoHearGod’sVoice(Waco,Tex.:Word,1987).(backtotext)14.ViceFundProspectus,www.vicefund.com,21January2003.(backtotext)15.BobSmietana,“APenchantfor‘Sin,’”AtlantaJournal-Constitution,7December2002,B2.(backtotext)16.“CorporateProfile,”www.synovus.com,27January2003.(backtotext)17.Interviewwiththeauthor,10December2002.(backtotext)18.TomBarry,“BankShot,”BusinesstoBusiness,September2002,46.(backtotext)
19.Interviewwiththeauthor,10December2002.(backtotext)20.DaveDeWitte,“Georgia’sSynovusCorp.ShowsHowtoBeaTopEmployer,”Pulse,16June1999.(backtotext)
Chapter3:TheGoldenRuleBeginswithYou
1.ZigZiglar,lettertoauthor,15April2002.(backtotext)2.NedHerrmann,TheWholeBrainBusinessBook(NewYork:McGraw-Hill),1996.(backtotext)3.ChristopherCaggiano,“EmploymentGuaranteed,forLife,”Inc.,10December2002,74.(backtotext)4.Sourceunknown.(backtotext)5.CharlesW.Christian,“10RulesforRespect,”LeadershipJournal,Summer1999,www.christianitytoday.com.(backtotext)6.CaraCannella,“KeepingItFlexible,”Inc.,10December2002,76.(backtotext)7.“AProfessionIsBorn:1930s,”OurHistory,McKinsey&Company,www.mckinsey.com,10February2003.(backtotext)8.JohnA.Byrne,“GoodbyetoanEthicist,”BusinessWeek,10February2003,38.(backtotext)9.TammyJoyner,“HomeBancTapsMinisterasCorporateConscience,”AtlantaJournal-Constitution,4December2002,www.ajc.com.(backtotext)
Chapter4:Livinga24-Karat-GoldLife
1.“GeorgiaCoachTakestheBlameforBadCall,”AugustaChronicle,14November2001,www.augustachronicle.com.(backtotext)2.JoshKendall,“RichtFindingHisWay,”AthensDailyNews,18March2001,www.onlineathens.com.(backtotext)3.“FastTalk:CaroleBlack,”FastCompany,December2002,72.(backtotext)4.J.C.Penney,FiftyYearswiththeGoldenRule(NewYork:HarperandBrothers,1950),16.(backtotext)5.NormanBeasley,MainStreetMerchant(NewYork:Bantam,1950),63.(backtotext)6.Penney,FiftyYearswiththeGoldenRule,52.(backtotext)7.Ibid.(backtotext)
8.ThomasAddingtonandStephenGraves,ACaseforCharacter:AuthenticLivinginYourWorkplace(Nashville:BroadmanandHolman,1998),12.(backtotext)
Chapter5:FiveFactorsThatCan“Tarnish”theGoldenRule
1.SteveWilstein,“DoingtheRightThingIsMoreImportantthanWinning,”19November2002,www.yorknewstimes.com/stories,17April2003.(backtotext)2.MarieBrenner,“TheEnronWars,”www.mariebrenner.com/articles,11February2002.(backtotext)3.CatherineValenti,“EthicalCulture,”abcnews.com,20February2002.(backtotext)4.M.ScottPeck,TheRoadLessTraveled(NewYork:Touchstone,1978),66.(backtotext)5.RobertBrowningHamilton,“AlongtheRoad,”citedinEdithP.Hazen,ed.,TheColumbiaGranger’sIndextoPoetry,10thedition,NewYork,ColumbiaUniversityPress,1993;34.(backtotext)6.RichardFoster,inReasonstoBeGlad,comp.byDecisionmagazineeds.(LaVergne,Tenn.:SpringArborDistributors,1988).(backtotext)7.MarkLewis,“ADwindlingBandofBrothers,”Forbes,11November2002,www.forbes.com.(backtotext)8.HarrietRubin,“Power,”FastCompany,November2002,68.(backtotext)9.“OnlineExtra:TheCEOasThief:APsychologicalProfile,”www.businessweek.com,23December2002.(backtotext)10.BruceHorovitz,“ScandalsGrowOutofCEO’sWarpedMind-set,”USAToday,11October2002,2B.(backtotext)11.RobertGreene,The48LawsofPower(NewYork:VikingPress,1998),16,37.(backtotext)12.Proverbs16:18NIV.(backtotext)13.Proverbs11:2NIV.(backtotext)14.Proverbs13:10NIV.(backtotext)15.Proverbs29:23NIV.(backtotext)16.C.S.Lewis,MereChristianity(SanFrancisco:HarperSanFrancisco,2001),122.(backtotext)17.EzraBowen,“LookingtoItsRoots,”Time,25May1987,26.(backtotext)18.PeggyNoonan,WhenCharacterWasKing(NewYork:VikingPress,2001),199.(backtotext)
19.DavinSeay,“InterviewwithJimCollins,”Halftime,23.(backtotext)
Chapter6:SeizingYourGoldenOpportunity
1.C.S.Lewis,MereChristianity(SanFrancisco:HarperSanFrancisco,2001),132.(backtotext)2.“StarwoodHotelsSurvey,”Reader’sDigest,September2002,19.(backtotext)3.Sourceunknown.(backtotext)4.“SenateEthicsCommitteeAdmonishesTorricelli,”USAToday,30July2002,www.usatoday.com.(backtotext)5.“Sen.TorricelliQuitsRace,”www.newsmax.com,21November2002.(backtotext)6.KeithH.Hammonds,“HarryKraemer’sMomentofTruth,”FastCompany,November2002,96.(backtotext)7.Proverbs22:7NASB.(backtotext)8.Foster,inAbsoluteEthics,18.(backtotext)9.WolfJ.Rinke,WinningManagement:SixFail-SafeStrategiesforBuildingHigh-PerformanceOrganizations(AchievementPublishing,1997).(backtotext)10.MikeAbrashoff,It’sYourShip:ManagementTechniquesfromtheBestDamnShipintheNavy(NewYork:Warner,2002).(backtotext)11.Interviewwithauthor,13November2002.(backtotext)
Chapter7:HowtoDevelopthe“MidasTouch”
1.TedGoodman,ed.,TheForbesBookofBusinessQuotations(NewYork:BlackDogandLevental,1997),891.(backtotext)2.Sourceunknown.(backtotext)3.Sourceunknown.(backtotext)4.“EugenioMonti,”www.olympic.org/uk/passion/humanity,25February2003.(backtotext)5.Noonan,WhenCharacterWasKing,221.(backtotext)6.EllwoodF.OakleyIII,“Promise-keepingHasLostItsImportanceasaCoreValue,”AtlantaBusinessChronicle,18November2002,www.atlantabusinesschronicle.com.(backtotext)
7.Oakley,“Promise-keepingHasLostItsImportanceasaCoreValue.”(backtotext)8.“JosephAbruzzese,”FastCompany,November2002,62.(backtotext)9.Sourceunknown.(backtotext)
Conclusion:GofortheGold(en)Rule
1.BillRose,NewYorkHeraldTribune,8November1948.(backtotext)
AbouttheAuthor
JohnC.Maxwell,knownasAmerica’sexpertonleadership,speaksinpersontohundredsofthousandsofpeopleeachyear.HehascommunicatedhisleadershipprinciplestoFortune500companies,theUnitedStatesMilitaryAcademyatWestPoint,andsportsorganizationssuchastheNCAA,theNBA,andtheNFL.
MaxwellisthefounderofInjoyStewardshipServices,aswellasseveralotherorganizationsdedicatedtohelpingpeoplereachtheirleadershippotential.HededicatesmuchofhistimetotrainingleadersworldwidethroughEQUIP,anon-profitorganization.TheNewYorkTimesbestsellingauthorhaswrittenmorethanthirtybooks,includingDevelopingtheLeaderWithinYou,TodayMatters,andThe21IrrefutableLawsofLeadership,whichhassoldmorethanonemillioncopies.